The market for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) in China has undoubtedly undergone an amazing phase of growth over the past decade. A large portion of this growth has of course taken place in the first-tier cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. However, Chinese as well as non-Chinese planners have increasingly started to put their feelers out to other Chinese cities. Notwithstanding the MICE-worthiness of China’s first-tier cities, reasons for the fast development of MICE infrastructure in other regions are manifold.

Cities such as Wuxi and Suzhou in China’s economic powerhouse Jiangsu Province for example have invested significant resources into developing first-class meetings and conference infrastructure of international standards. State-of-the-art transport infrastructure, including high-speed trains, vast convention facilities, coupled with the rich leisure opportunities that the region has to offer have underscored Jiangsu’s status as a fast-emerging meetings market. Given their close proximity to Shanghai, the above developments have put Wuxi and Suzhou squarely at the center of Jiangsu’s regional meetings hub.

Wuxi and Suzhou have a lot in common. Each is located in the Yangtze Delta Plain, within a 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive or 30 to 60 minute train ride West of Shanghai, China’s financial and commercial center. Both cities each have a population in excess of 6 million people and thriving commercial bases that cover heavy-, light- and high-tech industries. Equally, Suzhou and Wuxi are ancient cities, each with a history covering a period of over 2000 years. Most significantly though, both cities have been influenced and shaped by water, with their most prominent feature being the canals that crisscross their cityscapes. While its canals have earned Suzhou the reputation of being the ‘Venice of the East’ and its ancient gardens are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites, Wuxi is also known as ‘The Pearl of Taihu‘, given its location on the shores of China’s third-largest freshwater lake, Taihu Lake. As a result of its infrastructure, rich history and beautiful sightseeing opportunities, the Suzhou/Wuxi orbit makes for a great meeting playground for planners from near and far.
Local meeting infrastructure of course relies on accommodation that cities such as Wuxi and Suzhou can provide in order to lodge and feed conference and meetings’ attendees. The economic growth of these cities has thus brought with it a rapid influx of international hotel groups that want to establish their hotel brands in these markets.
Notwithstanding the growth of international hotels in Wuxi and Suzhou Chinese hotel management groups, such as Gloria Hotels & Resorts are well-established and well-known in China and offer highly competitive meeting rates and facilities to meeting planners. According to Gloria’s Executive Vice-President Willie Ooi ‘cities like Wuxi and Suzhou offer great leisure and sightseeing spots, are well-connected transport-wise but suffer less from traffic congestion or some of the other inconveniences of China’s first-tier cities. It therefore makes a lot of sense for us to expand our hotel-coverage in the Yangtze Delta region, especially in light of the rapidly growing MICE market.’ One example of this expanded coverage is the Gloria Grand Hotel Wuxi. Recently honored with the ‘best newly opened hotel in China’ award in 2012, its majestic Grand Ballroom is popular with locals for extravagant weddings and planners of large

conferences, such as the ‘27th Asian International Stamp Exhibition’ and the ‘Windosi Solar Enterprise Awards’. A variety of smaller-size meeting rooms are also available and the hotel’s Taste Restaurant offers international cuisine while its adjoining beer-garden can host lively outdoor barbecue parties in the summertime. The Gloria Grand Hotel Wuxi’s Sampan Restaurant serves Cantonese as well as local delicacies, such as Taihu Lake’s famous hairy crabs and other Jiangsu specialities known for their light and sweet flavors. For those planning an incentive event, the hotel is located within close proximity to the Lingshan Buddhist area, a vast complex of temples and a Buddhist worship area since ancient times. Boat trips to Taihu Lake’s picturesque Turtlehead Peninsula can also be arranged for groups of different sizes. Downtown Wuxi itself features an ancient old town with romantic arched stone bridges across the meandering canals and many bars and restaurants can be found along the canals themselves. In addition to its quick train connection to Shanghai, Sunan Shuofang International Airport is located within a 15 minute drive from the Gloria Grand Hotel and travelers can connect to all major mainland destinations as well as take advantage of direct flights to Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Korea, Cambodia, Thailand and Japan.

Given its location half-way between Suzhou and Wuxi, Sunan Shuofang International Airport is also a convenient starting point for conferences and meetings in Suzhou. In addition to its massive, top-end and ultra-modern exhibition and convention facilities, the ‘Venice of the East’ is also famed for its ancient gardens and which have long made it onto the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Tea ceremonies in one of the ancient garden’s pavilions can be arranged by the Gloria Plaza Hotel Suzhou’s well-oiled meetings team, just as much as they can arrange a visit to a silk factory where incentive participants can watch the manufacturing of silk in process, visit the Silk Museum and maybe even weave a thread or two by themselves in one of the factory’s showrooms.
The Gloria Plaza Hotel Suzhou itself is a well-established property with a history of about 15 years. Its duration and long-standing success can largely be attributed to outstanding service levels as well as its versatile meeting facilities that can accommodate groups of all sizes. In the past, the Gloria Plaza has hosted large meetings and conferences for Bosch, Siemens and Nokia as well as countless domestic meetings and incentives, all of which have extensive R & D and manufacturing facilities in the region.
The Gloria Plaza’s excellent wining and dining facilities, spearheaded by Gloria’s signature Sampan Restaurant, underwrite the hotel’s status as a great caterer for business meetings and social functions. Guests who wish to enjoy some local street food just have to venture out of the hotel lobby in order to enjoy the small food stalls and shops that adjourn the ancient and romantic canals. As the hotel is located right in the center of downtown Suzhou, shopping for silk or other local trinkets can thus conveniently be done on foot. Once the meeting, incentive, conference or exhibition is finished attendees can take advantage of Suzhou’s high-speed train that, in just 30 minutes, takes them straight to the heart of Shanghai. Tickets can of course also be booked at the Gloria Plaza’s business center.

As places to meet and convene in, Wuxi and Suzhou certainly deserve top grades. Great hotel infrastructure and meeting facilities, a fascinating cultural environment and rich culinary flavors as well as unrivalled connectivity to the rest of China and the world make both cities excellent alternatives to larger meeting orbits such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing or Shanghai and should be on top of the list of any serious meeting planner who considers China one of the, if not ‘the’ MICE market of the future.