HANGZHOU is famous as a magnet for tourism and creativity, and now it's becoming very attractive as an international conference base and major exhibition destination.

Frequently called "Heaven on Earth," Hangzhou has been working hard to build itself into an "Oriental Geneva" that offers world-class conference, meeting, exhibition and leisure services.

Geneva has Lake Geneva and Hangzhou has West Lake.

"Hangzhou has great potential to be one of the best MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) cities in the word," says Li Hong, director of Hangzhou Tourism Commission. She cites the city's abundant tourism resources, long history and rich culture as well as quality services, infrastructure, industrial base and reception capacity.

If the first West Lake Expo in 1929 displayed a new world to Hangzhou and the rest of China, the resumption of the West Lake Expo since 2000 has presented Hangzhou to the world and increased the development of the MICE industry.

In 2000, the 2rd West Lake Expo featured 23 exhibition events involving more than 2,500 enterprises from 30 countries and regions. It generated around 7 billion yuan (US$1.05 billion) turnover and attracted more than 17 billion yuan investment. Since then, the MICE industry has developed rapidly, thanks to support from the local government and influence of the West Lake Expo.

Over the past 10 West Lake Expos during 2000 to 2009, there were 853 exhibitions, conferences and festivals. Total trade turnover exceeded 96.42 billion yuan.

The city's general development plan call for a "MICE plus leisure travel" approach that combines the exhibition and conference business with the city's unique location and spectacular scenery.

The Hangzhou Mice Alliance was set up last year by the tourism bureau to consolidate the city's visitor-focused resources, including travel agencies, hotels, exhibition centers, airlines and scenic spots.

It is moving forward rapidly to develop the potentially lucrative MICE segment of the economy.

China's MICE industry results from both its advantage in national resources and industry, according to Wang Jinzhen, vice president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. And China is very likely to become one of the major destinations for international conferences, exhibitions and tourism in the 21st century.

More than 150,000 major exhibitions and conferences are held annually each year, attracting investment and celebrities and promoting host cities.

The international exhibition industry contributes about 1 percent of the global GDP itself, and contributes about 8 percent, taking into consideration its influence on related industries, Manfred Wutzlhofer, chairman and CEO of Messe München GmbH, told Hangzhou Daily at the 6th China Expo Forum for International Cooperation.

The Chinese exhibition industry has been rocketing in recent years, with an average annual profit rate of more than 20 to 25 percent. Many Chinese cities have joined the industry by building big conference centers and related facilities.

Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, of course, are at the top of the list for the MICE industry, thanks to their big names, convenient transport and many attractions.

But among second-tier cities, Hangzhou is also demonstrating its advantages and competitive edge.

In 2009, 154 exhibitions were held in the city's seven specialized exhibition venues.

Many large-scale (more than 1,000 participants) business conferences were held in Hangzhou last year, including Microsoft's annual meeting, KFC's 2009 management meeting, and the marketing conference for cosmetics giant Mary Kay.

Hangzhou also attracted global conferences in 2009, including the China Arab Cooperation Forum, the annual conference of the Asia Pacific Association for Folk Artists, and the PATA Travel Mart 2009.

"These international meetings and activities in Hangzhou greatly boosted the city's international image and strengthened its influence," says tourism director Li.

Beautiful scenery, comfortable hotels and conference centers and convenient transport make Hangzhou ideal for MICE events.

Located at the southern tip of the Yangtze River Delta, Hangzhou plays a vital traffic hub role in southeastern China.

The volume of passenger traffic through roads, railways and airport in Hangzhou reached 3.01 million in 2009, an increase of 1.6 percent from a year earlier.

About 160 air routes opened at the Xiaoshan International Airport by the end of last year, including 25 international air routes and eight to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

It is also the intersection of four railways -- Shanghai-Hangzhou, Xiaoshan-Ningbo (Zhejiang Province), Hangzhou-Xuancheng (Anhui Province), and Hangzhou-Zhuzhou (Hunan Province).

The Shanghai-Hangzhou IntercityHigh-speed Railway is expected to open this month, giving the city even closerconnections with Shanghai andits many opportunities.

"Fast and convenient intercity transport helps expand the influence of big Shanghai to Hangzhou as well," says Wang Bingwen, chief of the Exhibition Department of the Organizing Committee of the Hangzhou West Lake International Expo.

"We will be able to share much more international resources with Shanghai, including the exhibitions that overflow from Shanghai and exhibition professionals."

Tourism director Li also says Hangzhou will benefit from Shanghai's status as an economic, trade and financial center, as well as a giant conference center and exhibition city.

Hangzhou is no longer "Shanghai's backyard," but a city with its own exhibition industry land and its own characteristics.

Hangzhou's industry is mainly textiles, household appliances and telecommunications. It's also a creative center for animation, computer games, e-commerce and digital television.

All these assets lay the foundation fordevelopment of Hangzhou's small and medium exhibitions, as well as a growing number of big events.