China National Convention Center, Phase 2 (CNCC-II) is located in the Beijing Olympic Green Area, in the north of Beijing. Having successfully served as the Main Media Center (MMC) for the recently concluded Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, CNCC-II is on track to begin its next phase as China’s premier international convention center. At this stage it is planned to open in 2024.
Designed by French architect Christian de Portzamparc, the center features 420,000 square meters (m²) of floor space and 270,000 of meeting and event space. It comprises a 7,300 m² divisible plenary hall and 30,000 m² of exhibition floor space. The second floor has over 35,000 m² of function space with meeting rooms in sizes from 100 to 2,000 m². On the top floor (level 3), there is over 35,000 m² of function space comprising three banquet halls and two gardens. There are over 30 VIP lounges spread across the three floors.
CNCC-II is expected to host conferences, forums, banquets, and other commercial events for up to 20,000 maximum, as well as exhibition events for more than 50,000 attendees. The center complex comprises an office building, boutique retail outlets, and two hotels.
Envisioned as “A Masterpiece of the Capital in the New Era”, the transformation from media center for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics to CNCC-II will deliver a highly flexible venue pushing the boundaries of technology and sustainability.
The center will have smart venue systems from impressive LED walls to robots that serve meals and undertake cleaning. [According to the International Federation of Robotics, China is the largest robotics market in the world and is growing rapidly.]
The center is being built in accordance with the LEED Platinum and China’s Green Building Evaluation Standard or GBES 3-star, developed by China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.
In GainingEdge’s International Convention Destination Competitive Index 2021, Beijing is ranked as the fourth most competitive city in the world. Paris, New York and Singapore were in the Top 3 positions. On this Index, cities are scored and compared in terms of the strength of their destination products.
“Beijing, as the capital of China, attracts many high-profile events with global influence. The convention center’s target market includes high-profile intergovernmental meetings, international association meetings, Fortune 500 company meetings, banquets, niche exhibitions and special events,” said Rod Kamleshwaran, pre-opening international consultant of CNCC-II. “CNCC-II will rejuvenate Beijing conventions and exhibitions infrastructure boosting the city’s competitiveness. In addition, Chinese thought leaders – the majority of them based in Beijing – bring business and help brand Beijing as a knowledge-based society.”
