Located on the southeastern coast of China, Shanghai is its largest port city and the third largest in the world. Titans of international trade in six key industries – auto manufacturing, petrochemicals, chemical processing, steel production, biomedicine and electronics – fuel the meeting venues in Shanghai. This enormous city of contrasts was established almost 6,000 years ago; today, it has grown to become one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with a population of more than 22 million.
Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao Shanghai Airport serve Shanghai with a combined 65 airlines that fly to and from mostly international destinations. Driving can be a daunting task in this fast-paced city, so many travelers take the Shanghai Maglev train, Hu Ning railway or Hu Hang railway to meeting venues in Shanghai.
Event venues in Shanghai are headlined by the state-of-the-art Shanghai New International Expo Center, which has more than 1.6 million square feet and 13 exhibition halls (plus nearly 1.1 million square feet of outdoor exhibition space). The Expo Center 200,000 square meters of indoor space. Elsewhere, Shanghai International Convention Center, an ICCA member, offers 28 conference venues and 4,400-square-meter column-free ballroom capable of seating 3,000.
The glamorous 270-room Fairmont Peace Hotel has just over 8,000 square feet for up to 800. The 369-room Millennium HongQiao Hotel has 12 event venues with 21,527 square feet and a 9,041-square-foot Garden Pavilion. The recently updated, 714-room Hilton Shanghai Hotel offers everything from a helipad to a 4,564-square-foot ballroom, a 4,833-pre-function area and 23 meeting rooms with approximately 16,000 square feet for 500 guests. (The 5 Star Oriental Riverside Hotel is inside the Shanghai International Convention Center and has 273 rooms).
Special event venues in Shanghai include the Everbright Exhibition Center, which features the 269,097-square-foot, 3-story West Hall and the 80,729-square foot East Hall. The prestigious M1NT caters to upscale events with four main areas and 26,909 square feet. Designed for large-scale events, the Shanghai Automobile Exhibition Center has 645,834 square feet of convention space for 1,200 standard booths.
The 12 private rooms at LAN Club Shanghai offer classic Chinese food and contemporary Oriental design. 1930s glamour marks Kathleen's 5 and its four private venues for up to 300. Whampoa Club offers five private dining venues in Shanghai for groups of 80 as well as two semi-private rooms. Small groups of 20 can enjoy Spanish cuisine in a 1928 Spanish Colonial house in el Willy's private dining room.
