The second edition of the China International Import Expo (CIIE), to be held this year, is set to be larger in scale and better in quality than its inaugural version last year, said the event’s organizers. More than half of the exhibition area has been booked and the number of enterprises confirming their participation has exceeded half of the planned number, said the organizers. Statistics from the CIIE Bureau show that 812 companies from 72 countries and regions had signed agreements to attend this year’s expo as of March 15. Altogether they have booked 180,000 square meters, accounting for more than half of the planned business exhibition section, which will be expanded from 270,000 square meters last year to 300,000 sq m this year.

Companies in the fields of food, agricultural products, medical care, and quality life that were very popular among enterprise and individual purchasers at the first CIIE have shown a great interest in particular in participating in the expo this year, according to Zhang Weimin, Vice General Manager of the Shanghai International Trade Promotion Co. Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan said that some exhibition areas, such as for healthcare, have been fully booked.

Compared with the inaugural expo that took place from November 5-10 in Shanghai, the scale of the second CIIE will be bigger with more exhibitors. The event’s business exhibition section will feature seven categories as well as an outdoor exhibition area to accommodate more exhibitors. Areas dedicated to consumer electronics, smart household appliances and consumer goods are also among those that have been expanded for the second expo, which will occupy three exhibition halls in the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). High-end equipment will become the largest exhibition category, the China Daily reports.