南京国际博览中心

Nanjing International Expo Center occupies the heart of Hexi New Town in Jianye District, with its east gate at 300 Jiangdong Middle Road and north gate at 5 Bailongjiang West Street. Invested in by the Hexi New Town state asset group and designed by American firm TVS, it is Jiangsu's flagship exhibition venue: since opening in 2008 it has accounted for about half of the city's annual exhibition area and more than 80 per cent of its large-scale shows, and it holds both UFI and ICCA certification. Phase one opened on 3 November 2008 with nine halls, including one split-level hall, arranged in an arc along a spine corridor; later expansion brought 12 large column-free halls, 870,000 sqm of total floor area, 150,000 sqm of indoor exhibition space (this database records the phase-one figure of 83,550 sqm) and 30,000 sqm outdoors. A typical hall measures 12,000 sqm, 162 m by 72 m, with 14-22 m clear height, larger than a standard football pitch, with three meeting rooms each; halls 1 and 2 have underground parking beneath them. The 46,500 sqm conference centre includes a 5,000 sqm multi-function hall, an 800-seat auditorium and 20 meeting rooms, alongside 252 guest rooms and a two-level underground car park for 5,800 vehicles. The complex handles exhibitions, conferences, performances and sports events. Its architecture blends local character into a 'crouching tiger, coiling dragon' composition, with every hall linked by an indoor corridor. Metro Lines 2 and 10 interchange at Yuantong; exit 4 is about a ten-minute walk from gate 7, and underground passages now connect the station with the expo centre and neighbouring towers. Nanjing and Nanjing South railway stations are about 20 minutes away by metro, and Lukou Airport connects via Lines S1, S3 and 2.