Pavilion Offers a 'Visit' to China

A 6,850-mile flight from New York City to Beijing may not be practical for everyone in the travel industry, so the China National Tourist Office (CNTO) did the next best thing and asked Skyline Exhibits to create a glimpse of China for North America.

"The structure, the color and the decorations were designed to look like Chinese culture. It has an authentic feel," says Shan Zhong Zhu, director of the CNTO office in New York.

Six colorful photos of a giant panda, the Great Wall and other sights in China – printed on fabric banners more than 8’ tall – hang between the pavilion’s columns. The sheer banners picture a tempting destination while creating privacy with an air of openness for two conference areas within the pavilion.

Zhu says the architecture and graphics make the exhibit stand out: "When people go to the show, they see the China exhibit clearly. It’s not like any of the other booths."

CNTO’s North American offices in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto sometimes share the exhibit in their efforts to promote tourism, one of the fastest-growing segments of China’s economy. The Motivation Show in Chicago positioned a trip to China as a sales incentive, with Beijing and Shanghai as popular sites for meetings and conventions.

"Maybe next year we’ll need an even larger space," Zhu says.