SIGEP China 2025 Highlights & National Brand

China Shenzhen International Food Exhibition and “National Brand” International Tea Tasting Competition kicked off grandly: opening a new milestone in the innovative integration of national cultural tourism industry and international exhibitions

On April 24, 2025, Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center (Futian) welcomed the annual event in the field of global food and tea culture – 2025 SIGEP China Shenzhen International Dessert, Handmade Ice Cream, Baking and Coffee Exhibition and “National Brand” International Tea Tasting Competition.

The event was jointly organized by the Italian Exhibition Group and Koelnmesse (Beijing) Co., Ltd., and co-organized by authoritative organizations such as the World Tourism and Culture Federation and the Culture and Tourism Working Committee of the China National Trade Promotion Association, attracting more than 800 exhibitors and more than 35,000 professional visitors from around the world. The event focuses on “Technology Empowerment and Cultural Symbiosis” and responds to the cutting-edge trends of the industry through exhibitions, competitions, forums, tastings and other multi-dimensional forms, providing practical samples for the internationalization, digitalization and green development of the food industry.

At the opening ceremony, Marco Carniello, Chief Commercial Officer of Italian Exhibition Group, attended and delivered a speech. Italian Exhibition Group plays an important role in the international exhibition industry. Mr. Carniello will share Italy’s development experience in the dessert, baking and coffee industries, as well as Italian Exhibition Group’s unique insights in promoting global food industry exchanges, injecting the unique charm of Italian food culture into the exhibition.

Mr. Michiel Kruse, Managing Director of Koelnmesse (Beijing) Co., Ltd., delivered a welcome speech. He has extensive experience in the field of international exhibitions and is committed to promoting innovation and development in the global exhibition industry. In this speech, he will bring new prospects for the development of SIGEP China from the perspective of international exhibitions, share Koelnmesse’s achievements and vision in promoting international trade exchanges, and set the tone for international exchanges for the exhibition.

Mr. Zhang Jinzhou, Executive Chairman of the World Tourism and Culture Federation and Executive Secretary General of the China International Cultural Communication Center, will also deliver a wonderful speech. He will discuss the important role of food culture in international tourism from the perspective of the integration of cultural communication and tourism, endow the exhibition with richer cultural connotations, and promote the deep integration of the food industry and the cultural tourism industry.

Ms. Yu Lu, Vice President of China Chamber of Commerce of Food, Native Produce and Animal Products, will elaborate on the development opportunities and challenges of China’s food industry in the international market from the perspective of the industry association, emphasize the importance of this exhibition in promoting the integration of China’s food industry with the international community, and provide guidance on industry trends for domestic exhibitors.

At the opening ceremony, Michiel Kruse, Managing Director of Koelnmesse (Beijing) Co., Ltd., Marco Carniello, Chief Commercial Officer of Italian Exhibition Group, Yu Lu, Vice President of China Chamber of Commerce of Food, Native Produce and Animal Products Import and Export, Zhang Jinzhou, Executive Chairman of World Tourism and Culture Federation and Executive Secretary General of China International Cultural Communication Center, Wu Honghua, Secretary General of Culture and Tourism Working Committee of China National Trade Promotion Association and Boao Global National Culture and Tourism Industry Development Conference Organizing Committee , Huang Jing, Secretary General of Shenzhen Retail Industry Association , Ye Wei, founder of China Western Pastry Chef Club and other guests attended the opening ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the atmosphere was warm.

The international exchange forum was attended by many guests, and the conference was chaired by Marco Carniello, Chief Commercial Officer of the Italian Exhibition Group Mr. Zhang Jinzhou, Executive Secretary General of China International Cultural Communication Center and Executive Chairman of World Tourism and Culture Federation, Wu Honghua, Director of Culture and Tourism Working Committee of China Council for the Promotion of National Trade and Secretary General of Organizing Committee of Boao Global National Culture and Tourism Industry Development Conference , He Zhuanglong, Executive Deputy Director of Culture and Tourism Working Committee of China Council for the Promotion of National Trade and President of Shandong Tourism Hotel Association, Zhang Huifa , Deputy Director of Culture and Tourism Working Committee of China Council for the Promotion of National Trade and Executive Chairman of Hainan Tourism Hotel Association, Wang Zhi, Vice President of China Tourism Hotel Association and Executive Chairman of Henan Tourism Association, Zeng Li, Secretary General of Culture and Tourism Working Committee of China Council for the Promotion of National Trade, Hua Lei, Deputy Secretary General of Culture and Tourism Working Committee of China Council for the Promotion of National Trade and Secretary General of Henan Tourism Association, Li Yuan, Professor of School of Tourism Management of Sichuan University , Zhang Jiuming, Vice President of Nanjing Tourism Association, An Maocheng, former President of Chengdu Tourism Accommodation Association, Zhou Changfeng, Deputy Director of Supply Chain Committee of Shandong Hotel , Xia Houyang, Deputy Secretary General of Culture and Tourism Working Committee of China Council for the Promotion of National Trade, Li Yi, Deputy Secretary General of Culture and Tourism Working Committee of China Council for the Promotion of National Trade, and many other guests attended the meeting.

This international exchange symposium aims to bring together elites from the international and domestic cultural and tourism industries and build a bridge of in-depth communication. Through the exchange and collision of views from all parties, we will jointly explore the strategic integration and development path of the cultural tourism and exhibition industries in the context of globalization. On the one hand, we will deeply analyze the challenges and opportunities facing the current industry, seek practical cooperation opportunities, integrate advantageous resources, break down information barriers, and build a clear and effective cooperation model. On the other hand, we will stimulate innovation, promote collaborative innovation among the cultural tourism, exhibition industry, and food industry, and develop more attractive cultural tourism, exhibition products and services to meet the ever-increasing needs of consumers. Ultimately, we will achieve mutual benefit and win-win results, help the global cultural tourism and exhibition industry reach new heights, and promote global cultural exchanges and economic development.

This theme forum was hosted by the Culture and Tourism Working Committee of the China National Trade Promotion Association, focusing on cutting-edge topics in the industry. From international desserts, handmade ice cream, baking and coffee, the use of green ingredients to the innovative practice of digitalization in food production, all of them are the current focus.

Professor Li Yuan from the School of Tourism Management of Sichuan University will deliver a keynote speech entitled “Integration and Innovation under the Transformation of the Global Food Industry: From Technology-Driven to Cultural Empowerment”. Professor Li Yuan has extensive research in the field of integration of tourism and food industries. He will analyze the transformation trend of the global food industry, explain how technological innovation and cultural empowerment promote the integrated development of the food industry, and provide theoretical guidance for food companies in product innovation, brand building and other aspects.

In the roundtable dialogue session of the forum, the theme of “Innovation of the food industry under the global perspective and the integrated development of the international exhibition industry” was hosted by He Zhuanglong, President of the Shandong Tourism Hotel Association, and guests such as Wang Zhi, Executive President of the Henan Tourism Association, Li Zhou, Professor of the School of Tourism of Jinan University, Marco Carniello, Chief Business Officer of the Italian Exhibition Group, and Zhou Changfeng, Deputy Director of the Shandong Hotel Supply Chain Committee and General Manager of Shandong Haiger Hotel Supplies Co., Ltd. participated in the discussion. They will discuss new paths for innovation in the food industry and how the international exhibition industry can provide a platform for display and communication for the food industry and promote the international development of food companies.

The theme of “The integration of food and hotels unlocks new trends in the future” was hosted by Zhang Huifa, executive president of the Hainan Tourism and Hotel Industry Association. Guests including Peng Qing, former founding vice president of the School of Tourism Management of Sun Yat-sen University, An Maocheng, former president of the Chengdu Accommodation Industry Association, Lu Zaiqun, deputy general manager of Grand Skylight Hotel Group, and Zeng Li, secretary-general of the Culture and Tourism Working Committee of the China National Ethnic Trade Promotion Association, will jointly discuss new models and trends in the integration of food and hotel industries and provide ideas for the innovative development of hotel catering.

During the 2025 SIGEP China Shenzhen International Exhibition, the 2025 China National Brand Hotel Development Closed-Door Meeting was successfully held. The meeting was chaired by Zeng Li, Secretary-General of the Cultural and Tourism Working Committee of the China National Trade Promotion Association. The meeting focused on the “Strategic Development of China’s National Brand Hotels” and the “2025 China National Brand Hotels” standard implementation and assessment work, the “2025 Boao Global National Cultural and Tourism Industry Development Conference”, and the “China National Food One Store One Product” standard editing and other important work. Experts and industry representatives at the meeting conducted in-depth discussions on the improvement of the assessment standard system, the path to enhance brand value, and the empowerment of national cultural characteristics.

At the meeting, all parties combined the current development trends of the hotel industry and put forward constructive plans from the dimensions of cultural heritage, service innovation, and digital transformation, injecting new impetus into promoting the standardization of China’s national brand hotels and upgrading their brand influence, and laying a solid foundation for the high-quality development of the industry.

The “National Brand” International Tea Tasting Competition will be a highlight of this exhibition. The tasting competition will be hosted by Lu Jin, executive director of the Chinese Tea Master Evaluation Committee, and will be jointly participated by national senior tea masters and expert judges to objectively, openly and impartially select high-quality teas.

During the tasting process, all kinds of tea brought by participating tea merchants will be strictly evaluated. From the appearance, color, and aroma of the tea to the taste, color, and bottom of the tea soup, every detail will be carefully considered. This is not only a contest of tea quality, but also an in-depth exchange of tea culture. Through the tasting competition, more tea brands with national characteristics and quality advantages will be discovered, promoting the international dissemination of Chinese tea culture.

During the exhibition, project roadshows and promotion activities will be held to provide a platform for tea companies to showcase their innovative products, technologies and projects. Companies can introduce their new product research and development results, unique production technologies, innovative business models, etc. to attract partners and expand market channels. Whether it is a traditional tea planting or processing company, they will have the opportunity to demonstrate their strength on this platform, seek cooperation opportunities, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.

The award ceremony will be hosted by Xia Houyang, deputy secretary-general of the China National Cultural and Tourism Working Committee. Wu Honghua, director of the Culture and Tourism Working Committee of the China National Trade Promotion Association, Lu Jin, executive director of the Chinese Tea Master Evaluation Committee, and Hong Yan, general manager of the Chinese subsidiary of the Italian Exhibition Group, will attend as guest speakers.

At the award ceremony, Wu Honghua, Director of the Culture and Tourism Working Committee of the China National Trade Promotion Association, spoke at the 2025 SIGEP China Shenzhen International Dessert Exhibition and the “National Brand” International Tea Tasting Competition Award Ceremony:

1. National brand: the global value of Chinese tea

Tea is an important symbol of Chinese civilization and a “taste bridge” for China to communicate with the world. In the international market, Chinese tea has become an important window for global consumers to understand China with its unique category advantages and profound cultural heritage. From the clearness of West Lake Longjing to the mellowness of Yunnan Pu’er, the six major tea systems have built a three-dimensional map of Chinese tea, which not only carries the wisdom of thousands of years of farming, but also demonstrates the unique competitiveness of national brands in the wave of globalization.

2. Powerful alliance: a win-win path for national brands and international exhibitions

This cooperation with the giants of the international exhibition industry is a key step for national brands to “go global”. Through resource sharing, we will express the planting stories, production processes and cultural connotations of Chinese tea in an international exhibition language; through platform co-construction, we will let the world see the breakthroughs of Chinese tea companies in standardized planting, refined processing and branded operations. This “Chinese quality + international stage” model is not only an innovative practice for national brands to go global, but also a vivid example of mutual learning between Chinese and foreign industries and cultural exchanges.

3. The beauty of tasting: paying tribute to the heritage of craftsmanship with honor

The International Tea Tasting Competition that just concluded was a “military parade” about quality. More than a hundred experts carefully selected and evaluated, and selected award-winning companies such as “Tea King” and “Special Gold Award” from the six major tea systems. Behind this honor is the deep cultivation of tea farmers in the tea garden – from soil improvement to pest and disease control, from manual picking to ancient frying, every piece of tea condenses the awe of nature and the persistence of skills; it is also the exploration of tea companies in industrial upgrading – from the modern expression of traditional craftsmanship to the innovative practice of “tea tourism integration”, they use their ingenuity to outline the contemporary outline of Chinese tea.

Director Wu Honghua particularly emphasized that the tea tasting competition is not only a competition of quality, but also a display of cultural confidence. Just as the Jingpo Green Leaf Banquet conveys the ecological concept through plant tableware, Chinese tea companies should reconstruct the value coordinate system of Chinese tea in the international market through the dual output of “technical standards + cultural narrative”.

The award ceremony will present plaques and awards to the companies and individuals who have won awards in various events at the SIGEP China exhibition and the “National Brand” International Tea Tasting Competition. These winners represent the outstanding quality and innovative spirit of the food and tea industry. Their achievements will inspire more companies and practitioners to pursue excellence and promote the continuous development of the industry.

2025 SIGEP China Shenzhen International Dessert, Handmade Ice Cream, Baking and Coffee Exhibition and “National Brand” International Tea Tasting Competition is an industry event integrating exhibition, communication, competition and discussion. It not only provides a platform for food and tea companies to showcase their products and technologies, but also provides opportunities for industry professionals to learn, communicate and cooperate. Thank you to all walks of life for gathering in Shenzhen to witness this feast of food and culture and work together to create a new chapter in the development of the industry.