As the national-level Urban Renewal 15th Five-Year Plan rolled out in the first half of this year, the market has been steadily moving away from the outdated approach of "prioritizing construction starts and investment while neglecting long-term operations." Tightening controls on implicit local government debt, strengthening performance evaluation of funds, and focusing on sustainable operational efficiency have become industry-wide priorities, marking a new phase of standardized, refined, and full-cycle urban renewal.
Guided by this policy direction, urban renewal practices across various regions are shifting from a development-driven logic to an operations-driven one. The industrial plant renovation path in Beijing's Economic-Technological Development Area (EDA), along with the Beiren Etrong International Convention and Exhibition Center—a convention complex transformed from an old industrial base—offers a micro-level case study of this transition. In mid-September, a field visit observed that the center, repurposed from a legacy industrial site, retains traces of its industrial heritage while integrating modern exhibition and conference spaces. The renovation and operation of this complex serve as a benchmark for understanding the EDA's urban renewal trajectory and its industry-focused convention model. Discussions with the operator and industry insiders covered topics ranging from old plant renovation and venue positioning to operational challenges.
Urban Renewal Logic Shifts After Abandoning "Demolish and Rebuild"
On September 15, Yan Yuejin, deputy director of the Shanghai E-House Real Estate Research Institute, told reporters that this approach is first and foremost a necessary choice under Beijing's policy of "no more large-scale demolition in old city areas," and also represents a fundamental shift in urban renewal and development logic. Within Beijing's old city districts, the proliferation of protected sites, complex property ownership structures, limited spatial scale, and aging municipal infrastructure make large-scale demolition and reconstruction unfeasible, nor does it align with the current connotation-driven urban renewal philosophy. Yan noted that enterprises must transition from the traditional model of "acquiring land, developing, and profiting from price differences" to refined operations and long-term strategic growth. There are multiple viable paths for urban renewal, all of which should be actively pursued—incorporating both preservation approaches and activation models during the renewal process. In this context, since large-scale demolition is off the table, companies are required to develop new capabilities in operational efficiency and capital alignment.
Public data indicates that the EDA has centered its urban renewal efforts on industrial plant renovation in recent years, cumulatively revitalizing 425.06 hectares of inefficient industrial land and unlocking 2.8675 million square meters of industrial development space over the past five years. Nineteen projects have been selected as Beijing municipal urban renewal demonstration projects, with 43 urban renewal projects advanced during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. The renovation of the Beiren Etrong Convention and Exhibition Center is a component of these efforts. Unlike typical plant conversions used for rental production spaces, the operator says this convention center is positioned as an external display platform for industrial development, a government-enterprise collaboration hub, and a resource integration platform. From an urban renewal perspective, the operator describes it as a benchmark demonstration project at both district and municipal levels; from an industrial standpoint, it is viewed as a supporting pillar for the EDA's nearly 700 billion yuan in industrial output value during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.
From "Renting Space" to "Building an Ecosystem": The Industry-Focused Convention Positioning
The operational philosophy of Beiren Etrong is "industry-driven conventions, conventions-boosted industry." On September 12, a representative from Beijing Etrong International Exhibition Co., Ltd. told reporters that, based on the EDA's industrial foundation, the venue has developed a "one industry, one exhibition" service system, curating professional exhibitions around core sectors such as integrated circuits, biomedicine, and intelligent connected vehicles. The representative stated that the focus will remain on key industrial chains, using exhibitions to connect innovation, industry, and resource chains.
In terms of differentiated positioning, Beiren Etrong has established a clear direction of "industry-oriented, professional, and technology-driven." The representative explained that according to Beijing's venue layout plan for the next three years, the center is oriented toward serving technology industries, anchoring to the EDA's "1+3+4+N" modern industrial system, and prioritizing the introduction of exhibitions related to leading industries such as integrated circuits, medicine and health, and intelligent connected vehicles. The strategy is "industry as the foundation, conventions as the catalyst," leveraging exhibitions to link industry, innovation, and resource chains, creating a cycle where conventions empower industry and industry feeds back into conventions.
The representative further noted that Beiren Etrong is proactively moving beyond its role as a mere venue provider and embedding itself deeply into the industrial development chain. On the hardware front, the venue has undergone comprehensive upgrades, with tailored investment attraction policies and incentives for key industry exhibitions, successfully attracting events like the World Robot Conference, the World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference, IC World, and the Beijing Forum on Biomedical Innovation. In service models, it has expanded to full-chain services including self-organized exhibitions, booth construction, and industry chain support. This year, it launched a self-initiated commercial aerospace exhibition, leveraging the EDA's industrial resources to connect upstream and downstream segments. The operator's goal is to convert exhibition traffic into industrial growth and investment momentum, establishing a closed-loop "convention-industry-convention" ecosystem.
The EDA has already formed four major industries—biomedicine, robotics, intelligent manufacturing, and high-end automobiles—and is currently laying out future sectors such as commercial aerospace and artificial intelligence. The operator states that the convention center aims to empower industry by providing a communication and cooperation platform for tens of thousands of enterprises.
Operational Challenges of Old Plant Renovation
As a convention complex converted from industrial heritage, the venue faces unique difficulties in day-to-day operations. The representative candidly acknowledged that the spatial structure of the industrial heritage restricts functional layout flexibility, with original facilities unable to directly meet modern exhibition demands. To address this, the design phase fully considered spatial adaptability: comprehensive upgrades were made to water, power, and gas systems, pedestrian and vehicle flow lines were optimized, and a modern venue was built featuring a 20,000-square-meter column-free exhibition hall with 18-meter clear height and 6-meter trench spacing. Meanwhile, the industrial aesthetic was preserved, and a smart venue management platform was established, integrating video fusion and AI computing to monitor visitor numbers and ambient temperature in real time. A "Beiren Etrong Smart Exhibition" mini-program was also launched, using Bluetooth beacon navigation to support fuzzy booth searches and precise positioning.
Regarding capacity, the representative detailed that exhibition space at Beiren Etrong has expanded from the original 30,000 square meters to 50,000 square meters, with the addition of a column-free hall featuring 18-meter clear height. Conference space has increased to 8,000 square meters, including a nearly 3,000-square-meter assembly hall, a 1,300-square-meter meeting room, and an 1,800-square-meter multi-function hall, alongside various meeting spaces ranging from 100 to 500 square meters. The smart operations platform enables real-time monitoring and dispatch of foot traffic, vehicle flow, and energy usage. The representative noted that these hardware and software upgrades have bolstered the venue's capacity for large-scale event services.
From Phase One to Phase Two, adjustments were made to exhibition space, conference facilities, and on-site service functions. The representative said Phase Two added a column-free main hall, improving exhibition conditions, while conference spaces were expanded and functionally subdivided. For on-site services, the venue restructured its conference service SOPs and formed professional service teams. Catering now includes over 20 brands, and commercial services incorporate intelligent equipment such as robot coffee machines, pancake machines, and beverage vending machines. The smart mini-program connects online and offline service touchpoints. According to the operator, these changes aim to meet the comprehensive service demands of today's exhibition organizers.
Observed through the lens of shifting urban renewal logic, the renovation and operation of Beiren Etrong International Convention and Exhibition Center represent a practical effort by Beijing's EDA to use a convention platform to carry industrial display, government-enterprise collaboration, and resource integration functions. The operator states that the goal is no longer traditional venue leasing but rather to build an ecosystem that "supports industry through conventions and empowers conventions through industry," converting exhibition traffic into industrial gains and investment momentum to establish a closed "convention-industry-convention" cycle. Whether this model proves sustainable remains to be tested by the market.