Recently, the preliminary round of the 15th “Yuanhua Cup” National College Student Exhibition and Creativity Competition concluded successfully. A student team from the Culture, Creativity and Management (CCM) programme delivered an outstanding performance in the “Exhibition + Planning” track, winning the National Second Prize.

The award-winning team consisted of CCM students Yiwen Long, Ziyan Huang, Kairan Zhang, and Keran Wang, under the guidance of Dr. Xi Wang, Associate Professor and Programme Director of CCM. With their innovative planning proposal and strong professional competencies, the team showcased the expertise and practical abilities of CCM students.

Their project, “Cross-Link, Smart Chain, Health-Share: 2026 Hengqin-Macao Future Hospitality Summit”, was based on solid market research and a keen grasp of emerging industry trends. The project precisely identified a “new market” by focusing on potential opportunities in the intersection of exhibitions, cultural tourism, and digital technology under the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area context. In their planning, the team sought to break through traditional exhibition models by deeply integrating AI technology, cross-border resources, and immersive experiences, ultimately proposing feasible and innovative solutions. On the marketing and communications side, they leveraged “new tools” such as digital platforms and intelligent recommendation algorithms to enable precise targeting and immersive interaction, significantly enhancing communication efficiency and audience engagement.

The 15th “Yuanhua Cup” National College Student Exhibition and Creativity Competition, along with the China Exhibition Education and Technology Development Forum, was co-hosted by the China Convention/Exhibition/Event Society, The Federation of Consumer Products Trade Center of All China Cities, and the National Digital Exhibition Industry-Education Integration Community. With the theme “Digital Empowerment, AI-Driven, Industry-Education Integration”, the competition focused on the digital transformation of the exhibition industry. It featured four main tracks: practical skills, exhibition + AI, exhibition + design, and exhibition + planning, with the exhibition + AI track newly introduced this year to encourage innovative applications of artificial intelligence in the exhibition sector.

In addition, the national finals and forum will be held from November 8 to 9, 2025. The event will feature the China Exhibition Education and Technology Development Forum and a practical project exchange competition in campus exhibitions, further promoting university-industry collaboration and integration of education with industry.

Text：Tony Huachen Zhang, Vivian Yiwen Long

Edit: Doris Yi Xie