The first phase of the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Tianjin) in Jinnan district will be completed and put into use in June this year.

Covering about 1.38 million square meters, and with a total investment of 18 billion yuan($2.79 billion), it will become the largest exhibition area in northern China upon its completion.

It is also the third state-level modern pavilion to be set up by the Ministry of Commerce in China, after those in Guangzhou and Shanghai.

The high-investment project is pivotal to integrating the district into the city’s wider plan of becoming an international and internal consumption and business center, as outlined in the city’s 14th Five-Year Plan draft.

Conventions and exhibition services will be a new driver of economic growth and industrial upgrades in Jinnan district.

The district aims to combine high-quality development with an increasingly large role in coordinated Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regional development.

It is also the mainstay of the city’s ecological protection campaign, launched last year, which aims to build a 736 square kilometer barrier.

In addition to the building of the convention center, Jinnan has improved its infrastructure and services to attract investments and projects.

In June, the center will usher in its first exhibition - the China Building Science Conference and Green Intelligent Building Expo by the China Academy of Building Sciences. It is estimated that more than 500 exhibiting companies and 150,000 visitors will attend the expo.