Experts joined in discussion via video call and in-person at the forums of the 2020 China (Beijing) Performing Arts Expo on Sept 24, exchanging views on the future of the performing arts industry.

The Performing Arts Summit Forum centered on the opportunities and challenges brought by immersive technology for stage arts, and the China and Afro-Asian Region Performing Art Forum explored future international cooperation across Asia and Africa.

The forums were joined by guest speakers from home and abroad, including David Bassuk, creative director of White Horse Immersive Studio; Wen Zailin, executive vice president of Leyard Group's Institute of Cultural Tourism Studies and Nesreen Suboh, founder and CEO of Baqa for Culture and Arts Association.

This year, the third edition of the annual expo is organized by China Association of Performing Arts, with the support of China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Lasting through October, the expo will include conferences, campaigns and an art festival on both online and offline platforms.

Zhu Kening, president of the China Association of Performing Arts, said the creative form adopted by this year's expo resulted from the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

"This year's content focuses on the sustainable development of the performing arts industry in the post-pandemic era. Offline and online integration will inevitably become a trend shared by different industries. Our expo will strive to accomplish innovative development and creative transformation, in order to bring more opportunities to the performing arts industry," Zhu said.