Canton Fair is one of the largest trade fairs in the world with almost 70 years’ history.

Many people are fascinated about the one-stop sourcing solutions for almost all commodities you need to look for!

However, we recently have come up with a lot of clients frustrated with the Canton Fair Tour.

Here are a few potential challenges and tips for you to make a more valuable fair tour.

Book your accommodation early as possible-

Hotels in the area tend to fill up quickly during the fair, and the the price would be doubled or triples if you do it too late.

Pre-registration-

Register online before the fair to save time and avoid long queues when you arrive at the official website www.cantonfair.org.cn

Prepare wechat QR code as your digital “business card”

Wechat has become the norm of communication in China including business environment. This will facilitate your communication with the potential suppliers as well as being more environmentally friendly, and more importantly, this shows you’re ready for your China business!

Do not reply on the online supplier information-

Canton fair is a legacy of the extreme communism management, it’s been organized by the government. Most of the companies exhibiting on the ground are not the owners of the booth at all.

So the practical means is to make sure you visit the correct phase instead of searching for exhibitor information on Canton Fair official website.

Contact your existing or new suppliers advance-

This will make your trip more efficient as there is a high possibility that there are similar suppliers in the same phase/hall as they do.

Get prepared for language-

While many exhibitors speak English, but maybe in a way that your don’t understand, it can be helpful to have a basic knowledge of Chinese phrases, or book a professional canton fair tour guide with Victure.

Get prepared for your internet-

Download a good VPN such as Astrill for you to be able to use your gmail, LinkedIn, Facebook, tiktok, etc. There are no such things in China

Get your transportation reach in advance-

Plan how you will get to and from the fair, as traffic can be congested, you could easily get stuck on the road for hours or even miss the fair!

Get your AliPay/Wechat Pay set up-

This will make your life easy to pay taxi, restaurant bills, hotels, or even a beggar! If not, prepare some Chinese currency (RMB) on hand for small expenses, credit cards are still accepted but not as popular as the digital payment system.

Don’t go on the last day-

As a common practice, most exhibitors are packing their stuff at midday of the last day, or even earlier, it would become a ghost town, and you may get nothing if you get to the fair at the last minute.

Plan for after-fair visit-

As an important follow-up step and cultural understanding, it’s important to visit the highly potential suppliers to show your sincerity in business. If you have challenges in making the trip,you may turn to companies like Victure for help to avoid misunderstandings of culture, improper food and a profesional way of understanding on manufacturing and quality management processes.

If you have any questions or need help with your China/Asia sourcing, please visit our website at www.victuregroup.com or message me, Paul Weedman.

If you need any help for the Canton Fair or other trade fair visit services, you may approach Victure for more information

Some useful LinkedIn groups about Asia Sourcing-

China Sourcing- https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4462099/

India Sourcing- https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8454669/

Vietnam Sourcing- https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8815822/

Asia Sourcing- https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8909383/

Gifts and Premiums- https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4421652/

Circular Economy- https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13908783/