Though the Chinese national team did not make it to the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Chinese merchandise certainly did. One flag company in Zhejiang Province alone supplied over 50 million flags to Brazil, with many of its orders placed through the Canton Fair, China's biggest trade event.
Closing on May 5, China's 115th Canton Fair made good its promise to boost trade competitiveness. While the overall value of business transactions was down slightly on the 114th Fair at around RMB 191 billion (US$31 billion), individual figures proved that efforts to stimulate creativity, quality and brand recognition by Fair organizers had been highly successful.
Many innovative Chinese enterprises, such as those involved in the manufacture of household appliances and consumer electronics, signed lucrative deals at the Fair. Sales of smart products, in particular, increased sharply.
A range of innovative methods were employed by organizers of the 115th Fair to boost buyer attendance. Introduced in 2013, the "exhibitors inviting buyers" and "existing buyers inviting new buyers" campaigns were further refined and expanded, with the number of invitations sent out by exhibitors and existing buyers increasing significantly. A new promotion and introduction program in India combined Fair invitations with exclusive interviews on social media.
Yin Zhenyu, the manager from a feather products company, was delighted with the response to the invitations his company sent out. "We received over 30 invitees on the first day alone," explained Yin. "We've already had an order from a Malaysian buyer for $50,000. All buyers who receive invitation letters can enter the exhibition without registration fees, so it's a lot more convenient."
The Fair itself drew further positive reviews from all quarters. The 115th Fair was the third time that Bastan, a construction equipment purchaser from Sudan, had attended the event. "This is the perfect buying platform for overseas wholesalers," explained the Sudanese. "Half the products I buy will be resold to retailers when I return home. In Sudan many products are sourced from China. Prices here are reasonable and differentiated by quality and performance."
"I've never seen so many clients keen to tie up contracts on the spot," said Ahmed Fouad, a deputy director with Egyptian household appliance manufacturer Unionaire. "It was way beyond our expectations."
