With industrial development and foreign trade boosting, China’s convention and exhibition “going global” strategy is gaining momentum and accelerating—
"Let's go! Go to overseas exhibitions and exhibitions"
Our reporter Li Jie
"Busy, really busy." If you want to use one word to describe the feelings of Chinese exhibition people since last year, "busy" is probably the most frequent word.
They not only organize large and small domestic exhibitions and send direct signals of industrial recovery and vitality, but also help thousands of Chinese foreign trade companies "go global" to appear in the international market. Behind the rush for orders to expand the market, there is a busy figure in the exhibition industry.
The COVID-19 epidemic once caused the exhibition industry to press the "pause button". Starting again, industry insiders have discovered that the global supply chain and industrial chain on which the development of the industry relies is being reshaped, and China's exhibition industry has also embarked on a new trend - "going global", which is becoming the direction in which the industry is gathering momentum and accelerating.
With a strong desire to “go global”, many exhibitors set aside half of their budget to exhibit abroad.
The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in the United States, the International Spring Consumer Goods Fair in Birmingham in the United Kingdom, the International Lighting and Lighting Show in Frankfurt, Germany... Nowadays, Chinese companies are indispensable in these large-scale international exhibitions.
"Companies have a very strong desire to 'go global'. As long as there is an exhibition, they want to try it. Traditional large-scale professional exhibitions have to rack their brains to get a booth. Many emerging exhibitions also want to see what is going on." As an exhibitionist People, Bai Qinqin has been busy since last year. The needs of corporate customers have urged them not to stop.
Bai Qinqin is the vice president of Shanghai International Exhibition (Group) Co., Ltd. On the company's work schedule, this year it has arranged overseas exhibition projects in Indonesia, Thailand, Russia, Australia, Turkey and other countries, and organized groups to participate in overseas exhibitions. The number is greater. "Since last year, the momentum of going abroad to participate in exhibitions has continued to increase." Bai Qinqin said.
Many exhibition companies have similar feelings. Last year, Hannover Milano Fairs (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. completed 26 inbound exhibitions and 50 exhibition projects in China. "Since last year, we have felt that exhibitors and visitors are very enthusiastic about going abroad to participate in exhibitions." Liu Guoliang, the company's managing director, said that due to various considerations such as supply chain layout and geopolitics, Chinese exhibitors are eager to go abroad to participate in exhibitions and consolidate Traditional markets and expansion into emerging markets. After communicating with exhibitors this year, many exhibitors reported that they should reserve half of their budget for overseas exhibitions, which also reflects their changes in market thinking.
For example, the 2024 Hannover Industrial Fair, which will be held in Germany soon, will have more than 5,500 exhibitors. As of the end of January this year, more than 1,000 Chinese companies from Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Shanghai, Beijing and other places have signed up to participate in the exhibition. "Chinese companies are no longer satisfied with exhibiting products and solutions, but are more actively participating in co-building the global industrial chain, participating in various technical forums and industry dialogue activities, and are committed to the globalized and integrated development of Chinese industry." Hannover Milan The person in charge of related projects of the exhibition company said.
In January last year, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade resumed accepting applications for approval to hold economic and trade exhibitions abroad. As international flights, personnel visas and other cross-border exchanges become more convenient, relevant support policies and measures continue to be strengthened, and foreign trade companies accelerate their recovery. After the first quarter of 2023, the recovery speed of companies going abroad to participate in exhibitions will gradually accelerate, and overseas exhibitions will welcome more Chinese Exhibitors.
"Exhibitions are still one of the most convenient and economical ways for companies to obtain orders. Over the years, exhibitions have always been an important platform for the development of my country's foreign trade." said Li Baoer, an expert at the Zhejiang Province Convention and Exhibition Think Tank with 35 years of experience.
China has maintained its status as the world's largest trader in goods for many consecutive years. In 2023, the number of foreign trade companies with import and export performance exceeded 600,000, including 556,000 private companies. "With such a large number of foreign trade private enterprises, China's convention and exhibition industry has great potential for 'going global'." Li Baoer said.
Economic and industrial development boosts Chinese companies to hold exhibitions in overseas markets
In addition to the active momentum of overseas exhibitions, many industry insiders have also noticed some changes.
"In the past, we mostly organized Chinese companies to participate in overseas exhibitions, but since last year, everyone has changed their thinking and considered that we can also hold more exhibitions overseas." Bai Qinqin said.
Specifically, there are different types of overseas exhibitions, including independent exhibitions, joint exhibitions with multiple organizers, and "exhibitions within exhibitions" in overseas professional exhibitions. Comparatively speaking, the first type is the most difficult, as exhibitors, visitors, and overseas partners have to "start from scratch"; the second type can be used as a group, but it is often a purely Chinese product exhibition; the third type can rely on mature exhibitions. The platform is more convenient to operate. Since last year, Chinese exhibition companies have been exploring three forms of overseas exhibitions. For example, the 2023 China Goods and Services (Belarus) Exhibition will help domestic companies explore the "Belt and Road" market; the 2023 (12th) Uzbekistan-China Xinjiang Commodity Exhibition will achieve the largest transaction volume ever.
Data from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade shows that in 2023, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade approved and implemented a total of 822 overseas exhibition projects, accounting for 91.3% of the total number of overseas exhibition projects approved and implemented; a total of 78 overseas exhibition projects were approved and implemented, accounting for 8.7% of the total number of overseas exhibition projects. Among them, the actual exhibition area of approved exhibition projects was 212,100 square meters, with a total number of exhibitors of 15,100 companies and a total of 21,900 booths. The quality of exhibition projects has been improved.
Why organize your own exhibition?
In Bai Qinqin's view, a large number of exhibitions held in China are actually international exhibitions, with exhibitors and buyers from all over the world. On the other hand, international large-scale professional exhibitions are all based on the exhibition foundation of the home country, and have gradually expanded to the international market with the needs of exhibitors to "go global". Today, a large number of Chinese companies served by China's exhibition industry also have more and more demands to go overseas. "Behind this is actually a powerful driving force for China's economic and industrial development."
Where to hold an exhibition?
The "China Exhibition Economic Development Report 2023" released by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade shows that judging from the regional distribution of the number of overseas exhibition projects, overseas exhibitions and exhibitions are mainly concentrated in Asia and Western Europe, with the total number of exhibition projects accounting for more than half, reaching 61.33%. . The top ten countries with the number of China's overseas exhibition projects in 2023 are Germany, Russia, the United States, Japan, Vietnam, Brazil, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Mexico.
Liu Guoliang noticed that China's overall foreign trade pattern has been changing in recent years. For example, ASEAN has maintained its status as China's largest trading partner for four consecutive years. In the first two months of this year, the trade volume between China and ASEAN accounted for 15% of China's total foreign trade value during the same period. "This explains why many exhibitors are willing to go to ASEAN countries to participate in exhibitions." Liu Guoliang said that compared with exhibition powerhouses such as the United States and Germany, ASEAN countries have relatively few mature exhibitions. Chinese companies are willing to hold exhibitions themselves and bring Chinese exhibitors to Local buyers are organized, and the exhibition process has completely changed. This is also a new trend.
Solidly cultivate international professional exhibitions and accumulate highly sticky exhibitor and buyer resources
Holding an exhibition overseas is not an easy task.
In October last year, the first Indonesian International Emergency Disaster Reduction and Rescue Expo, hosted by the Shanghai Council for the Promotion of International Trade and other organizations, was held in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. The exhibition scale reaches 10,000 square meters, with 180 companies from more than 10 countries and regions including China, Indonesia, the United States, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines participating. A group of domestic leading companies in the emergency response industry used the exhibition to explore the Southeast Asian market and received positive feedback.
Shanghai International Exhibition (Group) Co., Ltd., where Bai Qinqin works, is one of the organizers. Talking about the original intention of holding the exhibition, Bai Qinqin said that in China, safety and emergency response is a comprehensive industry, but abroad, fire protection, security, and labor insurance are separate, and companies need a comprehensive platform to connect with customers. In fact, China not only has a lot of large-scale equipment, but also has many application scenarios in the field of safety emergency, and its product systems and solutions also have characteristics and advantages. Chinese exhibitors want to better promote their products. After identifying Southeast Asia as the target market, the company conducted a questionnaire survey on exhibitors, combined with factors such as local population, natural disasters, politics, and business environment, and finally set the exhibition venue in Indonesia. “This process, compared with Holding an exhibition in China is much more complicated."
How to measure the success of overseas exhibitions? "What we value most is the feedback from exhibitors and the proportion of repeat customers." Bai Qinqin said that in fact, when the Indonesia Emergency Exhibition was held for the first time last year, it was not clear whether it would be held once a year or every two years. However, many domestic Exhibitors took the initiative to contact us, which gave them confidence. This year, the second exhibition will continue to appear.
The success of an overseas exhibition requires many conditions, but in the eyes of many industry insiders, one of the keys is the foundation behind the parent exhibition. Several Yangtze River Delta International Emergency Disaster Reduction and Rescue Expos have been held, and the accumulation of high-quality exhibitors and industry information has laid a solid industrial foundation for the successful holding of the Indonesian Emergency Expo. “It is very advantageous to have the support of the domestic parent exhibition, the understanding of the industry and the accumulation of customer resources.”
“Throughout the entire history of world exhibition development, most global brand exhibition series started by cultivating domestic mother exhibitions to form international brand influence. After accumulating certain international resources, they were copied and transplanted to the industry at the right time. It is held in relevant countries in gathering places or market distribution centers." Li Baoer believes that China's exhibition industry needs to take advantage of the country's accelerated development of integrated domestic and foreign trade, cultivate international professional exhibitions in the country, and accumulate highly sticky exhibitor and buyer resources. , and then move towards the international market according to market demand.
For more than a year, Hannover Milano Messe has also relied on development opportunities such as the “Belt and Road Initiative” and RCEP to actively seek opportunities in the international exhibition market and create new overseas exhibitions with Chinese partners. "In general, we are very optimistic about the prospects of participating in and hosting exhibitions abroad." Liu Guoliang said. (People's Daily Overseas Edition)