With COVID-19 and the need for social distancing, technology plays an essential role in helping us to move physical communities online, with the rise of e-learning and businesses utilizing online platforms in the wake of the pandemic. As we have mentioned in our previous blog post, the impact of COVID-19 pandemic is clearly favourable to e-commerce, a trend that has already started and which will be difficult to change.
But what about trade fairs previously scheduled for this year in China? More than 400 trade shows and expos are expected to take place around China from May 2020, with the majority of them taking place in Shanghai (153). Industry trade shows, food fairs and machine construction trade fairs are the three most common types of fairs in China.
Given the current pandemic situation and the need for social distancing, it brings a question of whether we can expect virtual fair alternatives in China? The answer is yes. While generally speaking, majority of trade fairs scheduled to take place in the first half of 2020 has been postponed with the new dates announced for the second half of the year, there are some joining the online trend.
Majority of those fairs originally scheduled in the second half of 2020 remain unchanged so far, such as the China International Agricultural Trade Fair scheduled for 15-18 Nov, or the 5th Guangzhou International Biotechnology Conference & Expo scheduled for 11-13 Sept. The 25th edition of Kitchen & Bath Trade Fair China 2020 (KBC), Asia’s leading trade fair for Kitchen & Bath industry, scheduled for 2-5 June 2020 at Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) stays on schedule, according to the fair’s website.
Last month, in reaction to the urgent demand for medical supplies and PPE, Xinhua informed that the government of East China’s Zhejiang province organized an online trade fair to ease overseas procurement of medical supplies, bringing together 100 manufacturers from Zhejiang Province and over 80 Italian medical institutions. Concluding on April 22, the fair’s objective was to help meet the urgent demand for anti-epidemic supplies in Italy. Han Jie, deputy head of the Zhejiang provincial department of commerce, announced that Zhejiang plans over 50 online fairs for different overseas trading partners during the first half of 2020.
Starting April 12, China held 15-day long online trade fair to boost cooperation with Latin America, which was sponsored by CCPIT (China Council for the Promotion of International Trade) and which attracted around 2 thousand domestic companies, with around 5 thousand overseas buyers.
Hefei, capital of east China’s Anhui Province, organized an online scientific exhibition and trade fair on May 1, showcasing more than 200 products, among them a drug developed by the University of Science and Technology of China proposed to treat COVID-19.
Source: Langfang International Economic & Trade Fair website
Another online fair in China that already took place was Langfang International Economic & Trade Fair (18-21 May ) in Hefei province. With live conferences and online exhibition halls and audio guides, visitors were able to enjoy VR-like experience.
Alibaba has joined the online fair trend too, launching a virtual trade show platform on May 11, which is expected to last until May 24. Alibaba projects about 200 thousand wholesalers on a daily basis, inquiring about products and placing orders. Cross-border B2B live streaming was introduced for the first time, with over a thousand B2B live stream sessions projected.
Similarly, OFweek Expo is organizing a series of many online fairs kicking off this June, such as the WAIE 2020 (World Artificial Intelligence Online Conference and Exhibition) or the China LED Online Fair.
China’s largest and oldest trade expo, The Canton Fair, originally scheduled for mid-April, has announced it will be held online this year for the very first time in history. Attracting about 200 thousand buyers on average, the virtual version of the 127th Canton fair is scheduled for 15-24 June. Despite the e-commerce era, The Canton Fair, which began in 1957, continues to be a key platform for Chinese exporters and as SCMP reports, it is often seen as a “barometer of the country’s trade economy”.
Upcoming Online Trade Fairs in China:
| China-Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Products Online Fair | Global Products | 8 June 2020 onward |
| China FPP Virtual Fair | Education | 17 June 2020 |
| The Canton Fair | Import & Export | 15-24 June 2020 |
| CPhl & P-MEC China Virtual Expo Connect | Pharmaceutical | 18-24 June 2020 |
| Online 2020 World AI Conference and Expo (WAIE) | Artificial Intelligence | 24 June 2020 |
| China LED Online Forum & Exhibition 2020 | LED Lighting | 30 June 2020 |
| China Robot Industry Online Summit & Exhibition 2020 | Robotics | 15 July 2020 |
| China Mobile Communication Online Forum & Exhibition 2020 | Telecommunication & 5G Technologies | 17 July 2020 |
| China Medical Device Innovation Online Conference & Exhibition | Medical | 29 July 2020 |
| International CE Conference & Expo 2020 | Consumer Electronics | 30 July 2020 |
| China Electric Vehicle Industry Online Exhibition and Forum | Electric Vehicles | August 2020 |
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