Trade Fair Programmes in China: Canton Fair and Other Exhibitions

The Canton Fair is held in Guangzhou, in spring and in autumn. The organiser sets the dates and the phases, so a group should check the official schedule before booking flights. PreeChina arranges hotels, transport, a guide and local coordination for the fair days, and can add supplier visits in the Pearl River Delta before or after: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan and Foshan.

The China International Import Expo (CIIE) is held in Shanghai, once a year, in autumn. Like the Canton Fair, it is a moment when many companies are in one city at one time. The organiser sets the dates. Visits to plants in the Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou belt can follow it, within about an hour by high-speed rail from Shanghai.

• Before. A day of orientation, and a plan for which stands to see and in what order, saves hours on the fair floor.
• After. A supplier met at a stand can be visited at the plant within days. The two meetings together say more than either alone.
• Follow-up. Hundreds of cards from a fair are of little use unless there is a plan to follow them up. The programme leaves time for it.

Hotels near large fairs are in short supply in fair weeks, so rooms are booked first. Fair registration and admission are arranged through the organiser and are not part of the ground fee, which covers PreeChina's service only. Other fairs, in other cities and sectors, are planned the same way on request.

• A buyer who attends the fair alone and needs only a hotel. PreeChina's service is built for groups.
• A buyer who wants a guarantee of meetings with named exhibitors. PreeChina can arrange visits to plants; it does not guarantee meetings at stands.

• What China Makes, and Where. The cluster map: which region and which town makes which product, and what is visitable.
• Getting around China. Distance is measured in hours: how to move between clusters.
• Visa and permits. The current visa procedure.

Fair cities and the factory cities around them. Many groups pair a fair with visits in the same region.

• Cities: Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Wuxi, Dongguan, Foshan.
• Provinces: Guangdong, Jiangsu. All regions are on the province map.

Routes and day trips that fit between these cities, from the experience guides:

• Guangzhou to Shenzhen: sights along the route
• Hong Kong to Guangzhou: sights along the route
• Shanghai to Suzhou: sights along the route
• Things to do near Canton Tower, Guangzhou