Integrated model of ops does it for expos, fairs

In the rest of the year, several international trade and investment fairs will be organized in cities across China, including Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanning and Changsha.

The idea is to help domestic firms showcase their breakthroughs in innovation, as part of the larger plan to further enrich China's foreign trade structure and sustain the global supply chain.

But challenges and uncertainties abound in the lead-up to such events. For one, the virulent Delta variant of the COVID-causing novel coronavirus has forced many countries and regions to impose new lockdowns and social distancing measures.

So, such challenges will highlight and test China's resilience again as the world's biggest trading country. Many of its trading partners still rely heavily on its exports and imports.

Benefiting from firm overseas demand, many Chinese manufacturers have gained more bargaining power in terms of pricing. They have gradually popularized their brands overseas. They no longer focus on working as original equipment manufacturers or OEMs.

The epidemic has caused a sharp increase in overseas orders. Not all Chinese companies are capable of accepting them. To honor such orders, they must have strong production capacity, an efficient supply chain, and close cooperation between upstream and downstream industries.

Some companies also need to mobilize international logistics resources to satisfy overseas demand steadily and in an orderly way.

With many countries gradually diversifying trade formats and seeking new business models, China's export-oriented firms are acutely aware that digitalization is not just a change in sales channels, there is also the internationalization of science and technology behind it.

Although China's convention and exhibition industry－a vital platform to showcase Chinese products and related service-based solutions－was affected by the pandemic last year, the sector is facing a new round of growth opportunities from supportive policies and digital tools.

As the industry is naturally connected to the upstream and downstream firms of various industries, this will not only lead it to a more comprehensive and higher-end development direction but also acts as a bridge to global industry and supply chains.

While online and offline integration became a new trend in exhibitions, the government found that the expo sector has been growing briskly since March. China organized 1,210 exhibitions, such as the first China International Consumer Products Expo in Haikou, Hainan province, and the 12th Expo Central China in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, in the first five months, up 330 percent year-on-year, the Ministry of Commerce said.

Apart from promoting foreign trade, investment, digital economy and healthcare-themed expos, Chinese firms from sectors like electronics, auto, transportation, chemical and daily necessities have surging appetite for booking and setting up booths at various exhibitions this year, thanks to the demand from the stay-at-home economy and production resumption activities in overseas markets.

Forced by travel restrictions in many parts of the world, online exhibitors in China are not only displaying digital images of their products these days but also adopting online tools to demonstrate their goods, besides holding online video negotiations with potential buyers.