When you visit the Chinese exhibition halls in Hong Kong or Mainland China for the first time, you will be surprised with their spacious design, modern architecture, and their size.
Today, trade shows are easily accessible by taxi, bus, or subway and offer every service you can imagine.
The Early Years
That was not always the case. I still remember the time when during lunch hours all activities at the Guangzhou Fair came to a stand still and the exhibitors booths were temporarily closed. It was often difficult to find English speaking staff on a complete floor let alone at every supplier’s booth.
At the end of the fair’s daily hours the main lights were immediately turned off and the exhibit booth staff would drop everything and leave.
The staff at the exhibit booths had little knowledge about their products and you would not hear back from them for weeks after visiting their booth.
The different halls were difficult to navigate and you had to climb many stairs if you wanted to visit different floors. Elevators or escalators were not available then.
Changes for the Better
Fortunately, all of this has completely changed. Now, each of the exhibit booths usually has English speaking personnel and most have notebook computers connected to the internet.
Quite often, you receive the suppliers email reply in your mailbox when you return to your hotel for the evening.
They don’t close the booths during lunchtime any more and they don’t drop everything in the evening if customers are still at their booth.
Different floors are easily navigated by elevators or escalators and the halls now have well functioning air conditioning systems in place. In other words, it is a much more pleasant experience visiting trade fairs than it was 10-15 years ago.
China is Constantly Changing
Some outdated brochures misadvise visitors how to attend Trade Fairs because the information is obsolete. China is changing rapidly and it is important that you have current information when planning your trade show visit.