By Diana Wang

Do sufficient preparation

After you identify the right exhibition you want to attend in China, you will start with some preparation work. As far as I know, most companies will only prepare in terms of logistics, such as visa and accommodation arrangements. However, if you do a little bit more work on analyzing the targets of the trip, you will find it far more productive.

• Team set-up

Ideally, the team visiting the exhibition in China needs to include both a product expert and a decision-maker on commercial aspects, which means it should involve representatives of at least the technical and purchasing departments. The team should be given a clear target to meet during their trip to China, such as a thorough study of the Chinese market, Chinese supplier approach, or collection of proper samples.

• Material preparation

Because of the inconvenience caused by long travel, many persons only bring a few marketing materials or their company introduction and they sometimes do not even prepare a hard copy. I suggest that, although it could be troublesome, you need to bring as many brochures as possible. Considering the noisy and crowded environment of the big exhibition and the possibility that the Chinese suppliers are not very good at English or your translators are not good at terminology, to leave a proper brochure to introduce your company and your product or your service would be the best way for the exhibitor to remember you and pay more attention to you afterwards. By the way, please prepare enough business cards, at least 200 pieces, and small gifts if necessary.

• Market research

When you have decided to attend a particular exhibition in China, you will need to conduct market research on the related industries in China. By proper research you may be able to determine the following:

What is the supply and export volume?
How far is the technology developed?
Who are the main players?
Is China a major supply country?
Is the price competitive?
What is the potential problem with using Chinese products in your country?

I personally think the last question, which requires you to combine the research on China with knowledge of your local market, is practically the most important one (apart from the actual price issue) because your discussion with the exhibitors will be more efficient if you can indentify potential problems at the very beginning.

In the next posting we are going to discuss more issues to prepare before an exhibition.

Diana Wang, The China Sourcing Blog

This is the third part of “Achieve Good Results From Sourcing Exhibitions in China”. Here you can find Part 1 and Part 2.