Canton Fair 2008
24 October 2008
The first thing that strikes Western visitors on entering the pavilions of the 104th China Import and Export Fair is its astonishing size. The Canton Fair has taken place in the city of Guangzhou twice a year since 1957, and it is indeed huge: 851,000 m2 of exhibition space with more than 42,000 stands and an amazing variety of sections: domestic appliances, electrical and electronic goods, lighting, communications, consumer electronics, large-scale machinery and equipment, small-scale machinery, tools, hardware products, construction and decoration materials, sanitary and bathroom ware, motor cycles, bicycles, chemicals, etc.
The last edition of the fair generated more than 38 billion dollars’ worth of business.
We were given sophisticated electronic photo ID cards with the word BUYER (in English and Chinese) printed on them in large letters, and spent much of our time explaining that we were not actually buyers but rather observers of trends, and that our influence on purchasing decisions was based on providing advice on points of design and innovation.
The downturn in the world financial system overshadowed the event, which has become a yardstick for gauging the state of China’s economy and exports. Many exhibitors wondered whether the number of commercial agreements reached at the fair would continue to grow, given the gloomy economic picture. Concern was particularly evident in those sectors hardest hit by the real estate crisis, with companies battling to obtain new business contacts in whatever manner they could, but in other sectors there was an atmosphere of calm expectation.
We had the chance to talk to management staff from various companies about the extent and consequences of the economic downturn. We got the impression that the most active firms are looking into ways of taking advantage of the current uncertainties to embark on large-scale projects with highly ambitious objectives. In spite of the local repercussions of the worldwide financial crisis, the huge Chinese market clearly still represents a fabulous opportunity for all firms that focus on design and innovation. Products created by ADN DESIGN were on view at several firms.
Labels: Events
