Attending The Canton Fair: 6 Things You Must Prepare Before

1. Documents Preparation

Before attending the Canton Fair, you should begin to prepare various kinds of necessary documents as soon as possible!

1) Invitation letter

The invitation letter of Canton Fair is an important proof for overseas buyers to apply for visas to China and to check-in for the fair.
There are 6 ways for you to apply for an invitation letter:

a. Buyer E-service Tool

First of all, register a new account on Buyer E-service Tool. Buyer E-service Tool (BEST) is a paperless multi-function free online service platform specially provided by Canton Fair for overseas buyers. You need to complete the form to register for an official invitation letter and pre-register for your buyer’s badge.

b. Canton Fair Call Centre, China Foreign Trade Centre

c. The Economic & Commercial Counsellor’s Office of the Embassy of P.R. China in your region

d. Canton Fair Hong Kong Representative Office

e. The Chinese foreign trade corporations (enterprises) with whom you are business-related

f. By contacting overseas cooperative organizations of China Foreign Trade Centre

2) China visa

After getting the invitation letter, you can apply for a China visa. You should go to the Embassy or Consulate General of P.R.China to handle the entry visa formalities for China by presenting the invitation letter of the Canton Fair (the paper invitation or electronic invitation should indicate your name, nationality, company name, and address). You are advised to apply for a visa to China in your own country or place of habitual residence before coming to China.

2. Flight Reservation

The Canton Fair is held in Guangzhou every spring and autumn, and each session will be divided into three phases.
According to the category of your ideal products, you should determine the time for China firstly. The time of each phase and the categories of products are listed below. If you need any help or have a query, please feel free to contact us!

Phase I  Apr./Oct. 15-19

Electronics & Household Electrical Appliances/Lighting Equipment/Vehicles & Spare Parts/Machinery/Hardware & Tools/ Building Materials/ Chemical Products/ Energy Resources/ International Pavilion

Phase II  Apr./Oct. 23-27

Consumer Goods/Gifts/Home Decorations

Phase III  May 1-4 and Oct. 31-Nov.3

Textiles & Garments/Shoes/Office Supplies, Cases & Bags, and Recreation Products/Medicines, Medical Devices and Health Products/Food/International Pavilion

If you want to obtain the most cost-efficient ticket, you need to book in advance. Please keep an eye on the ticket booking websites because they will offer special fares on some routes from time to time. Due to the limited seats available on these special fares, they are available on-demand and cannot be reserved. Additionally, a special price ticket has a strict limit condition, for example, they may not be changed and refunded. You should notice the baggage allowance as well because some fares do not include a free baggage allowance.

There is only one airport in Guangzhou, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (ICAO: ZGGG, IATA: CAN), whose telephone number is (020)96158. As one of the three major international aviation hubs in China, it currently has 157 international routes. In the next three years, 30 new international routes will be added, which are to Europe, Africa, South America, Oceania, Australia, and Southeast Asia, making it more direct and efficient for travelers to reach the world’s most popular cities. If there is no suitable direct flight from your country to Guangzhou, you can choose to fly to Shenzhen or Hong Kong first. For follow-up transportation options, please refer to this blog.

We can offer a flight ticket booking service for you. You just need to send us your passport and flight information, so that we can arrange the booking for you. After booking, we will send you the e-itinerary. It’s a safer, faster, cheaper way for you to booking tickets through us, and you don’t have to worry about any language problems.

Also read on: 5 Things You Shall Know When Attending Chinese Fairs

3. Transportation Between Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Canton Fair Complex

1) Taxi

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport enjoys a great transportation network. It takes only 20 minutes to drive along the Airport Express Way from downtown to the Airport. A taxi should be the most convenient transportation method, however, it is expensive as well, over $20.

2) Metro

To reach Area A of Canton Fair Complex, you can get out from Exit A of Xingang Dong Station. To reach Area B, you should get out from Exit A of Pazhou Station, and to Area C, Exit C of Pazhou Station.

Route: Jichang Nan Station – Xinguang Dong/Pazhou Station

Line 3 (North extended line) Jichang Nan Station – Tiyu Xi Station→(transfer to)→Line 3 Tiyu Xi Station – Kecun Station→(transfer to)→Line 8 Kecun Station – Xingang Dong Station (Area A of Canton Fair Complex) or Pazhou Station (Area B & C of Canton Fair Complex)

Duration: about 43 minutes

Fare: RMB 8 Yuan

3) Airport shuttle bus

Guangzhou Airport Express offers special direct shuttle bus service between Canton Fair Complex and Guangzhou Baiyun Airport in all 3 Phases of Canton Fair.

Pickup zone: Lane 1, Complex Mid. Road, Area A, Canton Fair Complex.

Service time: 13:00-18:00.

Bus departure: about every 30 minutes.

Duration: about 50 minutes

Fare: RMB 25 Yuan.

Hotline: 4008-308-688.

4. Hotel Reservation

Confirm your time for attending the Canton Fair, and then you can start to book the hotel. You can filter hotels based on your budget, room type, and other specific needs for brands, amenities, dining, payment methods, and so on. For the convenience of transportation, we suggest you live near the exhibition venue.

In order to help you quickly identify the most cost-effective hotels, we have compiled a list of Top10 recommended hotels near the Canton Fair for you. You can know about the detailed information in this blog: Top 10 Hotels Recommendation for Canton Fair.

If you want to find a satisfactory hotel or have any queries, AsianDavinci is always ready to help.

5. Weather & Wearing

Located in the subtropical coast, Guangzhou has a marine subtropical monsoon climate characterized by warm, rainy, abundant light and heat, long summer and short frost period. Attending the Canton Fair is held every spring and autumn, I will especially introduce the weather of these two seasons for you. Generally speaking, in the spring and autumn of Guangzhou, the maximum daily temperature is 28℃ and the minimum daily temperature is 22℃.

These days, it is cooler in the morning and at night, and hotter at noon. If you are going to the exhibition, coming in early and coming out late and staying in the exhibition hall all day, then I suggest you wear a suit directly because it is not only more formal but also suitable for the temperature.

Also read on: 5 Reasons why you must come for Canton Fair 2020 in China

6. Carry-on Items When Attending the Canton Fair

As a buyer hoping to find satisfactory products and suppliers, you should not be empty-handed when you go to the venue, so what do you need to bring?

Here are some tips about the carry-on items:

Firstly, a list of product quotations. In most cases, you come from away to the Canton Fair and you may be looking for multiple products at once, so you’ll need a checklist to remind you of any omissions.

Then, business cards. The cards showing your name, position, department, company, and contact information are the fastest and most effective way for new business friends to get to introduce themselves. When you find a suitable supplier, you can exchange business cards with each other to facilitate further communication.

You would better bring a bag or case to store the samples. In order to find a more suitable product, you must consult with various suppliers and get the samples. It’s quite hard to know enough about a sample in a short time on the spot, so you can pack all the samples into a box and take them back to the hotel for further analysis.

7. The Translator

For all overseas buyers, communication with Chinese suppliers is always a difficult problem due to different languages. Whether it is a language conversation, a written contract or an electronic document, language application is the basic medium and tool of international trade. With the development of international trade, the complexity of trade is increasing, so is the complexity of language application. For example, with the complexity of goods, the description of the quality, quantity, price, transportation mode and after-sales service of the specific goods sold also needs to be complicated and precise.

Due to the instability of translation software, you really need a translator. Once you have any requirements for translation, please contact us. We are ready to provide you with exclusive services in various situations such as exhibition reception, factory visit, conference communication, and so on. Our translators not only can speak foreign languages fluently but also have a very rich professional knowledge about international trade and specific fields.

I believe that after reading this article, you have a preliminary understanding of the preparation for the Canton Fair. As an overseas buyer coming to China for the first time, you must be full of curiosity and anxiety about everything unknown. But don’t panic, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We will be the most solid backing for your international trade career in China with more than 12 years of professional experience and high quality of services. Welcome to the Canton Fair again and I hope you can have a satisfactory business trip!