Place where careers and reputations are made

By YUAN SHENGGAO

The China Import and Export Fair, now in its 127th session, has been a platform for many business representatives to flourish and win success.

One of the legendary figures at the event, which is also known as the Canton Fair in the international business community, is Zhou Hong.

The story of Zhou, who helped a video game console grab more than 60 percent of the global market share through the Canton Fair in the 1990s, has become famous among insiders.

Zhou is now the general manager of the Zhuhai branch of China National Electronics Import and Export Corp.

Zhou has attended 43 sessions of the Canton Fair over 22 years.

Back in the early years of her attendance to the fair, Zhou’s task was to sell a kind of 8-bit video game console, which was popular in the 1980s but almost phased out in the 1990s.

To sell an outdated product is a tough mission for any salesperson, but more so to a newcomer to the trade like Zhou.

Zhou interviewed a great many clients at the fair. After analyzing her findings, the sales rep recognized that a product which is outdated in some developed, mature markets is badly needed in some underdeveloped and emerging markets.

She identified South America and the Middle East as her target markets and achieved great success.

Zhou noted that the rich client resources and the latest information available make the Canton Fair a prime platform for companies and sales reps to develop their business on the international market.

The authoritative nature of the fair is enhanced by the use of latest information technologies, which help to create more channels for marketing and promotion, Zhou said.

She noted that this ongoing session, which is being held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, should be regarded as an opportunity to increase interaction and share resources between sellers and buyers.