Organizers beefing up on digital offerings

Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the 128th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, kicks off online on Thursday. It aims to promote the growth of global trade under normalized pandemic prevention and control conditions.

The 10-day online event has upgraded its platforms and facilities in four sectors of buyer registration, projects searching, communication equipment and intelligent consumer service, organizers said.

Organizers also launched the H5 platform for buyers to attend exhibitions through phones quickly. The fair added virtual reality exhibitions and optimized the order of livestreaming broadcasts, helping buyers spot their most sought-after products more easily.

Upgraded equipment is also being applied to its information and customer service centers.

SASSIN International Electric Shanghai Co, a low-voltage electric solutions provider, is a regular exhibitor at CIEF.

Optimizing and upgrading platforms is of great importance to promoting communication between suppliers and buyers, said Su Hanlin, vice-president of SASSIN.

The 128th CIEF will see greater improvement in interaction than the last online session in June, Su said.

“I can exchange my business cards with buyers digitally,” he said. “And it’s easier for both sides to connect.”

SASSIN representatives said the company will host an ongoing livestream during the event that showcase its products in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Co-organized by the Ministry of Commerce and the Guangdong provincial government, CIEF has been an international trading event since 1957. The ongoing fair is the second time the event has taken place online during global pandemic.

Holding the fair online is a natural reaction to the pandemic, in line with the constant effort to improve the fair’s digital construction, insiders said.