Exhibitions abroad: an important way to promote corporate globalization
Exhibiting abroad is one of the effective ways to promote enterprises to “go global”, enhance the competitiveness of Chinese products and international market share, and provide support for China’s foreign trade development. China’s exhibition industry began in the 1950s. At the beginning, it could only export resource-intensive products such as oil and coal, and gradually expanded to machinery, mobile phone products, home appliances, automobiles, etc. Overseas exhibitions truly became market-oriented in the 1990s, and developed rapidly in the following ten years.
With the deepening of economic globalization, international trade and cross-border cooperation have developed rapidly. As part of trade services, overseas exhibitions are also developing. With the support of relevant national and local policies, Chinese companies are increasingly more enthusiastic about participating in foreign exhibitions. In 2013, China surpassed the United States to become the world’s largest trader of goods, and its participation in the exhibition is indispensable.
Chinese companies participate in thousands of overseas exhibitions. For example, at the International Consumer Electronics Show (IFA) in Berlin, Germany, the world’s largest consumer electronics and home electronics exhibition, Chinese companies accounted for half of the exhibitors. Proportion; the largest leisure and garden park in the world At the Cologne International Sporting Goods, Camping Equipment and Garden Life Expo in Germany, Chinese companies accounted for nearly one-third of the products; at the world’s largest home textile products exhibition – the International Home and Commercial Textiles Fair in Frankfurt, Germany, Chinese companies accounting for one-fifth of the total.
Participating in trade exhibitions is an important part of corporate marketing tools. The goals of participating in the exhibition include contacting and discovering new markets, establishing a sense of presence at industry gatherings, testing one’s own competitiveness, looking for export opportunities, understanding the development of the industry, exchanging experiences, seeking cooperation, participating in professional activities, understanding industry development trends, and promoting companies and products, collect new market information, participate in competition, and increase profits. Participating in exhibitions is a shortcut for companies to enter the world market and expand their customer base.
Exhibitions are not only a platform for companies to face customers, but also provide companies with opportunities to explore potential suppliers and cooperate with peers. Through the exhibition, competing companies have also deepened their understanding, and technological advantages and cost advantages have increased the possibility of cooperation between Chinese and foreign companies. The display of technological innovation in industry exhibitions allows companies to see their own shortcomings and gaps, as well as the development trends of the industry.
Different exhibition themes, different compositions of exhibitors, different compositions of attendees and visitors, and different domestic market conditions for regional exhibitions will result in different target markets. According to the exhibition content, it is divided into two categories: comprehensive exhibitions and professional exhibitions. Comprehensive exhibitions include exhibitions of the entire industry or several industries. For example, many self-organized exhibitions are emerging now, many of which are multi-industry comprehensive exhibitions. Professional exhibitions refer to exhibitions that display a certain industry or even a certain product, such as clothing exhibitions and watch exhibitions.
According to the exhibition time, it is divided into two types: regular and irregular. Regular ones include twice a year, once a year, once every two years, etc. Irregular exhibitions are held according to needs and conditions, and are divided into long-term and short-term exhibitions. According to exhibition venues, they are divided into indoor venues and outdoor venues. Indoor venues are mostly used for exhibitions that display conventional exhibits, such as textile exhibitions and electronics exhibitions. Outdoor venues are mostly used to display large-scale exhibits, such as construction machinery exhibitions and aviation exhibitions.
To sum up, overseas exhibitions are not only an important way for Chinese enterprises to showcase themselves and expand their markets, but also an effective platform to understand industry trends and find cooperation opportunities. By participating in different types of exhibitions, Chinese companies can better integrate into the global economic system and enhance their competitiveness.