A complete guide to booth management and customer development at the Canton Fair: you can benefit whether you have a booth or not

As an important exhibition event, the Canton Fair involves complex steps and details in the booth application and construction process. At the same time, some businesses may be faced with the problem of not having a booth, but they still hope to seize this opportunity to develop customers. Here is a comprehensive guide on handling a Canton Fair booth and how to develop customers without a booth.

1. Steps to apply for a booth at the Canton Fair

Applying for a booth at the Canton Fair requires following a series of steps to ensure a smooth application. Companies usually apply for booths within one month after the end of the Canton Fair. The specific time is subject to the official announcement.

1. Log in to “Exhibition Easy”, fill out the “Exhibition Application Form”, and submit the review materials to the affiliated trading group.
2. Preliminary Approval: The buying and selling team will evaluate whether the applicant has the qualifications to participate in the exhibition.
3. Evaluate booth type: After passing, evaluate the type of booth and decide whether it is a general booth or a brand booth.
4. Assign booths: The Chamber of Commerce will allocate locations and publish the booth results online.
5. Register the person in charge of the booth: After confirming the booth, the company needs to register the person in charge of the booth and complete the filing.
6. **Submit the “Export Booth Responsibility Letter”** for final confirmation.

Through the above steps, companies can successfully apply for an ideal Canton Fair booth to showcase their products and expand business opportunities.

2. Customer development strategy when there is no booth

Although the competition for booth applications is fierce, merchants do not have to give up the opportunity to develop customers. The following methods can help merchants effectively develop new customers during the Canton Fair.

1. Meet new and old customers in advance: Before the exhibition, take the initiative to make appointments with customers you have contacted. There is no need to explain too much why there is no booth. The goal is to achieve communication and cooperation.

2. Develop new customers at the exhibition:

   • Walking near peer booths: Observe potential customers who stop in front of peer booths and proactively contact them when they leave.
   • Guerrilling in the exhibition hall: Take advantage of high traffic opportunities to find potential customers in the exhibition hall, and bring small gifts to stimulate customers’ interest.
   • Look for dining venues with a high concentration of customers: such as cafes, restaurants, etc. to start socializing.
   • Hire local students to implement guerrilla tactics in a professional manner and improve contact efficiency.

3. Interact with customers around the exhibition hall: Public places such as subway stations can also become gathering places for potential customers, actively exchange business cards and expand contacts.

4. Accidentally meeting customers: Foreign trade personnel may encounter customers accidentally in places such as transportation (airplanes, high-speed trains, subways) or hotels. Although the chance is small, the opportunity still exists.

Through the above methods, merchants can effectively find and develop new potential customers without a booth.

3. Basic process of booth construction

The construction requirements for the Canton Fair booth have been comprehensively planned and designed. The main steps include:

1. Preliminary communication and demand confirmation: The builder needs to understand the customer’s needs in detail and conduct on-site inspections.
2. Proposal of design plan and signing of contract: After the design plan is determined, a contract needs to be signed to clarify the budget and time schedule of the exhibition.
3. Construction Phase: The actual booth construction includes basic construction and equipment installation. The builder needs to deal with on-site problems in a timely manner and communicate with customers regularly.
4. Acceptance and post-maintenance: After completion of the booth construction, acceptance will be carried out, the balance will be paid in accordance with the contract, and the post-maintenance of the booth will be carried out.

Every step needs to be carried out with customer participation and feedback to ensure that the final effect of the booth meets customer expectations.

By being familiar with the steps to apply for a booth, effective customer development strategies and booth construction processes, companies will be able to make full use of the Canton Fair as a platform and proactively expand market opportunities regardless of whether they have a booth or not.