In response to the severe global epidemic situation, the Executive Meeting of the State Council decided on April 7th that the 127th Canton Fair was held online in the middle and late June. Many exhibitors said that online participation is a brand-new form and will be actively prepared, but the specific display method needs to be determined after the specific guidelines of the organizing committee are issued. Some companies also expressed the hope that the online meeting will have actual orders and transactions, not just display images online. The industry believes that online meetings may become a landmark event of the "Internet + exhibition" trend
◎ Exhibitors
Looking forward to the specific form of the meeting as soon as possible
Nandu reporters interviewed a number of previous exhibitors, all of which expressed that they are actively coping with the new form of online Canton Fair. However, many companies said that they currently only know that it is held online, but the specific method is still awaiting notification. How to participate in an enterprise requires specific guidance from the organizing committee.
"We have just received the notice." The relevant person in charge of Foshan Electric Lighting Co., Ltd. said that this is a new attempt to integrate new technology and is currently preparing to discuss with the company's marketing department and IT how to attract customers.
Relevant person in charge of Lovol Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. said that the company has participated in more than 30 sessions of the Canton Fair, and the company has also tried online marketing before. But for the Canton Fair, holding it online is indeed a new form, so, how to do it depends on the specific operation method of the online exhibition.
Ouyang Kai, chairman of Sichuan Foreign Trade Machinery Co., Ltd., said that on the evening of April 7th, after hearing the news that the current Canton Fair was held online, the company met on the morning of the 8th to discuss how to deal with it. Ouyang Kai believes that the organizing committee should have some clear plans with operating modes, and work with exhibitors to evaluate the specific ways of organizing meetings online. "Is there a ready-made sales plan on the online platform, or can it be connected with customers? If you want to connect with customers, what way will you use to connect? Only with something that can be concretely implemented can companies be targeted." Prepare accordingly. "
Relevant person in charge of Zhejiang Chemical Import and Export Co., Ltd. said that although the work has been fully resumed, foreign trade exports have been greatly affected by the epidemic. "Although I have participated in the Canton Fair many times, it is also the first time I met on the Canton Fair online." The person in charge said that he would wait for the organizing committee to notify the specific time and method of holding the meeting.
"Hope to bring orders and not just product display"
"Customers in different industries have different tendencies and preferences in communication methods. If the meeting is held online, we hope that communication with customers is really effective, not a simple publicity platform." Ouyang Kai said that from the company to participate in the Canton Fair According to 40 years of experience and through the marketing of online platforms, the peer-to-peer online docking effect is still good, but we have not seen a large-scale online platform that can play a greater practical effect.
"I think it's still a question of effectiveness," Ouyang Kai said. The customer's needs are very practical. What they need is to bring value and produce actual results, not just product display or promotion, but also for suppliers, " We hope to have actual orders and deals, not just display images online. "
"I think it's good to have a Canton Fair online." The relevant person in charge of Beijing Shengxifu Hat Industry Co., Ltd. expressed that he hopes to promote foreign sales through the Canton Fair. "I only got the news yesterday, we are still watching, and we will start preparations next, such as making samples, taking pictures, etc., but also depends on the specific way of holding the meeting online." The person in charge admitted that the exchange online It may not be as direct as the face-to-face communication, but under the epidemic, it is also a good way.
◎ Industry voice
The epidemic situation forced the traditional convention and exhibition innovation reform
"All this Canton Fair held on the Internet will become a landmark event of the 'Internet + Exhibition' trend," Wei Wei, vice chairman of Guangzhou Tengwei Exhibition Co., Ltd. told Nandu reporters that there is no such a high level and scale in China. The exhibition is a precedent for placing all online, even the previous "Online Canton Fair" platform, the function is also complementary and auxiliary to the offline exhibition. According to this, he believes that the current informatization and technology development of the exhibition will accelerate the innovation and reform of traditional exhibitions. After the online exhibitions mature in the future, they will bring more dividends to offline exhibitions.
The data shows that due to the SARS epidemic in 2003, the number of international purchasers at the 93rd Spring Canton Fair was small. For this reason, the organizer also organized the "Online Canton Fair" for the first time, and this model has since been continued. By 2012, China Foreign Trade Center (Group) established the Canton Fair e-commerce company and established the Canton Fair e-commerce platform. However, the data shows that "Online Canton Fair" currently accounts for less than 1% of the total turnover of the Canton Fair.
As for the question of how to make the Online Canton Fair better, Wei Wei proposed that the current information technology of online exhibitions can be solved, including the 360-degree display of exhibits and the online three-dimensional map of exhibitors, but the difficulty is How to increase the flow of online conventions and exhibitions, how to carry out effective online marketing promotion and drainage, and dig deeper into the online data of Shanghai.
However, at present, some exhibition companies are cautious about the effect of "Online Canton Fair". Some people in the industry have suggested that for large purchase orders, it is indispensable to personally see the exhibits in the physical venues and repeatedly select the goods to compare, which is frequently used by millions of companies to purchase large orders and the daily smalls of individuals or families. The nature of the amount of purchases is different. The latter can be completely relied on online, but the former is definitely not enough online. The current low percentage of the total turnover of the "Online Canton Fair" in the Canton Fair also illustrates this point.
◎ Expert advice
Can highlight the use of various technical means and new marketing methods
Guangdong Convention and Exhibition Organization Association President Liu Songping also told Nandu reporters that the online Canton Fair is a special response to the current epidemic situation. This form can not only ensure that the Canton Fair is held smoothly, but also meet public health security. But she also proposed that "Online Canton Fair" must pay attention to strengthening the integration with offline Canton Fair. Online virtual exhibition is not a simple product display, nor is it a simple application of technology and technology empowerment, or an innovation and exhibition based on the business thinking of the exhibition Value reconstruction.
In addition, she also suggested that some new technologies can be adopted to polish the golden sign of the Canton Fair. Through the use of face recognition technology, real-time rendering 3D large screen technology, AI services, VR technology, optical particle naked-eye 3D display system, online live broadcast, short video and other technical means and new marketing methods, strengthen the sense of the scene of the Canton Fair online With a sense of experience, the Canton Fair buyers participate in the docking and procurement of the online platform in advance to achieve precision marketing, strengthen the adhesion of Canton Fair exhibitors and buyers, and give full play to the role of Canton Fair to stabilize foreign trade and foreign investment.
She also said that this “Online Canton Fair” can adopt a market-oriented operation mechanism and exert the power and platform role of professional institutions, such as joint technology and e-commerce enterprises such as Ali, Tencent, JD.com or Kuaishou, leveraging their technology and platform advantages Make the online exhibition of the Canton Fair bigger and stronger, and the Canton Fair will realize from data resource utilization to data resource mining.
Coordinating: Southern reporter Wu Xuan
