Fall 2018 China Events Guide: Canton Fair Dates, Other Shows, and More

October 9, 2018Last Updated: October 8, 2018

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Trade show season in Southern China is about to start with the highlight being everyone's most loved and hated trade show, the Canton Fair. In this post, I'll give an overview of some of the events happening around Southern China in October.

Trade Show & Events Calendar

There are three large trade shows going on in Southern China and Hong Kong in October: the Canton Fair, Global Sources, and the Hong Kong Mega Show. All of these events are in addition to the countless other trade shows happening at any time during the year throughout China. All three of these shows conveniently schedule their dates to avoid as much overlap as possible to allow visitors to attend multiple trade shows.

October 11-14, Consumer Electronics, Global Sources (Hong Kong)
October 15-19, Phase 1, Canton Fair (Guangzhou, China)
October 18-21, Mobile Electronics, Global Sources (Hong Kong)
October 20-23, Part 1, Hong Kong Mega Show (Hong Kong)
October 23-27, Phase 2, Canton Fair (Guangzhou, China)
October 25, FBA4U Amazon Seller Meetup (Guangzhou, China)
October 27-30, Fashion/Life Style, Global Sources (Hong Kong)
October 27-29, Part 2, Hong Kong Mega Show
October 27-29, Global Sources Ecommerce Summit (Hong Kong) – Use coupon ECOMCREW to save $100
October 31-November 4, Phase 3, Canton Fair (Guangzhou, China)
November 1, FBA4U Amazon Seller Meetup (Guangzhou, China)

The Canton Fair is the clear go-to show for most importers. Global Sources has an excellent electronics and fashion/apparel show if you are in that niche. For most other product categories it can probably be skipped, but it's conveniently located at the AsiaWorld-Expo next to the airport and is an easy stopover for anyone flying into and out of Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Mega Show has one excellent reason to attend: you can get HKD1800-2800 (around $300-500) just for attending if you're a foreign buyer (i.e. probably you if you're reading this). This sounds scammy but it's actually a fairly common thing for a lot of the up-and-coming shows in Asia as they try to pump their foreign buyer numbers to increase their exhibitor pricing (I've seen some new shows in China offering free airfare from Canada). When you register for a free badge on the Mega Show website just make sure you tick the box to apply for this sponsorship program.

free money hong kong mega show 2 — You can get up to 2800HKD free just for attending the Hong Kong Mega Show

Finally, I highly recommend that you check out one of FBA4U's free Amazon Seller meetups hosted in Guangzhou around Phase 2 and 3 of the Canton Fair. These events are hosted by our good friend Chris Davey and the best networking event going on in Guangzhou around the Canton Fair. The price can't be beat (free!).

How Many Days? How Many Shows?

We often get asked by first-time visitors to China (specifically the Canton Fair) how many days are needed to visit the Canton Fair and the other shows? This will, of course, vary from individual to individual but, in general, it's best to plan for two days for each show. The first day you can use to get your bearings and talk to your best potential leads; the second day you can use to follow up with hot leads and also visit any other potential suppliers you may have missed. For Global Sources and the Hong Kong Mega show, one day can suffice although two days is ideal.

Travel between Hong Kong and Guangzhou has just been absolutely transformed with the completion of the Kowloon to Guangzhou bullet train as of September 2018. Travel time is now under an hour (opposed to the close to three hours previously).

Will Your Items Be Impacted by Trump's Tariffs?

As you're looking for products at these shows, it's wise to ask suppliers what the HS codes are for the items you are interested in and to see if they will be impacted by any of the three lists of Trump's tariffs (we have an excellent summary of the tariffs here). Of course, verify these HS Codes with a customs broker before making any buying decisions though.

With Trump's newest round of $200 billion in tariffs having being implemented in September (and about to be increased from 10% to 25% on January 1) it will be interesting to see how this trade war affects attendance at the shows.

Travel Guides

We've put together a number of in-depth guides to visiting the Canton Fair, Hong Kong Mega Show, Yiwu, and other popular destinations for importers and buyers.

Trade Show & Location Guides

General

Conclusion

Are you heading over to China this month for any of the shows going on? If so, comment below and let us know for what shows. Also, if you have any questions about visiting China, feel free to ask below as well.