Canton Fair to Resume Physical Activities After 3 Years

The largest and most comprehensive trade show in China will finally go back offline in 2023 after a pandemic-induced hiatus of 3 years.

Also Read: Canton Fair 2023 Trade Show Guide (Post-Zero COVID Updated)

The Canton Fair, a major Chinese trade event usually held in the Spring and Autumn seasons, is set to return to its offline activities this April after being constrained to an online model due to COVID-19 prevention measures. 

The physical event is scheduled to run from April 15 to May 5, 2023, while the online exhibition is set for March 16 to September 15. 

It will be divided into essentially three phases with different key niches to be featured in each phase: April 15-19 for electronics and lighting, April 23-27 for consumer goods, ceramics, and maternity and baby products (NEW), and May 1-5 for medical products, textiles, and products within the “silver hair economy” or elderly niche (NEW). 

Ecommerce sellers from all over the world are expected to flock to the venue in phase two, where the trendiest consumer goods and their respective exhibitors will be taking center stage. 

Additionally, reports have confirmed that the organizers will expand the exhibition area from 1.18 million square meters to 1.5 million square meters—some provide a figure of roughly 1.62 million square meters. This will be the largest expansion project in the Canton Fair Complex’s long history, with a total construction area of about 560,000 square meters (roughly 78 football fields) and about 6,000 additional booths.

According to the director of the China’s Foreign Trade Center, Chu Shijia, during a recent news conference promoting the exhibition, the 2023 Canton Fair (its 133rd iteration) will feature the addition of three new categories: industrial automation and intelligent manufacturing, new energy and smart vehicles, and maternal and baby products. It will also add three new zones for intelligent life, silver economy, detection reagents, and pandemic protective equipment. As per usual, the event is expected to showcase the latest products in industrial development, technology, and the entire gamut of ecommerce niches and of course, popular ecommerce niches to global buyers.

Along with other big-name trade shows, the Canton Fair has historically been a comprehensive international trade event that attracts visitors from all over the world. Its resumption as a physical exhibition is projected to boost the post-pandemic recovery of the Chinese economy, which is intertwined with many global supply chains. In particular, it is likely to strengthen US-China trade relations once again—China's trade with the US hit a record $690.6 billion in 2022.

Seasoned ecommerce sellers know that big trade shows are a prime opportunity for finding great products to sell on Amazon, connecting with factories and manufacturers in China’s enormous industrial region, and even nurturing existing relationships with your Chinese suppliers.