The China Yiwu International Commodities Fair (referred to as the “Yiwu Fair”) has long been a resounding “golden calling card” for the people of Yiwu. With twenty years of history and the valuable experience accumulated from previous editions, the 20th Yiwu Fair will be grandly held this golden October. As a highly prestigious and sensational event in the business world, the Yiwu Fair has become the largest, most influential, and most effective daily consumer goods exhibition in China, thanks to its distinctive features, international exhibition layout, comprehensive service system, wide range of exhibited products, and massive visitor traffic. It is also one of the three major export commodity fairs organized by the Ministry of Commerce. As of now, the exhibition organization is proceeding in an orderly manner, and the exhibition invitation and business attraction efforts have achieved new successes.
[Hard Work Yields Results: Significant Achievements Over the Years]
The history of the Yiwu Fair is also a typical microcosm of Yiwu’s economic development. Dating back to 1995, the first Yiwu Fair (i.e., the China Commodity City Famous, Excellent, and New Commodities Fair) pioneered the concept of hosting an expo within a market, relying on the Huangyuan Market, and successfully achieved a strategic shift in market development. By the 2nd China Small Commodities Fair, it had become a truly national-scale event, with a daily average foot traffic of 500,000 and total transaction volume exceeding 283 million yuan. A key milestone in its development was in 2002, when the Yiwu Fair was elevated to an international event jointly organized by the Ministry of Commerce, the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province, and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, showcasing its commercial prowess to the world even more powerfully. The inauguration of the Yiwu International Expo Center in 2009 further elevated the scale and quality of the Yiwu Fair. In 2011, the Yiwu Fair achieved another breakthrough by successfully obtaining certification from the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), gaining greater recognition and authority. This commercial extravaganza, bringing together domestic and international merchants as well as local and foreign enterprises, has never failed to meet expectations, earning international acclaim and praise with its continuously rising transaction volume.
△May 18–22, 1995: The “China Commodity City Famous, Excellent, and New Small Commodities Fair” was held in the passageways of the fourth-generation market (Huangyuan Market).
Through years of exploration, growth, and breakthroughs, the Yiwu Fair has expanded from just 348 booths and 179 exhibitors at its inception to becoming an international-scale exhibition with 4,500 international standard booths and nearly 3,000 participating companies. The scale of the event continues to grow, industry segmentation becomes increasingly rational, and both the number of exhibitors and visitors keep breaking previous records. It is precisely thanks to the Yiwu Fair’s role as a “market barometer” that Yiwu’s market economy seized crucial opportunities for rapid and remarkable development. It can be said that Yiwu’s economy has grown alongside the Yiwu Fair.
△October 21, 2013: The 19th Yiwu Fair was held at the Yiwu International Expo Center.
On the other hand, benefiting from numerous preferential policies of the Yiwu Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, and leveraging the scale effects of the Huangyuan Market, Binwang Market, International Trade City, and various specialized commodity streets, the Yiwu Fair has become increasingly “substantial” and successful, driven by Yiwu’s economic growth.
[Building on Success: The 20th Yiwu Fair Writes a New Chapter]
Carrying forward the strengths of previous editions, the 20th China Yiwu International Commodities Fair will be held from October 21 to 25 this year in Yiwu, Zhejiang. As a celebration of 20 years, this edition of the Yiwu Fair will adopt more advantageous functions, better services, and more appealing conditions in terms of exhibition invitations and business attraction. It will boldly embrace innovation, actively build platforms for business discussions, and strive to deliver even more satisfying results.
This edition of the Yiwu Fair will feature 4,500 international standard booths, covering seven major industries: hardware, electronics and electrical appliances, textiles and garments, jewelry and accessories, handicrafts, daily necessities, and stationery and sports goods. Additionally, there will be four special zones: creative design, imported goods, processing with supplied materials by the All-China Women’s Federation, and Zhejiang Province’s Mountain-Sea Cooperation. Currently, the exhibition invitation work is progressing in an orderly manner through multi-channel cooperation, having partnered with dozens of commercial institutions and industry associations, while actively connecting with business systems across provinces to strengthen the exhibition’s invitation base.
Compared to previous years, the business attraction work for this edition of the Yiwu Fair places greater emphasis on scientific planning and the application of new technologies. Drawing on the successful experiences of international exhibitions, the integration of the Yiwu Fair database is being carried out in an orderly fashion, with the re-planning and initial establishment of industry sub-databases oriented toward procurement needs across the seven major sectors. Based on this, the Yiwu Fair is implementing a “Buyer Call Plan,” along with synchronized data marketing through email EDM, SMS, and direct mail, yielding significant results. During the exhibition period, several economic and trade activities will also be held, including the 3rd China (Yiwu) World Buyers’ Conference, industry trend release conferences, and new product launch events. In addition, this edition of the Yiwu Fair has already held specialized business promotion events in Guangzhou and Shanghai in June and August respectively, with more to follow in cities such as Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
Other innovations at this edition of the Yiwu Fair will also better serve its role as a bridge connecting merchants. A multi-dimensional promotional approach combining traditional and new media resources helps expand the exhibition’s influence and enables real-time interaction. Meanwhile, the fair provides one-stop “big customer service” covering transportation, accommodation, and dining, as well as consultation and business travel services outside the venue, offering practical assistance to merchants.