The China Yiwu International Commodities Fair (abbreviated as the "Yiwu Fair") has long been a shining "golden calling card" for the people of Yiwu. Carrying forward twenty years of illustrious history and drawing on the rich experience of previous editions, the 20th Yiwu Fair will be grandly held this golden October. As a highly prestigious and sensational industry event both at home and abroad, the Yiwu Fair has become the largest, most influential, and most effective daily consumer goods exhibition in China, thanks to its distinctive exhibition features, internationalized venue layout, comprehensive service system, diverse range of exhibited products, and massive visitor traffic. It is also one of the three major export commodities fairs organized by the Ministry of Commerce. As of now, the exhibition organization is proceeding in an orderly manner, and the exhibition and business recruitment efforts have achieved new successes.
【Diligent Cultivation Yields Remarkable Results 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 Products Fair) pioneered the practice of hosting exhibitions through market operations, 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 an average daily footfall of 500,000 and a 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 exhibition jointly organized by the Ministry of Commerce of China, the People's Government of Zhejiang Province, and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, showcasing its commercial prowess more powerfully to the world. In 2009, the newly opened Yiwu International Expo Center in China 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 continually rising transaction volume.
The upcoming Yiwu Fair will feature 4,500 international standard booths, covering seven major industries: hardware, electronics and electrical appliances, textiles and garments, jewelry and jewelry 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 mountain-sea cooperation in Zhejiang Province. Currently, the exhibition’s booth recruitment is progressing in an orderly manner through multi-channel cooperation, having partnered with dozens of commercial institutions and industry associations, while actively engaging with business systems across provinces to expand the fair’s exhibitor base.
Compared to previous years, the business recruitment 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 preliminary 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 fair, several economic and trade activities will also be held, including the 3rd China (Yiwu) World Buyers’ Conference, industry trend release conferences, and new product promotion events. Furthermore, 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 year’s Yiwu Fair will also better serve its role as a bridge connecting merchants. An integrated promotional approach combining traditional and new media resources helps expand the fair’s influence and enables real-time interaction. Meanwhile, the fair offers comprehensive "big customer service" including transportation, accommodation, and dining, as well as pre-event consultation and business travel services, providing practical assistance to merchants.