• Leave more time for travel whilst the fair is in town, as it can lead to lots of congestion on the roads.
History
This trade fair that was born in China’s planned economy era and has gradually developed and grown since then. Along with the reform and opening-up of the country, the production and sales of produce like sugar, alcohol and beverages were becoming increasingly lucrative, so from 1984, the fair was held twice a year, in Spring and then again in the Autumn.
The 112th China Food & Drinks Fair
Until March 21-24:
Many hotels, such as Kempinski (7 Floors), Shangri-La Hotel, Taihe Int.’l Hotel, Wanda Reign, The Renaissance, Jinjiang Hotel, Minshan Hotel, Sheraton Lido, Niccolo Chengdu, among others.
March 25-27 (daily, 09:00 – 16:30):
The big exhibitions each have a different focus and will be held at both the New International Convention & Exhibition Centre (Chinese liquor, beverages and dairy products, packaging and supply chain) AND the Western China International Exposition City (food machinery, condiments and ingredients, imported food, snacks, baked goods, beer and low-alcohol liquor, wine and international spirits).
If you haven’t been there before, both places are VAST – covering an area of approximately 100,000 ㎡. Both exhibition centers will host 3000 exhibitors and 150000 professional purchasers, showcasing 300.000+ products.
Entry:
FREE
More information (English):
http://www.qgtjh.org.cn/en/index.html
More information (Chinese):
WeChat: cfdfnews
Main Exhibition Venues
Venue 1:
New Century Exhibition Center
世纪城新国际会展中心
198 Shijicheng Rd, Wuhou District 武侯区世纪城路198号
Venue 2:
Western China International Exposition City
中国西部国际博览城
No. 88 East Fuzhou Road 福州路东段与蜀州路交汇处
Guide to the Sugar and Wine Festival
The fair brings a wide variety of food and beverage vendors together (baijiu, other spirits, wine, beer, spices, food additives, etc), but also food packaging machinery, raw ingredients, food machinery production, and much more.
If you’re expecting a food festival like the ones you may have been to at home and planning a leisurely day out – The Sugar and Wine Fair is not this. It’s mostly focused on business to business sales and has been described as ‘messy sales, crowded fair’ – spot on.
Navigating this expo, if you’re looking to make sales, is no easy task, even with industry customer contacts, as it often involves shuttling between hotels in order to see more clients. The traffic situation in Chengdu is usually significantly worse during the Fair.
In a Nutshell
For the time being, the China Food and Drinks Fair is still a gathering of local Chinese companies. It is far from being geared to international standards and, for now, overseas businesses should not expect an overnight share of the rewards.
Attend if you dare.
Expect to see creative ways to attract customers
Will you attend?
Let us know in the comment section!
