Text/Pan Chunhua
A few days ago, news that the Guangzhou Ceramics Industry Exhibition, the world's largest ceramic equipment technology exhibition scheduled to be held at the Pazhou Complex in Guangzhou at the end of November 2020, was changed from an offline to an online cloud exhibition, spread rapidly in the industry. For a while, there were different opinions in the industry as to why the offline exhibition was canceled and replaced by a cloud exhibition.
Most of the voices expressed understanding. After all, the world epidemic is currently going on, and some experts predict that there will be a counterattack in winter. Out of a responsible attitude towards exhibitors and visitors, and out of consideration for the effect of the exhibition and the interests of exhibitors, offline It is a responsible attitude to avoid gatherings and switch to online exhibitions. Of course, there are also a few voices who believe that the main reason for the cancellation of offline is that some companies are not active in participating in an exhibition where only domestic buyers are present, and have no choice but to give up.
So, what is the real situation? We might as well take a look together.
Although, the author has immediately contacted the relevant person in charge of the exhibition organizer, the Building Materials Council for the Promotion of International Trade, to obtain detailed information. However, before the author gives information about the exhibition organizer, I would like to share my own views with you.
1
In the context of a community with a shared future for mankind, there are more thoughtful considerations behind international project decisions
The Year of Gengzi in 2020 has ushered in a gloomy year with an extraordinary epidemic raging. People across the country and even the world have spent an anxious first quarter in fear and anxiety. At one time, the author, like many people in the industry, faced the overwhelming news of the epidemic blockade at the beginning of the year, faced with the series of plans that the enterprise industry could not implement, and faced with the huge unknown and uncertain future. Likewise, I was in constant panic.
However, thankfully, our country ended this huge wave of fear within the first quarter.At the end of the year, we happily welcomed the dawn and began economic recovery. In the industry, the same is true.
“Actually, from May to September, we experienced a rare surge in production. Basically, the factories in our area were operating at full capacity to complete orders.” A ceramics factory in an industrial zone in Zhaoqing What the person in charge said during an interview with the author a few days ago made people feel happy. Coincidentally, in the Jinli Industrial Zone, the production general manager of a certain ceramics factory gave an almost identical description: "It should be from the end of the first quarter to now. Even our small factory of traditional glazed tiles is at full capacity and schedules production. It is also full. In terms of production, it has reached a small peak in recent years, but it seems to have started to decline in the past half month. ”
“The mountains and rivers are in different places, but the wind and moon are in the same sky.” Although the domestic economic recovery has already welcomed the dawn, what about other regions outside China? Groups of shocking data, videos that are unbearable to look at, pairs of desperate eyes, and pictures of silent cries, all truly reflect the continued deterioration of the overseas epidemic and the inability to recover.
Some people may say: Never mind it, we can just take care of ourselves.
▲Previous Guangzhou Ceramic Industry Exhibition< /p>
But, is this really the case? “Mountains and rivers are in different lands, wind and moon are in the same sky”,“a community with a shared future for mankind” has also been raised to unprecedented heights by General Secretary Xi Jinping. In today's world of economic integration and the earth has already developed into a "global village", in the face of the new coronavirus for all mankind, can anyone still be immune? Can any country or region survive on its own?
India was once described as a time bomb for all mankind. Why?
Then, Under this background, any large-scale international exhibition must be based on the safety of human beings, the safety of the country’s people, and the safety of industry exhibitors. , the responsible attitude of exhibitors, an offline exhibitionIt will be changed to an online cloud exhibition, which is understandable.
So, the Milan exhibition was cancelled; the Bologna exhibition was cancelled; the Rimini exhibition was cancelled! These international exhibitions, known as the vane of the world's ceramic industry, have finally chosen to temporarily bid farewell to the public due to the epidemic. In addition, this year's Vietnam Ceramics Exhibition and Japan's High-Performance Ceramic Materials Exhibition were also cancelled. Although the Indian exhibition was not cancelled, there were only a few people and it was deserted. Coincidentally, China's Guangzhou Canton Fair has been changed to an online cloud exhibition. This time, the Guangzhou Ceramics Industry Exhibition is also forced to change to a cloud exhibition due to the situation, which is also a last resort!
2
International exhibition projects are different from simple industry exhibitions
Let’s take a look at the difference between international exhibitions and non-international exhibitions.
As we all know, the Guangzhou Ceramics Industry Exhibition has been held for more than 30 years as of this year. During the heyday of the largest exhibition in 2018, the total exhibition area of the exhibition's eight exhibition halls exceeded more than 90,000 square meters, with a flow of nearly 100,000 people. It can be said that it completely refreshed the history of architectural sanitary ceramics and topped the list of the largest ceramic equipment. Dominate the technology exhibition position!
Under such a scale, according to statistics from the organizer, in recent years, the total number of exhibitors and buyers from overseas regions outside China who come to the exhibition every year is close to 20%. “Visitors come from 69 countries. The names are India, Vietnam, Iran, South Korea, Turkey..." It is reported that almost all countries in Southeast Asia with a ceramics industry have companies or individuals going to the venue to participate in or visit the exhibition.
If the Bologna Exhibition in Italy is a pilgrimage place for ceramic people in the world, then the Guangzhou Ceramic Industry Exhibition in China is a pilgrimage place for Asians.
▲Previous Guangzhou Ceramic Industry Exhibition< /p>
However, what is frustrating is that as of today, except for Vietnam, which is basically under better control of the epidemic, other countries in Southeast Asia are still in a haze and it is difficult to see the light of day. Even Vietnamese are required to be quarantined for 14 days before they can move freely when entering China.You will also need to quarantine for 14 days after returning. If you come to visit or participate in an exhibition, excluding the time during the exhibition, you will have to spend a month in quarantine, which is the highest cost. As for the epidemic situation in various European countries, there is feedback every day in the news, so there is no need to elaborate.
Guangzhou Ceramics Industry Exhibition, as an international exhibition with such international status, basically does not need to elaborate on its international influence and the exhibition itself. Bring international significance to exhibitors and merchants. Just imagine, how could such an exhibition ignore its international status, "close itself to the country", continue to ignore the influence of the international sector and the significance of international resources to exhibitors during the epidemic, and choose to carry out its own way?
——The Guangzhou Ceramics Industry Exhibition has never been a self-entertainment exhibition. The significance it carries to the industry is more of an international exchange! As stated in the official document: "For the sake of the effectiveness of the Guangzhou Ceramics Industry Exhibition", we had to change our strategy.
3
The industrial exhibition has completed investment recruitment, and the contract signing rate is only 10%--15% lower than the previous one
The author learned from the organizer, the Council for the Promotion of International Trade: Until the week before the offline exhibition was canceled and changed to a cloud exhibition, the investment promotion team and publicity team of the Council for the Promotion of International Trade were still in Foshan to visit customers, and the other team was communicating with media from all walks of life on publicity and promotion matters.
As of the beginning of September, the number of companies that have signed contracts for its 2020 investment invitation is slightly less than the previous one, about 10%-15%, and the total planned exhibition hall area is about more than 80,000 square meters. "Because of the previous exhibition time It has been rescheduled once (due to the epidemic, it was rescheduled from May to November). The Pazhou Exhibition Hall needed to coordinate the schedule and venue. However, due to the planning reasons of the exhibition hall, the planned Guangzhou Ceramics Industry Exhibition booth was rescheduled. At the same time, the exhibition area was helpless. It was moved from Area A to Area B, so the area is smaller than Area A. ”
▲Previous Guangzhou Ceramic Industry Exhibition
The contract signing rate is about 10%--15% lower, which is also a very normal floating ratio. Looking back at the Guangzhou Ceramics Industry Exhibition for more than 30 years, it is normal for the contracting rate to fluctuate between 10%--15%. fluctuation. At the same time, it is well known that in terms of the development trend of the ceramic industry, it fell to a major bottom in 2019. If it had not been for the arrival of the new crown epidemic and the "rock slab" trend, the traditional ceramic industry would have actually been completely reshuffled. During the period of great change, its development itself has also entered a real downward zone. Furthermore, the uncertainty about the epidemic situation in the first quarter of this year has also brought huge pressure to the investment promotion itself. Thirdly, the exhibition schedule has been revised for the first time, which brings more uncertainty to investment promotion. Under the influence of many cumbersome factors, it is normal for the investment contract signing rate to eventually decline. In other words, everything at the Guangzhou Ceramics Industry Exhibition was going as usual, but it was the international epidemic situation that ultimately caused problems.
4
Converting to a cloud exhibition, the organizers fully launched domestic and foreign technical exchanges
“Since we decided to switch from offline to online exhibition, we have been actively contacting resources from all parties and finding ways to transplant exchanges and communication online. In order to maximize the effect of the cloud exhibition, team members have fully mobilized Get up, including collecting all-round information on signed exhibitors to build online exhibition area platform pages, connecting with multi-party media resource platforms to provide publicity reports on exhibitors and companies, organizing authoritative figures in the technical field at home and abroad to open cloud platform forums, etc. , and may even organize live broadcasts and offline communication forums, etc. ”
The person in charge of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade told the author, “A special note here is that we actually do not charge exhibitors for cloud platform exhibitions, and cloud platform displays are free of charge. However, the exhibitors who signed the contract this year were not able to use it. Offline booth participation fees will be postponed to the 2022 exhibition.”
In fact, the failure to carry out offline operations as scheduled has definitely caused greater losses to many companies that have signed contracts or even made payments, and their plans have also been disrupted. At the same time, for the exhibition organizers, the losses are also huge, but even so, in this incident, we saw that the organizers also showed the greatest sincerity to the industry and enterprises, and we also saw many exhibitors The company gives the curators and organizers the greatest consideration and understanding.
▲Previous Guangzhou Ceramics Industry Exhibition
What the author wants to say is: Whether it is a large-scale outbreak of the epidemic or the subsequent series of industry or social events, this is something that none of us or any unit wants to happen. So now that it has happened, we should better join forces to actively seek solutions, understand each other and face it together, instead of making malicious speculations and negative criticisms like a few people, right?
Back to the title, "Changed to an online cloud exhibition, has the world's largest equipment exhibition also bowed its head under the epidemic?" Having said so much, is this exhibition simply "bowing to the epidemic" from offline to online? The author thinks it is obviously not. Rather than bowing to the epidemic, it is better to say that we choose to bow our heads and take responsibility out of responsibility.
Then, let us work together so that the Guangzhou Ceramics Industry Exhibition, the world's largest ceramics equipment technology exhibition that cannot be held as scheduled, can bloom with new charm online during the 2020 epidemic. Wish: Inside and outside the industry, there will always be peace and steady development!
Author: Pan Chunhua
