Canton Fair: Why Importers Go and How to Make the Trip Pay

You can find thousands of suppliers online, but you cannot touch their products, test their answers face to face or compare ten factories in one afternoon. The Canton Fair in Guangzhou lets you do all three, which is why importers from the Gulf and Yemen return to it every year. By the end of this guide you will know what the fair offers, which phase fits your products, how to prepare, and how to leave with suppliers you can actually order from.

What is the Canton Fair?

The Canton Fair is the everyday name for the China Import and Export Fair, held in Guangzhou since 1957. It is the largest and longest-running trade exhibition in China and one of the most influential in the world. It runs twice a year, in spring and autumn, at the exhibition complex in Pazhou, reached by metro Line 8 at Pazhou or Xingangdong stations.

The scale in figures

In 2024 the fair welcomed more than 253,000 international buyers from 214 countries and about 30,000 exhibitors. The halls cover 1.55 million square metres and span almost every sector: electronics, textiles, industrial machinery, consumer goods and luxury products. The 2024 edition generated export deals worth USD 24.95 billion. For you, those numbers mean one practical thing: you can meet more manufacturers of your product in three days than in three months of online searching.

Why it suits a Gulf importer

Most exhibitors are manufacturers or established trading companies with export experience, so they already know letters of credit, Incoterms and container loading. You can compare prices, finishes and minimum order quantities (MOQ) side by side, and you see the product before you pay for a sample. Many exhibitors have Arabic-speaking sales staff or have shipped to Jebel Ali, Dammam, Sohar or Aden before, which shortens the conversation.

How the three phases divide the fair

The fair is split into three phases, each given to a group of industries. This lets you plan your trip around one phase instead of walking halls that sell nothing you need. The autumn 2025 session ran on these dates:

• Phase One, 15 to 19 October: electronics, industrial equipment and new technology.
• Phase Two, 23 to 27 October: consumer goods, furniture and lifestyle products.
• Phase Three, 31 October to 4 November: textiles, apparel and healthcare items.

The spring session follows the same three-phase pattern in April and May. Product allocation between phases shifts slightly from year to year, so check the official exhibitor list before you book flights. Our Canton Fair 2025 guide to dates and phases sets out the full hall plan. If you buy across categories, for example furniture and home textiles, you may need two phases and about 12 to 16 days in China, including travel.

What has changed at the fair in recent years

Green and sustainable products

The fair now gives much more space to green and sustainable products: more than 1 million eco-friendly items were shown in 2024. If you supply government projects, hotels or retailers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia that now ask for energy ratings or recycled materials, this is where to find suppliers who can document them. Ask for test reports and certificates on the stand, not after you return home.

The online platform before you arrive

An integrated online platform now lets you search exhibitors, view products and message suppliers before you reach Guangzhou, and keep talking after the fair closes. Use it to shortlist 20 to 40 stands and book meetings in advance. Suppliers take a buyer who has already asked specific questions more seriously than one who walks past with a catalogue bag.

Technology and artificial intelligence

The 2025 edition put a stronger focus on advanced technology and artificial intelligence, from smart home devices to automated production equipment. If your market is moving towards connected products, Phase One is where you see what Chinese factories will be pushing next year, and at what price.

What long-term buyers get from the fair

The fair's value is not only the orders signed in the halls. The Portuguese retailer Sonae has attended since 2006. Its China representative, Duarte Nuno Rocha, describes the fair as a cornerstone of the group's strategy, helping it diversify and strengthen its supply chain. That is the pattern for most serious buyers: they use the fair to meet new suppliers, check existing ones and find a second source for their best-selling lines.

For you, the lesson is to treat each visit as part of a longer relationship. A supplier who sees you at two or three fairs, and who has shipped a trial order to you in between, will usually give better terms and faster answers than one you met once.

How to prepare for your Canton Fair visit

1. Pick your phase and products, 8 to 10 weeks ahead. Write down the 3 to 5 products you want to source, your target landed price and the quantity you can realistically sell in the first 6 months.
2. Register as a buyer online. Pre-register on the official Canton Fair website with your passport details and company information to get your buyer badge. Check the current badge rules and fees on the site, because they change between sessions.
3. Sort your visa. Several Gulf nationalities can now enter China visa-free for short stays; check the current list for your passport. If you need a visa, apply for an M business visa with a business invitation letter at least 4 to 6 weeks before travel.
4. Book your hotel early. Rates in Pazhou and nearby Tianhe commonly double or more during phase weeks. Book 6 to 8 weeks ahead and stay near Line 8.
5. Shortlist exhibitors on the online platform. Message your top 20 to 40, send your specifications and ask for prices before you fly, so the meeting on the stand starts from numbers.
6. Prepare a one-page brief. Include your company name, target market, product specifications, packaging and labelling needs (Arabic labels, SASO or ESMA requirements), and your expected order size per container.

Checklist for your days in the halls

Walking the fair without a system produces a bag of business cards and no decisions. Our article on turning your Canton Fair visit into real deals goes deeper; at each stand, make sure you record:

• Whether the exhibitor is the factory or a trading company, and where the factory is.
• Unit price, the Incoterm it refers to (EXW, FOB Shenzhen or Guangzhou, CIF your port) and how long the price is valid.
• MOQ per item and per colour, and whether a mixed first container is accepted.
• Production lead time in days and sample lead time and cost.
• Certificates and test reports the product already has, and who issued them.
• Payment terms offered, for example 30% deposit and 70% before shipment.
• A photo of the product, the stand number and the name of the person you spoke to.
• Whether they have exported to your country and can supply the documents your customs need.

At the end of each day, score the stands you visited against your brief and drop the weakest. When you come back to the strongest, use the tactics in negotiating with suppliers at the Canton Fair to move from list price to your price.

Common mistakes at the Canton Fair

• Arriving without a target price. If you do not know your landed cost and selling price at home, you cannot tell a good offer from a bad one.
• Paying a deposit on the stand. Take quotations and samples at the fair, then verify the company and visit the factory before any money moves. Our guide to safe payment methods with Chinese suppliers explains how to protect a first order.
• Trusting the booth, not the factory. A large stand does not prove a large factory. Ask for the business licence and check that the registered scope covers what they sell.
• Choosing the wrong phase. Visiting Phase Two for electronics wastes a week and a hotel bill.
• No follow-up. Suppliers meet hundreds of buyers. If you do not send your brief and questions within 3 to 5 days of returning, you will be forgotten.
• Skipping inspection on the first order. The sample you saw in the hall is the best unit the factory makes. Book a pre-shipment quality inspection before paying the balance.

What to do this week

Decide which session you are aiming for, spring or autumn, and which phase matches your products. Write your one-page brief with 3 to 5 products and target prices. Check whether your passport needs a visa and, if so, start the invitation letter now. Then open the online exhibitor platform and shortlist your first 20 suppliers. If you would rather have someone plan the route, book the meetings and translate on the floor, HiGreenPanda offers Canton Fair accompaniment from Guangzhou.