Details

What does


03-21

Understanding the key exhibition terms in the Two Sessions and grasping the exhibition economics of the Two Sessions is of great significance for exhibition enterprises in grasping the future direction of development. Many local government work reports, which play a role of "command baton" in the local economy, have made many comments on exhibitions. These descriptions of exhibitions represent the local government's recognition and affirmation of the value of exhibitions and their expectations for the exhibition industry, and also guide the exhibition industry to seize opportunities for development.

The information on the exhibition industry described in the government work reports issued by Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces in 2024 is almost identical: Guangdong Emphasizes that Party and government organs should get used to living frugally, and insist on running all undertakings frugally, Exhibition and forum fiscal expenditures are reduced by more than half. Zhejiang Also emphasizes that while the government is living frugally, it should strictly enforce financial discipline, strictly control general expenditures, Substantially reduce forums, exhibitions, and festivals and use more financial resources to help enterprises, promote development, and benefit the people.

"Substantial," "reduction," "serious," "strict control" to some extent mean the government's "attitude" towards the development of the exhibition industry. However, the "reduction" mentioned in the report should refer to Reduction of government-led forums, exhibitions, and festivals rather than commercial forums, exhibitions, and festivals. This is not the first time the government has made such a statement, so there is no need to worry too much about it. This policy will not have a significant impact on the market order of the exhibition industry.

Some insiders believe that Guangdong and Zhejiang, two major economic provinces, have mainly realized that government-led exhibitions in the past were too extravagant and wasteful, and did not achieve the expected goals. The "face-saving projects" and "formalism" were too serious. The statement of the two provinces is of positive significance for purifying the exhibition environment . Government exhibition projects account for a considerable proportion in the market. Among the projects in various places, there are some projects with poor social and economic benefits, which have occupied a large amount of fiscal funds and government resources. Cleaning up a batch of ineffective government exhibitions and some redundant meetings with more form than content, redirecting limited fiscal resources to major high-quality projects, is also conducive to cultivating local brand projects.

 

Although most of the exhibitions that have been reduced are government-sponsored exhibitions and various meetings within the system, this will still have a negative impact on some exhibition enterprises, especially MICE service enterprises that mainly receive government meetings and exhibitions including hotels, professional meeting PCOs, and exhibition construction enterprises. These service agencies with the government as the client may face problems such as declining order volume and declining client budgets. This will further accelerate the adjustment of the business structure of exhibition enterprises. Within the industry, many enterprises rely on government projects for survival, and their business types and customer types are relatively single, which is not conducive to the development of enterprises. When the market changes, enterprises need to make timely adjustments, otherwise they will be submerged by the market tide.

Of course, the reduction of some government-type exhibition projects will also free up some market space, allowing market forces to enter, which will bring certain benefits to commercial exhibition organizations.

Guangdong and Zhejiang's approach of "using the right tool for the right job" is worth learning from other provinces and cities. However, everything should be done in moderation. "Substantial reduction" is not a "one-size-fits-all" approach, but a major cleanup of government exhibitions of varying quality, strictly controlling quality, eliminating low-end and low-quality exhibitions, and leaving truly high-quality, valuable government-led exhibitions. However, based on past experience, this type of cleanup campaign is easily prone to a one-size-fits-all approach during its implementation. In particular, some departments have a certain lazy-government mentality. In order to report to their superiors, they do not investigate and analyze the specific situation but instead shut down everything in a campaign-style manner. This will have an adverse impact on the market, and localities need to guard against this situation.

Perhaps, Guangdong and Zhejiang deeply realize that government agencies that act as both referees and players are not reasonable and should return the exhibition market to professional exhibition agencies, allowing them to compete independently and develop in an orderly manner; government agencies only need to act as teachers and administrators, leaving the rest to the market.

Overall, in recent years, the number of government-led exhibitions in China has been gradually increasing. It is hoped that Zhejiang and Guangdong can lead a streamlining of government exhibitions new trend, and that government exhibitions can also embark on a path of high-quality development after the reduction.

Latest News

Zhenghe Exhibition visited Nigerian automotive technology and other industry associations to promote cooperation on the 2025 Nigeria (Lagos) China Goods Expo.


From January 3rd to 6th, 2025, representatives of Zhenghe Exhibition's overseas staff successively visited the secretariat of the Nigerian Automotive Technicians Association (NATA), the Amalgamated Union of Automobile Motor Mechanics and Technicians of Nigeria (AUOMMATON), and the Motor Mechanics and Technicians Association of Nigeria (MOMTAN). This visit primarily focused on in-depth discussions and exchanges regarding cooperation for the 2025 Nigeria (Lagos) China Commodities Fair. During the meetings, representatives of Zhenghe Exhibition's overseas staff introduced the basic situation of the Nigeria (Lagos) China Commodities Fair to the heads of the business associations. The heads of the various business associations acknowledged the significant achievements made by the exhibition in recent years. During the discussions, the three industry association leaders provided detailed information about their respective associations. As leaders and promoters of associations related to the automotive industry in Nigeria, these three associations have a wide influence in Nigeria and even West Africa. Against the backdrop of continuously deepening and upgrading China-Africa cooperation, they expressed high expectations for actively promoting trade cooperation between Nigeria and China in the automotive industry. The heads of the associations also stated their willingness to work with Zhenghe International Exhibition to jointly promote the continuous development of the Nigeria (Lagos) China Commodities Fair, uniformly organize member units to participate in the exhibition, and conduct one-on-one matchmaking discussions with Chinese exhibitors. As Africa's second-largest economy and most populous country, Nigeria has a huge demand for automotive and auto parts products, largely relying on imports. In Nigeria, over 90% of Nigerians tend to choose 'tokunbo' (used cars), which makes the 'tokunbo' distribution business very profitable in Nigeria. With the Nigerian government relaxing age restrictions on imported used cars, the volume of used car imports will further increase. Consequently, the auto parts market, both upstream and downstream of Nigeria's used car industry chain, will also see more opportunities. After years of operation by Chinese automakers, Chinese cars have established considerable 'prestige' in Nigeria. At the same time, the scarcity of local car repair outlets and the high cost of spare parts in Nigeria also indicate immense potential for Chinese auto parts exports to the Nigerian market.

01-09

Read Full Article →

Deep cultivation of fertile soil ensures abundant blossoms - The 2025 Nigeria Lagos China Commodities Fair embarks on a new journey!


Nigeria is an important trade partner and investment destination for China in Africa, and also China's largest contracted project market in Africa. In 2023, the new contract value for Chinese enterprises' contracted engineering business in Nigeria reached 10.45 billion USD, with a turnover of 3.98 billion USD. On September 3, 2024, China and Nigeria issued a joint statement announcing the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership, promoting the building of a high-level China-Nigeria community with a shared future, and explicitly strengthening cooperation in areas such as infrastructure construction. Chinese Products are Hot-selling in the Nigerian Market under the Framework of China-Africa Cooperation According to data from the General Administration of Customs, from January to July 2024, China's imports and exports with Africa totaled 1.19 trillion CNY, a year-on-year increase of 5.5%. In 2023, China-Africa trade reached a historical peak of 282.1 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 1.5%, demonstrating the strong resilience of China-Africa trade. Among them, trade between Nigeria and China is booming. In 2023, the total trade volume between China and Nigeria soared to an astonishing 281.777 billion USD, with China's exports to Nigeria reaching 172.469 billion USD, highlighting the immense appeal of Chinese products in the Nigerian market. The main hot-selling products fall into the following major categories: 1. Electromechanical Products and Agricultural Machinery Products From efficient power generation equipment to reliable electrical products, China's electromechanical products have continuously met Nigeria's growing needs and directly promoted the rapid development of its infrastructure construction. In addition, hardware tools, power tools, construction machinery, and other electromechanical products are also very popular. The import of agricultural machinery, food machinery, and packaging machinery has adapted to the development needs of Nigeria's agriculture and food processing industries. At the same time, industrial manufacturing-related electromechanical products such as machine tools provide strong support for Nigeria's industrial development. 2. Textile and Garment Products Nigeria is Africa's most populous country, with a current population exceeding 227 million, leading to huge domestic market demand. Textiles and clothing are major export items from China to Nigeria, accounting for 15% of China's total exports to Nigeria. Statistics show that in 2022, Nigeria's textile and garment imports reached 110 million USD, with China being its largest source country, accounting for approximately 47% of the total imports, almost half. As Nigeria's urbanization accelerates, more young people are eager to express themselves. In terms of fabrics, wax prints with unique craftsmanship and patterns, and brightly colored African jacquard fabrics are popular; for finished garments, shirts and sportswear with Chinese cultural elements or designs that align with local aesthetic preferences are highly sought after; regarding accessories, exquisite embroidery and unique buttons could also be among the featured products. 3. Auto Parts Products Nigeria is considered Africa's largest potential automotive market. In Nigeria, over 90% of Nigerians prefer "tokunbo" (used cars), making the "tokunbo" distribution business very profitable in Nigeria. With the Nigerian government relaxing age restrictions on imported used cars, the volume of used car imports will further increase. Therefore, the auto parts market, both upstream and downstream of Nigeria's used car industry chain, will also see more opportunities. 4. Wigs and Hair Products Eight out of every 10 Nigerian women wear wigs. Nigerian women have a particular preference for wigs and hair extensions, creating a substantial market for hair products of various sizes and prices. Furthermore, there is also significant demand for hair care products such as shampoos, relaxers, hair creams, and detangling brushes. 5. Building Materials, Hardware Accessories With the acceleration of urbanization and the continuous advancement of infrastructure construction in Africa, the African building materials and hardware market is showing vigorous development. 70% of hardware products in the African market rely on imports. The demand for hardware products is mainly concentrated in saw blades, steel pipes, and various types of mechanical hardware. From "Whether to Go" to "How to Go," Enterprises "Have a Soft Spot" for the African Market From surveying the Nigerian market in 2002 to bringing the Nigeria (Lagos) China Commodities Expo to the public's attention in 2007. In the blink of an eye, Zhenghe Exhibition has been organizing the Nigeria (Lagos) China Commodities Expo for over 17 years. Throughout the 53 years of China-Nigeria diplomatic relations, Zhenghe Exhibition has made every effort to actively assist in deepening the economic and trade relations between enterprises of both countries! Over these 17 years, we have organized thousands of enterprises from over 20 provinces and cities, including Hebei, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Anhui, Guangdong, Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing, to participate in the exhibition. Exhibits covered various fields such as agricultural machinery, vehicles and parts, construction machinery, hardware building materials, power equipment and new energy products, textiles and garments, beauty products, and daily necessities. With the strong support of the nation, we worked together with the participating enterprises to overcome difficulties, enabling each exhibiting enterprise to take root, blossom, and bear fruit in Nigeria! According to incomplete statistics, the 2024 Nigeria Lagos China Commodities Expo achieved an intended transaction volume of 82 million USD on-site, with many popular products signed on the spot. 2025, Embarking on a New Journey In nearly two decades of deeply cultivating Africa, we have witnessed the beautiful scenery and unique charm of the African continent, and even more strongly felt the African people's fervent aspiration and passionate pursuit of a better life. We have also jointly witnessed the transformation of Chinese enterprises in Africa from scratch to growth, from daily necessities to steel, aluminum, and mechanical equipment. The African market has demonstrated unprecedented investment potential and development opportunities. At this critical period in the development of China-Africa relations, Zhenghe Exhibition will actively combine our "first-mover advantage" with "African endowments," act as a bridge, and facilitate more "Made in China" products entering and becoming popular in Africa.

12-06

Read Full Article →