All signs are pointing towards e-commerce as the major trend in global trade. As a leader in the e-commerce industry, China accounts for 45%[1] of the world's total transaction volume. In recent years, the industry has experienced a sharp rise, particularly during the pandemic, with online retail sales increasing by 9.7%[2] year-on-year in 2020. To help the industries seize the enormous opportunities in this field, Messe Frankfurt (Shenzhen) Co Ltd, China Merchants Exhibition Management (Shenzhen) Co Ltd and Beijing Talent-Expo Co Ltd have joined forces to organise the debut edition of the China (Shenzhen) Cross Border E-commerce Fair.
As a comprehensive e-commerce business platform dedicated to cross border trade, the show covers the entire industry chain from product selection to platform providers and other supporting services. In alignment with the Chinese Government’s “dual circulation” development plan in which domestic consumption and international trade mutually reinforce each other, the growth of the cross border e-commerce market is expected to accelerate. The new trend encourages the export of Chinese products overseas while attracting foreign companies to the Chinese market. Focusing on the opportunities in this perspective, Mr Stephan Buurma, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt Group, explained the mutual benefits of the new cooperation: “With our global trade fair network, China Merchants Exhibition Management’s extensive operational experiences in Shenzhen, and Beijing Talent-Expo Co Ltd’s abundant domestic industry resources, CBEC will gather renowned international brands across different industries, as well as high-quality Chinese suppliers. Through the participation of a large contingent of leading local and overseas e-commerce platforms and service providers, the fair will not only promote foreign trade for Chinese suppliers, but will also draw international brands to the Chinese market.”
Last year, China’s cross border e-commerce management platform reflected the strong growth of international e-commerce trade with record highs of 2.45 billion custom declarations, a year-on-year increase of 63.3%[3]. As a leading hub for the e-commerce industry, Shenzhen in the Greater Bay Area holds strategic advantages relating to product supply and support services.
Commenting on the new partnership, Mr Ma Jun, General Manager of China Merchants Exhibition Management (Shenzhen) Co Ltd, the exhibition sector of the state-owned enterprise China Merchants Shekou Holdings, said: “We will leverage our local expertise and highlight Shenzhen’s dynamic resources in the market to co-organise the first edition of CEBC with Messe Frankfurt and Beijing Talent-Expo Co Ltd. Together, this comprehensive platform will further develop cross border collaboration in the e-commerce industry. We look forward to hosting thousands of exhibitors and professional buyers at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center, where participants can enjoy state-of-the-art facilities and a complete range of supporting services. ”
The pandemic has fuelled rapid growth in international e-commerce. Mr Lai Yi, General Manager of Beijing Talent-Expo Co Ltd explained: “Under the influence of the pandemic, global supply chains were heavily disrupted. As a result, traditional import and export trade gradually moved into e-commerce in an attempt to solve conventional trade issues such as complicated logistics procedures, low shipment volumes and inadequate product variety. Through the new collaboration, we hope to build an effective platform for small and medium sized export companies to conduct business and exchange industry knowledge. The platform will also promote digitalisation in the traditional foreign trade industry. We believe the shift towards digitalisation will stimulate global trade to become more efficient and convenient, and consequently drive the global economic recovery.”
Strategically held in September, a peak season for sourcing and a busy procurement month for regional festivals, CBEC will cover three main product categories: consumer goods suppliers, cross-border service providers and products, e-commerce platforms and media. The inaugural edition is expected to welcome 3,000 exhibitors to present their latest products and services across 100,000 sqm of exhibition space. With Messe Frankfurt's substantial resources and network of global buyers, the show will attract the full spectrum of trade visitors. This includes foreign trade e-commerce platforms, brand owners, buyers and distributors from the China Cross Border E-Commerce Comprehensive Pilot Zone (designated pilot cities for international e-commerce set up by the Chinese government), traditional B2B import and export traders, domestic agents of overseas buyers, physical retail store owners, supply chain service providers and industry associations. To add extra value to the show, various fringe programme events such as the China (Shenzhen) Cross Border E-commerce Fair Industry Summit, the IEBE Online Retailing New Growth Problem Solving Conference and the IEBE Cross-border E-commerce New Growth Problem Solving Conference will be featured, providing an ideal platform for participants to exchange ideas and keep pace with the latest industry trends.
The organisers will closely monitor the pandemic and strictly follow the local government’s protection guidelines. Some of the key measures to be implemented include visitor authentication with real identity registration and temperature scans. Sanitisation of public areas and distancing measures will also be carried out at the fairground.
The China (Shenzhen) Cross Border E-commerce Fair is co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (Shenzhen) Co Ltd, China Merchants Exhibition Management (Shenzhen) Co Ltd and Beijing Talent-Expo Co Ltd. For more information, please visit www.cbec-shenzhen.com.
[1]McKinsey & Company, “Understanding Chinese Consumers: Growth Engine of the World” P12， https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/featured%20insights/china/china%20still%20the%20worlds%20growth%20engine%20after%20covid%2019/mckinsey%20china%20consumer%20report%202021.pdf, published November 2020.
[2]China Daily, https://www.chinadailyhk.com/article/152334, published 15 December 2020.
[3]Economic Information Daily，http://dz.jjckb.cn/www/pages/webpage2009/html/2021-01/05/content_70477.htm, published 5 January 2021.
Background information on Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is the world’s largest trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds. The Messe Frankfurt Group employs around 2,500* people in a total of 30 subsidiaries. The company generated annual sales of approximately €250* million in 2020 after having recorded sales of €738 million the previous year. Even in difficult times caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we are globally networked with our industry sectors. We have close ties with our industry sectors and serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. One of the Group’s key USPs is its closely knit global sales network, which extends throughout the world. Our comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. We are expanding our digital expertise with new business models. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services. Headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent).
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com
* preliminary figures 2020
Background information on China Merchants Exhibition Management (Shenzhen) Co Ltd
China Merchants Exhibition Management (Shenzhen) Co Ltd is a dedicated exhibition management company under China Merchants Shekou Holdings Co Ltd, a central state-owned enterprise (stock code: 001979, and ranking 348th on Forbes’ Global 2000). The Company mainly engages in exhibition-related business activities, including venue planning and construction, venue operations and exhibition organisation.
Background information on Beijing Talent-Expo Co Ltd
Established in 1999, Beijing Talent International Exhibition Co Ltd was one of the earliest trade fair organisers in China to provide overseas exhibition services. The company is committed to providing high-quality exhibition services to foreign companies, and has maintained long-term cooperative relations with many world-renowned exhibition organisers over the past twenty years. Playing a leading role in foreign trade across a variety of industries, the company has established links with relevant industry institutions across the country. The company’s exhibitions are organised in more than 30 countries and regions with over 100 projects around the world.
www.talent-expo.com
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