The 117th Canton Fair "A Better Than Ever Trade Environment Boosts Business in Key Areas"

GUANGZHOU, China, May 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Closing on May 5, the 117th installment of the Canton Fair - China's most prestigious and profitable trade event - showed encouraging year-on-year growth in the number of attending buyers from Asia, the Americas, Africa and Oceania. The number of buyers from countries relevant to China's "One Belt, One Road" policy - which is seen as key to the country's future growth - also continued to grow, reflecting a bright and sustained trade dynamic.

The number of regular buyers attending the Fair was up nearly 3% at over 52,000, while the overall number of buyers - who hailed from 216 countries and regions - was comparable to last year. Nearly 70 of the 2014 Top 250 World Retailers attended, with four of the top 10 involved.

Reflecting Europe's difficult economic situation, the number of buyers from this region was down. This contributed to a decrease in the accumulated export turnover of the Fair, which dropped 9.64% year-on-year to RMB172 billion (USD28 billion).

All attendees of the 117th Canton Fair enjoyed the most innovative, efficient, professional and sustainable trade environment in the history of the event. Over 73% of the Fair's total number of booths were constructed with recyclable materials, exceeding the event target.

With organizers delivering on their promise to host a "smart Canton Fair", technology played a more instrumental role than ever in helping Fair buyers and exhibitors come together and do business.

Several Facebook fans meetings were held, providing real-time event information and allowing users to share their purchasing experience. The official Canton Fair website was further optimized, while the number of people following the event's WeChat account has risen by 140% over the previous session. More than 20,000 exhibitor entries and over 100,000 product information entries were updated in the Fair's Enquiry System.

Chinese manufacturers of smart appliances used the Canton Fair to good effect to show off their latest hi-tech gadgetry. Smart products by the likes of Haier, Midea and Chigo accounted for roughly half of the products exhibited by leading home appliance brands, answering Beijing's call for increased innovation.

Event organizers would like to thank all attendees and now look ahead to the 118th Canton Fair, scheduled to open in Guangzhou on October 15, 2015.

For further information on the Canton Fair please visit:
http://www.cantonfair.org.cn/en/index.asp

For media enquiries:

Mr. Wu Xiaoying
Tel: +86-20-8913 8628
Email: xiaoying.wu@cantonfair.org.cn