More than 40 New Zealand brands went on display at the third China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, with an audience of over 400,000 professional buyers.
The event, held from November 5-10, was started in 2018 by Chinese President Xi Jinping to provide new channels for countries and regions to do business, strengthen cooperation and to display China’s commitment to an open economy.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the event took place in-person as scheduled, compared to several of China’s other international trade expos that have been held virtually or postponed because of the pandemic. It featured pavilions for lifestyle, medical equipment and healthcare products, food and agriculture products, automobiles and trade services.
This year, New Zealand-made products were displayed in two branded pavilions across more than 250 square metres of event space. The pavilions were featured in the food and agricultural products and health and medical equipment areas. An additional 28 New Zealand brands also featured in standalone booths in other areas of the expo.
Healthy Breath, the producer of MEO face masks, has participated in CIIE every year since the event’s inception in 2018. The event provides the face mask manufacturer a benchmark for brand exposure in China, which has benefited the business in seeking potential business partners.
Healthy Breath co-founder Kenneth Leong says MEO’s motivation to be involved in CIIE is not to generate retail sales, but is to use the platform provided by its involvement in the event to present their product and company story in front of wholesaler and sale channel buyers.
“We have noticed considerable benefits from the increased brand exposure MEO has experienced since we joined the CIIE in 2018. In 2018 and 2019 we received at least 40-60 significant business leads from each tradeshow. We are hopeful that 2020 will follow suit, despite the reduced numbers attending the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Refer to this article for more information about the China International Import Expo, 2020.
