Canton Fair Buyer Guide: How to Prepare, Attend and Follow Up
The Canton Fair is large enough that unplanned attendance produces many brochures but few decisions. Buyers get more value by selecting the correct phase, defining target categories, pre-booking meetings and using one system to capture supplier evidence.
Confirm dates, phase and buyer registration
Use the official Canton Fair channels for the current session’s dates, phases, venue access and overseas-buyer registration. Do not rely only on third-party invitations or old schedules.
Prepare a category and supplier plan
- List priority products and secondary opportunities.
- Define target price, MOQ, compliance and lead-time requirements.
- Search the exhibitor directory and identify target booths.
- Book important meetings before arrival.
- Plan hall routes and allow time for unexpected suppliers.
Carry a concise buyer brief
A one-page brief helps exhibitors respond accurately and reduces repeated explanations.
- Company and market information.
- Product specification and target order range.
- Required certifications and packaging.
- Decision timeline and sample expectations.
- Contact details and preferred follow-up channel.
Qualify suppliers at the booth
- Are they a manufacturer, trading company or brand owner?
- Where is the factory and which processes are in-house?
- What similar products do they export and to which markets?
- What are realistic MOQ, tooling and lead-time assumptions?
- Who will manage samples and production after the fair?
Control notes, samples and follow-up
Assign each supplier a reference number. Photograph the booth card with the product, record commitments immediately and label physical samples. Within a few days, send a structured request rather than a generic “nice to meet you” message.
Do not place an order based only on the exhibition meeting
Exhibitions are for discovery and initial qualification. Verify the legal entity, compare formal quotations, test samples and inspect or audit where appropriate before payment.
Design a daily meeting capacity
A full exhibition day is not eight hours of supplier interviews. Allow time to move between halls, queue, record notes, review samples and handle unexpected high-value conversations. Protect fixed appointments with priority suppliers and create separate discovery blocks for walking relevant sections.
Define a maximum number of serious evaluations per day based on the complexity of the product. If the team cannot record evidence and next actions before moving on, the meeting count is too high. A smaller set of comparable records is more valuable than a stack of business cards without context.
- Before opening: confirm appointments, hall route, interpreter needs and decision criteria.
- After each priority meeting: record product fit, legal entity, factory claim, MOQ, lead time, sample action and concern.
- Midday: review whether the target list or questions should change based on market feedback.
- End of day: classify contacts, assign follow-up owners and secure photographs and notes in one folder.
Run a 48-hour follow-up rule
Send a specific follow-up while the conversation is still identifiable. Reference the product, the agreed request and the next decision. Ask for structured information rather than a general catalogue. High-priority suppliers can receive the same specification and quotation template so their responses are comparable.
Do not treat exhibition presence as proof of manufacturing status or capability. Continue with entity checks, sample control and verification appropriate to the order risk. Record which company appeared on the booth, business card, quotation, contract and beneficiary account; differences require explanation.
Practical resources
Use these editable templates as a starting point, then adapt them to the product, market and risk level.