Xinhua News Agency, Sydney, October 31st Summary｜Australian exhibitors will appear at the China International Import Expo on the largest scale in history
Xinhua News Agency reporters Xue Yanwen Zhang Shuhui Liu Xiaoyu
Lobster, beef and mutton, wine, coffee, milk powder, honey...the familiar "goodies" with Australian characteristics will be unveiled at the upcoming ninth China International Import Expo. At this CIIE, the Australian pavilion will exhibit products in agricultural products, food and beverages, health and other fields, and the exhibition area will reach a new high.
According to incomplete statistics, the Australian agricultural and food products exhibition area will exceed 1,700 square meters. Among them, the Australian National Brand Pavilion, built by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), organized by multiple state governments and major industry associations, will cover an area of 1,460 square meters, with more than 130 companies participating.
“The CIIE is the preferred platform for interaction between Australia and China’s business community and will promote the development of Australian trade.” said Susan Cavati, General Manager of Green Energy, Agriculture, Food and FMCG of the Investment and Trade Department of Austrade.
From a booth of only 9 square meters in the first session to a scheduled 180 square meters in this session, the "growth" of Australian Natural Biotechnology Co., Ltd., a "quanqinsheng" at the CIIE, in previous CIIEs has witnessed the changes in the Chinese market.
The company mainly sells products such as Australia's well-known honey brand Crebi. "The Chinese market pays more attention to the quality, scientific basis, brand value and consumer experience of imported products. At the same time, the needs of Chinese consumers are becoming more and more diversified, which has brought new market opportunities." Pan Ting, chairman of the company, said.
In her view, the value of the CIIE is not only reflected in the signings and orders at the exhibition site, but more importantly, the continued business cooperation after the exhibition. She said that at this CIIE, the company is paying particular attention to the development trend of digital marketing, live e-commerce and the integration of online and offline channels, hoping to establish more direct connections with consumers through new communication methods.
Internet traffic has become a new business opportunity discovered by some Australian exhibitors at the CIIE in recent years. Oz-Town, which has participated in the exhibition for eight consecutive years, is the strategic partner of the "Made in Australia" logo authorization in China. It plans to continue to open a live broadcast room at this CIIE to promote the "Made in Australia" logo brand to netizens. Oz-Town CEO Liu Xiaoyan said that the "Made in Australia" logo has more than 4,500 member companies, many of which have not yet visited China. She hopes to let more Chinese consumers know more about "Made in Australia" logo products through live broadcast.
Anna Fedelesh, general manager of international business of the Queensland Trade and Investment Bureau, revealed that during the last CIIE, nearly half of the turnover of the entire National Brand Pavilion was achieved by Queensland exhibitors. She attributes the state’s success to a precise strategy that uses e-commerce platforms, live streaming and influencers. For example, the popular Queensland Firefighters "Team" interacted with the audience, took photos, and signed charity calendars, making the booth a popular "check-in point." According to reports, this year the firefighters will go to the CIIE to interact with the audience together with the popular children’s animated character Cattle Dog Bluey, who is also from Queensland.
"The CIIE is extremely professional and high-level. When we held interactive activities for firefighters, we experienced a high level of on-site crowd control. This is one of the largest and most smoothly organized trade exhibitions I have participated in around the world." Fedeleshi said, "I look forward to more companies learning more about the Chinese market through the CIIE platform this year."
Tazhou Liquor Group, the "new face" of the CIIE, brought a variety of handcrafted single malt whiskey products produced in Tasmania, Australia, and launched the "Year of the Fire Horse" limited edition whiskey for the Chinese market.
Dale Williams, the company's founder and chief distiller, told reporters that there is room for further deepening of Chinese consumers' understanding of whiskey. I heard that the CIIE is known as the "exhibition version of the Olympics" and "we look forward to sharing our products through such a huge trade opportunity."
"The Import Expo is far more important than other traditional exhibitions." Hans Hendrischke, a professor at the University of Sydney Business School, said: "Traditional exhibitions mainly focus on understanding products, buying products, and selling products on-site. The products are all general-purpose finished products. But now with the continuous development of technology, various economies are more closely related to products. Merchants must visit the site in person, communicate face-to-face, understand each other's industrial ecology, and promote product localization. The CIIE is a platform for this."
