CANTON CONNECTION: Apparel manufacturers from China’s Guangdong province want to boost their international profiles at a new trade show.
The first International Apparel Sourcing Fair is slated to run March 1-3 in Canton and will coincide with the sixth annual Canton Textile show. The newly completed 4.7 million-square-foot Guangzhou International Convention & Exhibition Center – described by the show’s organizers as Asia’s largest exhibition venue – will be host to both shows.
“The Guangdong province alone is home to over 30,000 apparel and textile companies employing over five million [people],” Max Hare, chief executive officer of Business Media China AG, said in a statement. “These companies need more and better opportunities to present themselves to international buyers, and the ASF is specifically designed to meet this demand.”
Business Media China is cosponsoring the show with its subsidiary, Mesago Zhenwei International Exhibitions.
According to Business Media China, the Guangdong province is China’s largest exporter of apparel, exporting more than $18 billion worth of merchandise in 2004. However, Hare noted that direct exports to “medium-size customers” in the U.S. and Europe have lagged. About 350 exhibitors are expected to attend the show.