Canton Fair Beginner Guide

The short answer

The Canton Fair is a large trade fair in Guangzhou that connects buyers with Chinese suppliers across many product categories. For an overseas buyer, its value is product discovery, supplier introductions, comparison, and relationship building. A booth conversation is a starting point for diligence, not a completed supplier verification or factory audit.

Who should attend

• Buyers comparing several suppliers or product categories.
• Teams looking for OEM, private label, or product-development conversations.
• Buyers who can bring a clear product brief and record comparable answers.
• Businesses building a China sourcing network rather than seeking one instant quote.
• A buyer preparing samples, RFQs, and follow-up verification after the fair.

Plan around the current official schedule

The fair is commonly organized into phases and product groups, but dates and phase assignments can change. Check the current official Canton Fair schedule before planning travel, registration, accommodation, or meetings. This evergreen guide does not hard-code a future date or claim that every supplier category appears in the same phase each year.

Prepare before the fair

• ☐Product categories and priorities defined
• ☐Specification, photos, drawings, or reference sample prepared
• ☐Target quantity and MOQ questions written
• ☐Destination market and compliance questions listed
• ☐RFQ template ready
• ☐Supplier notes and scorecard ready
• ☐Meeting plan and contact capture process ready
• ☐Business card or QR contact details prepared
• ☐Questions about supplier type and factory location prepared

Questions to ask at a booth

1. What is the legal company name and registered entity?
2. Are you the manufacturer, trading company, distributor, exporter, or another supplier type?
3. Where is the production site or supply partner located?
4. What is the MOQ per product, color, SKU, and packaging option?
5. Can you provide a sample and customization quotation?
6. Which export markets and documents do you support?
7. What is the realistic production lead time?
8. How do you handle inspection, packaging, and shipment?
9. Who is the correct follow-up contact after the fair?
10. Which claims need to be confirmed with documents later?

Use a simple supplier scorecard

A booth is not verification

Exhibiting at a major trade fair can be useful context, but it does not replace checking the legal entity, business contact, supply evidence, product fit, samples, or commercial terms. After the fair, use FactoryRoster and other appropriate sources to verify, compare, shortlist, contact, and sample suppliers. Do not assume booth staff, catalog photographs, or a polished display prove factory ownership or future performance.

After the fair

1. Organize contacts and notes while the conversations are still clear.
2. Group suppliers by the exact product and requirement discussed.
3. Send the same RFQ to comparable candidates.
4. Verify legal entities, supplier type, and evidence before serious payment discussions.
5. Request samples and record the version, packaging, and tests.
6. Compare written quotes, unanswered questions, and follow-up quality.
7. Plan factory visits, inspections, or professional diligence where the order justifies it.

Common mistakes

• Collecting catalogs without recording which company makes or supplies the item.
• Asking only for price without quantity, packaging, destination, or specification.
• Assuming the person at the booth is the factory owner or production contact.
• Failing to separate product discovery from verification.
• Waiting too long to organize contacts and losing the context of each conversation.
• Treating a fair visit as a substitute for samples, contracts, inspection, and payment controls.

Use this with FactoryRoster

FactoryRoster is a research directory, not a transaction intermediary. Use supplier profiles to compare public business details and verification checks, then confirm current product, commercial, compliance, and payment details directly with the supplier.

Next steps

• Search verified China suppliers by industry and supplier type.
• Review the verification checks and evidence notes on the profile.
• Use the Verification page to understand what each check does and does not prove.