Canton Fair user guide: dates, phases, and buyer badge in Guangzhou

The Canton Fair, officially the China Import and Export Fair, is held twice a year at the Pazhou complex in Guangzhou: a spring session and an autumn session. It is organized by the China Foreign Trade Centre, under the patronage of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Guangdong Provincial Government, and its history dates back to 1957. Access is reserved for professionals: entry is by a nominative buyer badge obtained after online registration.

Each phase covers distinct product families, and mistaking a phase means walking aisles unrelated to your search. The logic remains stable from one session to another: electronics and industry lead, consumer goods occupy the middle, textile and food close the session.

The calendar follows a fixed pattern, repeated from one edition to the next. The spring session runs from April 15 to May 5: Phase 1 from April 15 to 19, Phase 2 from April 23 to 27, Phase 3 from May 1 to 5. The autumn session runs from October 15 to November 4: Phase 1 from October 15 to 19, Phase 2 from October 23 to 27, Phase 3 from October 31 to November 4. This pattern is the one announced for autumn 2026 and for both 2027 sessions; always confirm the dates of your edition on the official website cantonfair.org.cn before booking.

Three practical consequences. Hotels near the complex are fully booked several weeks before opening, and their rates rise during the fair: book as soon as the calendar is published. The invitation letter obtained after registration supports the business visa application, whose processing time ranges from a few days to a few weeks depending on the consulate. Finally, plan to arrive one day before your first day of meetings: fatigue and jet lag cost dearly on the first morning.

Buyer registration is done online on the official website, before departure. The application requires a valid passport and documents proving professional purchasing activity, such as a business card or company certificate. Once the application is accepted, the fair issues an invitation letter, which supports the visa request. The personal badge is collected on site at the designated counters in the complex, upon presentation of the passport, and it grants access to all three phases of the session.

Registration can also be done on site, but you then have to assemble your file in the queue, and fees may apply depending on the counter. Registration done in advance is free and saves the first half-day. A badge obtained during a previous session can be reactivated online: regulars do not have to repeat the entire procedure. Keep it visible at all times inside the venue: it is personal and checked at the entrances.

The Pazhou complex is laid out in halls, and tens of thousands of exhibitors share a session: no one can see everything. Three to four weeks before departure, build your pre-selection from online platforms and the exhibitor catalog published by the fair, then sort the booths by hall. Write your specifications and have them translated: a precise document changes the quality of discussions at the booth.

At the booth, five pieces of information are systematically noted: business card, price per volume, minimum order quantity, production lead time, Incoterm used. Add the exact function of your contact. Prices quoted in the aisle remain indicative: they serve to sort, not to sign. Handle the products, ask questions about materials and tolerances, and request certificates when the product family requires them.

Always ask whether the booth belongs to the manufacturer or a trading company: both have their uses, but you need to know who you are talking to. Photograph the products that interest you, with the exhibitor's permission. The fair expands the pool and allows comparison in a few days; it does not replace verification, it prepares it.

The week following the fair determines the value of the trip. Follow up with each selected contact with a precise email: products seen at the booth, target quantities, open questions. Request a detailed proforma invoice and a sample, then verify the supplier: Chinese company registration number, consistency between address, business sector and product range, factory visit for serious cases. A business card picked up in an aisle is never worth a verified factory.

The pilot order is then prepared: validated reference sample, written payment terms, attached specifications. Some contacts will not respond, others will revise their prices after the fair: sorting continues after unpacking. A small pool of verified suppliers is better than a binder of cards.

Sorva is a brokerage and sourcing firm active between Europe and China; our sinophone team in Guangzhou speaks the language of the factories and travels on site. Before the fair, we frame your specifications and pre-select the exhibitors to meet. On site, they attend appointments, note prices, minimum quantities and lead times booth by booth, and translate every discussion. Upon your return, they follow up with contacts, verify suppliers and negotiate terms.

In most cases, you pay no fees: you open a file, we negotiate the goods for you and we take a volume commission, calculated on its ex-works value. A day accompanied at the Canton Fair, with our team, can be added to the file. Send us your product list: we will tell you which phase to target, when to go and what to prepare.