SF EXPO Chongqing is held catering the Southwest China market needs. MFN interviewed one of the organizers Mr. Zhang Zhi from Wise Exhibition (Guangdong) Co., Ltd regarding the exhibition introduction and industrial trend.

SF EXPO has accumulated more than 10 years exhibition experience and become the only global surface finishing event approved by UFI for making great contribution to the industry. Since the first launch in 2003, it has successfully held 11 sessions of SF EXPO in Guangzhou. SF EXPO Guangzhou 2015 came to a satisfactory ending on May 13, 2015. The 3-day exhibition attracted 289 exhibitors, 13,749 visitors from 38 countries and regions.

With the implementation of the western development policy in China, the manufacturing industry has moved from the east to the west thus making the southwest region a new market in industrial market. As the indispensable trade platform, SF EXPO strategically decided to hold SF EXPO biennially in Chongqing. The first SF EXPO Chongqing was held from May 23-25, 2014, attracting 217 exhibitors and 9,562 visitors from 11 countries and regions. SF EXPO Chongqing has now become the first choice to expand new potential markets for surface finishing enterprises.

SF EXPO 2016 will be held on May 11-13, 2016 in Chongqing International Expo Center (Yuelai New City). There will be a number of national surface engineering conferences and seminars. SF EXPO organizing committee hopes to make SF EXPO Chongqing the top international exhibition for the surface finishing industry in the southwest China.
 
(?) MFN: SF EXPO 2014 was held for the first time in Chongqing; so how was the result?

(!) Z. Z.: Holding SF EXPO 2014 in Chongqing was a brave and correct choice. The exhibition attracted many renowned companies, such as Atotech, Conventya, JCU, Chemetall, Norilsk, Fischer, Hongdart, Ekem, The Second Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, Guangzhou Etsting Plating Research Institute, Join Exper, Baihong, Fengfan, Jadechem, Chuanfu, Huachuang, Pino Aliprandini, Unires, KCI, Batong, Pionmi, Chunyuan, Dalian To-Eastern, Jichuan, etc. Many new products were showcased in the exhibition. Atotech, DOW, and MacDermid held Surface Finishing New Technology and Products Promotion Conferences on site. Many surface treatment-processing enterprises, the downstream industry representatives participated in and purchased so actively that this strengthened our confidence to hold exhibition in Chongqing.

(?) MFN: Why have you chosen Chongqing as the second place for SF EXPO? How is the market situation in Chongqing?

(!) Z. Z.: The decision was made after our organizing committee's specific market research and analysis. Firstly, Chongqing benefits from the "One belt and one road" policy of the Chinese government. It is the interchange of the Yangtze River Economic Zone and the Silk Road Economic Belt, which plays a very important part in making the southwest region prosperous. Besides, China's western development policy has also led to the rapid development of the western regional manufacturing industry. As the only municipality and the only national center city in the west, real estate, automotive, military, motorcycle, notebook PC, communication and a lot of manufacturing industries are in large scale, and have great development that provides surface finishing and coating enterprises with great market needs. In the past, in the southwest region, surface treatment of some industrial products mostly relied on the eastern and coastal areas. In recent years, under the push of government and industry associations, Chongqing has established many surface treatment industrial parks, electroplating parks, and surface finishing concentrated processing zones to introduce electronic plating, plastic plating, metal plating, anodic oxidation, phosphating, spray, electrophoresis and other kinds of surface treatment enterprises. SF EXPO Chongqing is the product of market trend. The success of SF EXPO 2014 in Chongqing validated the correctness of the choice. It was a potential market, but lacked professionalism. Therefore, we changed biennial SF EXPO Guangzhou into an annual exhibition alternately held in Guangzhou and Chongqing. The brand strength and market influence of SF EXPO was corroborated again in Chongqing, which indicates the southwest market has great potential.

(?) MFN: What are the main elements that lead to the success of SF EXPO Chongqing?

(!) Z. Z.: Of course, mainly because of the market needs. Surface Engineering involves all kinds of industrial chains ranging from automotive parts to glasses and watches. The fast-growing manufacturing industry in the southwest region provides great market potential in the surface-finishing industry. Secondly, it won't succeed without help from both industry associations and the government. SF EXPO is held by the most authoritative associations including China Electroplating Association, China Surface Engineering Association Painting of Branch, Chongqing Surface Engineering Association, Chongqing Surface Engineering Technology Society and Chongqing Painting Industry Association. Thirdly, SF EXPO has accumulated more than 10 years of exhibition experience, and is deeply involved in various industries in surface treatment. We have huge buyer databases both home and abroad, and the number and quality increase every year. Besides, the satisfactory result of the exhibition is also an outstanding element leading to the success. Principals of engineering departments from enterprises such as Chana, Lifan, Jialing, Wonjan, Ounder, Inventec, Foxconn, Siemens, Honeywell, GM, Southwest Aluminum, Haier Group, CNOOC, Rongtai Auto Parts, Pantons, Dongfeng Automobile, JAC, Valin, CSIC, Yenova , and Brother visited the exhibition, and many purchases were made.

(?) MFN: How does SF EXPO help overseas companies expand Chinese market?

(!) Z. Z.: SF EXPO organizing committee always makes full efforts to ensure the exhibitors' maximum exhibiting effects by integrating the latest industry information, supply and demand factors and increasing the market understanding. We will help overseas companies in different ways. For example, SF EXPO thinks highly of innovation. There will be new products & technology promotion conferences in SF EXPO so that more and more enterprises will regard this platform as the first choice to promote their latest product and raise brand recognition. In addition, SF EXPO will organize on-the-spot industrial investigation activities to enable overseas companies to know more about Chinese markets and interact with local companies. There are also all kinds of concurrent events that help overseas companies get the latest key industry information to fulfill the combination of exhibition and conference.

(?) MFN: What is the goal of SF EXPO 2016?

(!) Z. Z.: The goal of SF EXPO is to provide a real leading international surface-finishing pageant of industry innovation. SF EXPO has received UFI certification and become the only global UFI-approved event in the surface-finishing industry and greatly raised its overseas influence. Overseas renowned enterprises have actively attended SF EXPO and we have expanded overseas cooperation to make it more international. The goal of SF EXPO 2016 is to increase show scale growth by 50% and to become the largest and most prominent surface-finishing exhibition in the southwest region.

(?) MFN: What is the breakthrough of SF EXPO 2016 that is different from the last exhibition?

(!) Z. Z.: SF EXPO 2016 will be held on May 11-13, 2016 in Chongqing International Expo Center, the biggest multi-functional integrated modern intelligent exhibition venue in the western region. In 2016, the exhibition will showcase five categories in a more specialized and refined way. The high-end concurrent events are also worth anticipating, including The Anticorrosion Technology on Automotive Seminar held by Society of Automotive Engineers of China, Chongqing Surface Engineering Association & Chongqing Surface Engineering Technology Society Annual Meeting, and 2016 Western China Paint & Coatings Summit. We will present a fantastic industry pageant to the world! We welcome all friends at home and abroad to visit SF EXPO 2016 in Chongqing!

(!) MFN: SF EXPO and MFN provide renowned exhibition and media modalities in the surface-finishing industry and maintain a long-lasting cooperative relationship. Thank you for this interview and best wishes to SF EXPO 2016 in Chongqing!

For Information:
Wise Exhibition (Guangdong) Co., Ltd.
Room A & B, 3rd Floor, Wanyihuaxuan
Building, No.10 Jinju Road
Haizhu District, Guangzhou
Guangdong, P.R.China
Tel. +86.20.29193597/06
Fax +86.20.29193591
E-mail: sfexpo@hotmail.com
www.sf-expo.cn/cq/en