Canton Fair Guide: How to Prepare, Register and Choose Suppliers

The Canton Fair (officially the China Import and Export Fair) is China's largest export trade show: more than 30,000 exhibitors across 1.55 million square meters for the fall 2026 session, according to the organizer. For a buyer from the US, the UK or Europe, it is a chance to meet hundreds of suppliers in a single product category in just a few days. It is also easy to get wrong. The sheer size, the language barrier and the mix of factories and trading companies send many first-time visitors home with a bag of catalogs and no reliable supplier.

This Canton Fair guide covers everything you need to prepare: dates and phases, buyer registration and badge, visas, hotels, how to spot a real factory, what to ask exhibitors, how to take notes, and how to follow up after the show.

Canton Fair dates for 2026 and 2027

The fair is held every spring and fall at the Canton Fair Complex on Pazhou Island in Guangzhou (historically known as Canton). Each session has three phases of roughly five days, separated by three setup days with no exhibition. Each phase covers different product categories, so you never attend "the Canton Fair" as a whole: you attend a phase.

For fall 2026, the organizer reports 75,700 booths across 54 exhibition sections. Phase 1 drew 189,000 overseas buyers from 214 countries and regions, up 13.3% on Phase 1 of the previous session. Expect crowded aisles, especially on the first days.

How to prepare for the Canton Fair before you fly

Write your spec first

Before you go, put in writing what you are looking for: functions, materials, dimensions, finishes, the regulations of your market (CPSC rules and FCC authorization in the US, UKCA or CE marking in Great Britain, CE marking in the EU), target price and annual volumes. At the booth, that one sheet keeps every answer comparable. Our full method is in how to find and vet a supplier in China.

Shortlist exhibitors online

The official website lets you search exhibitors by phase, section and product all year round. Build a list of 20 to 40 exhibitors with hall and booth numbers, grouped by area of the complex (A, B, C and D) to save walking. Email the most promising ones two to three weeks ahead to request a catalog, a ballpark price and a meeting at the booth.

Budget the right number of days

For a single product category, two days in one phase are usually enough: day one to cover your list, day two to go back to the best booths and catch the ones you missed. The three setup days between phases are valuable. They are the best time to visit the factories you just met, while their managers are still around.

Canton Fair registration, buyer badge and visa

Entry is restricted to trade visitors with a buyer badge. Overseas buyers handle everything online, through the official Buyer Service System or the Canton Fair app.

1. Create a buyer account and pre-register for the session. Pre-registration and the badge are free for overseas buyers.
2. Request an invitation letter from the same account if you need a visa. It is free and supports a business (M) visa application.
3. Pick up your badge on site with your passport, at the registration counters of the complex or at the organizer's designated hotels. The badge is valid for multiple sessions, so keep it for next time.

Hotels and getting around Guangzhou

The complex is served by Metro Line 8 (Pazhou and Xingangdong stations) and Line 11 (Pazhou station). Halls usually open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; check the hours for your session.

• Book as soon as dates are confirmed: hotel rates near Pazhou climb sharply during each phase. The organizer runs its own hotel booking platform.
• Stay near a Line 8 or Line 11 station rather than paying a premium to walk to the halls. The metro is the simplest way in and out.
• Many overseas buyers fly into Hong Kong: high-speed trains link West Kowloon station to Guangzhou in about an hour.
• Set up mobile payments: Alipay and WeChat Pay now accept international Visa and Mastercard cards, and they are how most of China pays.

At the booth: how to spot a real factory

The Canton Fair mixes manufacturers and trading companies, and nothing on a booth clearly tells them apart. A trading company is not automatically a bad choice, but you need to know who you are dealing with: margin, control over production and traceability all depend on it.

Ask for a photo of the business license: its 18-character code can be checked in China's national company registry. Only an on-site audit gives you hard evidence; see how to vet a Chinese supplier with a factory audit.

Questions to ask exhibitors at the Canton Fair

Ask every shortlisted booth the same questions in the same order, and you can compare answers that same evening.

1. Do you make this product yourselves? Where is the factory, how many lines, which processes are subcontracted?
2. Which markets do you already ship to? Ask for recent test reports in the factory's own name: CPSC-accepted lab reports for US children's products, FCC reports for electronics, the technical file behind any UKCA or CE marking.
3. What is your MOQ, and why? A minimum per order, per color or per SKU makes a big difference.
4. What are your price breaks, under which Incoterms® rule and at which named place? These rules, published by the International Chamber of Commerce (Incoterms® is its registered trademark), only work with a precise location: "FOB" alone is not enough. See FOB, CIF, DDP or EXW: which Incoterm to choose.
5. What are the lead times for samples and for production? And what is your real monthly capacity?
6. Who owns the mold if you charge for it?
7. How do you control quality? In-process checks, acceptance of third-party inspection and of an AQL level written into the contract.
8. What are your payment terms? A demand for 100% upfront on a first order is a red flag.

Taking notes you will actually use

After thirty booths, faces and products blur. Three habits keep your best leads.

• Photograph the booth sign and number first, then the business card, then the products. Your photos will sort themselves by supplier.
• Fill in one sheet per booth, always the same: company name in Chinese and English, contact and WeChat ID, products seen, indicative price, MOQ, Incoterms rule and place, lead times, factory or trader, overall impression.
• Grade each supplier A, B or C that same evening, while it is fresh. Only the A's and the best B's get your request for quotation.

After the Canton Fair: from business card to qualified supplier

The real work starts at home: exhibitors meet thousands of buyers, and those who follow up fast with a precise request get the best answers.

1. Within a week: send the same request for quotation (RFQ) to your shortlist, with your spec and a mandatory response template.
2. Compare quotes line by line: tooling, packaging, Incoterms rule, lead time. A low unit price often hides a narrower scope.
3. Verify each finalist's identity: business license, public registry, and the same legal name on the quote, the invoice and the bank account.
4. Visit the factories: without a visit, all you know about a supplier is its booth. Factory visits in China fit best between two phases or right after the fair.
5. Audit the suppliers you shortlist for any significant order: real capacity, quality system, subcontracting. See our factory audit service.
6. Approve samples, then sign off a reference sample; see our guide to ordering samples from China and the golden sample.
7. Contract and inspect: AQL criteria in the purchase contract, pre-shipment inspection, and the balance paid only after a passing inspection report.

Related guide

Factory audit: verify that a Chinese supplier is a real manufacturer

Business license, official Chinese registry, certifications, on-site audit and scoring grid: the step-by-step method to verify that a Chinese supplier is a real, reliable manufacturer.

14 min read

Go it alone or get on-the-ground support?

Going solo works if you speak Chinese, know your industry and can fly back for factory visits and inspections. For a first import program or a technical product, the math changes.

In practice, NOVASEA turns your trip into a plan: shortlisting exhibitors in your phase, support at the show, then visits to the factories you keep, with transfers and an interpreter. We then run the audits, manage samples and carry out inspections with photo reports, and consolidate your goods into a single container leaving China. Every step, report and document is visible in NOVASEA Bridge, our client portal.

Can't travel? Our sourcing service starts from your spec and presents vetted factories, no flight required. Our fees are listed on the pricing page.

Other trade shows worth knowing in Hong Kong and Guangzhou

• Global Sources runs export sourcing shows at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong every April and October (October 11–14 and 18–21 in 2026), focused on consumer electronics and lifestyle products.
• HKTDC (the Hong Kong Trade Development Council) holds specialized fairs at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, including a spring electronics fair and a gifts and premium fair in April. Check hktdc.com for 2027 dates.
• The Canton Fair Complex hosts industry-specific shows year-round; the calendar is published by the China Foreign Trade Centre, which runs the venue.