October 4, 2009
Anyone who doubts the total obsession in China with real estate and property should attend the Shenzhen Autumn Real Estate Trade Fair. It is packed with visitors view models of apartment buildings. The show last five days and it is already a major success.
Its population of more than 8.6 million now is larger than that of neighboring Hong Kong, and the infrastructure of the two cities, somewhat belatedly, is being linked together, according to Paul Woodward, principal of Hong Kong-based Business Strategies Group and manager of the Asia-Pacific office of UFI, the Global Assn. of the Exhibition Industry.
Interestingly, Shenzhen doesn’t really compete with Hong Kong or Guangzhou for international sourcing fairs, Woodward said. The city has become a key center for domestic sourcing activity and Reed Exhibitions recognized this when it acquired control of Shenzhen Sino-Expom, which has a huge gift fair dominated by domestic Chinese buyers.