Leverage trade shows to reactivate and boost businesses

Celion Su

“The industry of fairs and conventions in China is without doubt one of the biggest references worldwide， showing its dynamism， constant innovation and resilience， especially in these times. We hope to continue strengthening bilateral commercial relationship and that Chinese companies continues to see Corferias and its trade shows as an ally that can help them boost their businesses in the Caribbean， Central and South American Countries..”

——Mario Cajiao

The International Business and Exhibition Center of Bogotá - Corferias， is a private company that promotes industrial， social， cultural and commercial development in the Andean Region， Central America and the Caribbean. With more than 65 years of experience， Corferias， seeks to strengthen the cooperation links between Colombia and the world through the organization of fairs， exhibitions， events and conventions， promoting the generation of qualified contacts between visitors and exhibitors under international standards. It has a portfolio of about 67 fairs in alliance with business associations， associations and of its own fairs. Each year the company carries out more than 300 events between congresses and conventions.

Online elements and knowledge is precious asset

At the beginnning of the interview， on the current popular trend of digital exhibitions， Mr. Mario Cajiao， Vice President of Financial Planning and Corporate Affairs， Corferias&President of AFIDA （International Association of Exhibitions of America tells the reporter， in Corferias， for nearly 10 years they have been looking for technology and digital services for to be much more effective and speed up processes. The first reflection that Corferias made is to begin to assess that not only the fixed assets of the corporation， the fairgrounds， the pavilions were fundamental， but also the knowledge， the information that it had about the clients. ”Based on this， Corferias began to work hard to find tools and solutions to help manage the relationship with clients and generate developments and solutions to continue working on the objective in trade fairs： to generate qualified contacts and to be able to transfer and amplify the knowledge of those fairs. “We are currently facing a hybrid world， having platforms that connect communities every day， but we will also have some days in the year to meet in physical spaces to strengthen relationships.” Mr. Mario Cajiao comments. He further points out， although digital transformation is the application of digital skills to processes， services， sale of products and assets to improve efficiency and customer knowledge， it is necessary to manage the relationship with a healthy understanding between the two worlds： the physical and the digital.

A reinforced calendar is on the way for 2021

Concerning reopening exhibitions， Mr. Mario Cajiao reveals that in Colombia since September， the National Government allowed the realization of business fair pilots， under the authorization of the local mayors. The bet Corferias has is to open next November with the Home Fair. The biosecurity protocols are now ready， and it has strengthened many measures. Mr. Mario Cajiao is convinced that Corferias today is ready to guarantee face-to-face meetings and a reactivation agenda. What is coming is a reinforced calendar for 2021， which the company has called the “Economic Reactivation Fair Calendar”.

According to Mr. Mario Cajiao， Corferias is a partner for the country， which means that they need business exhibitions as an essential part of the recovery. Business fairs are a fundamental element to change the negative trend of the economy， people need them for entrepreneurs to find business opportunities. “That is the role that the country requires to Corferias， as the engine of the economic reactivation.” He says.

Strengthen business ties through success of the shows

On bilateral MICE industry cooperation， Mr. Mario Cajiao observes that the industry of fairs and conventions in China is without doubt one of the biggest references worldwide， showing its dynamism， constant innovation and resilience， especially in these times. Today， the Governments in Latin America have closely followed the policies of the Governments of Asia， that have progressed gradually and successfully bringing productive sectors and the general public to "normality" and giving a message that experiences can be implemented to develop activities in terms of health and trust.

China is Colombias second largest trading partner， both as a destination for Colombias exports and as a source for imports， and an important investor for the country. “I have always believed that the trade shows are a thermometer of the national economy and reflect on a smaller scale what is happening in the Colombian economy. ”He says. In the past， Corferias has seen a growing relevance in the presence of Chinese companies in its shows with outstanding delegations in trade fairs from different sectors such as the Bogota International Industrial Trade Fair（FIB）， the Construction and Design Trade Show （ExpoConstrucción and Expodise？o）， Andigráfica - the graphic industry fair， and the companys two agro sector trade shows Agroexpo and ExpoAgrofuturo， the Medical Trade Show that it organizes in alliance with Messe Düsseldorf （Meditech）， the industrial wood processing and furniture manufacturing trade Show in alliance with KoelnMesse （Interzum Bogota） and the Home Fair （Feria del Hogar）， among others. Mr. Mario Cajiao happily shares that in 2019 Corferias had a milestone that marked the history of its cooperation with China， and had for the first time the “China Brand Show -Colombia” with the support of the Trade Development Bureau of Ministry of Commerce， PRC， with outstanding results. On the success of the shows， Mr. Mario Cajiao thinks that this has been a result not only of the geostrategic relevance of Colombia in the region， but also because of a positive change in the perception of the quality of the Chinese products. In addition， leveraged by a good and stable economic performance ， Colombia in the recent years has been an attractive business destination. The support of the Chinese Embassy in Colombia and the Binational Chambers of Commerce in Colombia have been also crucial. He expresses， “We hope to continue strengthening this commercial relationship and that Chinese companies continues to see Corferias and its trade shows as an ally that can help them boost their businesses in the Caribbean， Central and South American Countries.”