Insight details
This article is a historical overview of the 136th China Import and Export Fair, held in autumn 2024. Its dates refer to that session, not to the current Canton Fair.
For sourcing teams, the fair is not only a place to find products. It is one of several routes buyers can use when finding Chinese suppliers beyond Alibaba. It is also an opportunity to review supplier capabilities, discuss pricing and terms, check product quality, and prepare follow-up work after the exhibition. The 2024 autumn session had three onsite phases between October 15 and November 4, with breaks between phases and an accompanying online platform.
- Offline exhibition: face-to-face supplier communication
The offline exhibition was divided into three phases, each focused on different industries. This structure helped sourcing teams plan meetings, compare suppliers, and arrange follow-up discussions.
Scale and categories: The Canton Fair covers a large exhibition area and brings together tens of thousands of product displays across home appliances, electronics, textiles, industrial manufacturing, daily-use products, and more. A local sourcing partner can help prioritize supplier visits, ask the right questions, and follow up after the fair. The supplier comparison process can continue with a structured approach to finding and comparing Chinese suppliers.
- Online exhibition: sourcing without being on site
The session's online platform supported product browsing, exhibitor communication, and matching without an onsite visit. Its announced operating period was September 16, 2024 to March 15, 2025; this historical article does not indicate that those session-specific facilities remain available.
If you want to reduce procurement costs and improve sourcing efficiency, a local sourcing agent can help verify supplier information, compare options, and prepare practical next steps.
- Historical onsite schedule:
Phase 1: October 15–19, 2024.
Phase 2: October 23–27, 2024.
Phase 3: October 31–November 4, 2024.
The onsite breaks were October 20–22 and October 28–30; the fair was not open continuously throughout the full date range. These dates and the online period follow the Ministry of Commerce's September 25, 2024 announcement.
The 136th Autumn Canton Fair provided a platform for supplier discovery, market comparison, and international trade communication. Preparing target categories, supplier questions, quality requirements, and follow-up plans remains useful for exhibition sourcing generally; buyers should check the current session's official schedule separately.
Alex Trading Group can support sourcing work in China through supplier communication, factory visits, quality follow-up, warehouse coordination, and shipment planning. Buyers looking for source-level supplier search can also review our factory-direct sourcing service. If you are preparing for Canton Fair sourcing or post-fair supplier follow-up, you can share your product requirements and existing supplier information with us.
