All preparations are proceeding according to the predetermined plan.
Sun Zongyuan accompanied County Magistrate Wang and other leaders to report the preliminary preparations to Deputy Commissioner Liu Dehai who led the team in the region. At noon, they went to the exhibition hall for an inspection. The location of Anyang County Qianhe Food Factory did not seem to be very advantageous. It was the last row turning left at the entrance of the exhibition hall, and there were only three or four booths and 20 meters away from the public restroom. There was no way. For an unknown person who came to the exhibition for the first time, being able to squeeze in and get a seat was a great mercy from the organizer. The organizer was also full of doubts about whether the food factory could achieve a breakthrough in zero exports.
At noon, I joined County Magistrate Wang and other regional leaders for a simple lunch. The atmosphere was somewhat subdued, with no one holding high hopes for future success. They thought, "It's a first-time exhibition, and if we can sell a little, as long as we don't sell nothing, it'll be a preliminary success." This was the sentiment of most of the regional attendees. Some were even more pessimistic, wondering if they should just go home and avoid embarrassment.
In the afternoon, Sun Zongyu was waiting in the hotel to learn about the preparatory work of each group. Although he was full of confidence in front of his leaders, he was still a little nervous when he was alone. After all, it was his first time at the Canton Fair and there were no old customers to support him. It was extremely difficult to develop new customers.
At 4:30, everyone came back. Fortunately, everyone completed their assigned tasks smoothly and successfully. Sun Zongyuan gave some detailed instructions. After confirming that there were no mistakes, he took a taxi and went to the Pearl River. They found a food stall, ordered some dishes that suited their taste, and a few draft beers, so that everyone could relax.
On the morning of October 14, Sun Zongyuan and several others were setting up the exhibition. They found carts to pull several cans from the temporary warehouse, with 100 cans of each kind. As it was their first time organizing an exhibition and they had no experience, Sun Zongyuan first led Xu Rui, Xu Mei and Meng Xiangguo to visit and learn from the booths of other exhibitors, especially those with better locations. Most of them had exhibition experience and achievements. What's wrong with learning from the advanced? It doesn't infringe on intellectual property rights, and the patent law has not yet been introduced.
After returning, several people rearranged the booth. Sun Zongyuan arranged for Meng Xiangguo and Xu Mei to go out and handle a few things, while Xu Rui and Jiang Anmin went to the store to buy a box of supplies.
Lunch was eaten at the booth. Sun Zongda went out to buy some dishes and took out pancakes and green onions he brought from home from his bag. While eating, he aroused the curiosity of passers-by: Can green onions be wrapped in kraft paper and eaten?
At around two o'clock in the afternoon, the five translators and four female college students hired from the university all came over. Sun Zongyuan asked the translators to be neat and tidy, dress appropriately, and behave in a dignified and generous manner tomorrow; he also asked the four female college students to wear light makeup, style their hair carefully, wear long skirts, and buy four-inch high heels.
Finally, it is emphasized that ten yuan a day is the basic salary. If there is an order, a reward will be given, at least one month's living expenses for them in Guangzhou. If there is a large order, the reward will be increased additionally.
The nine people were thrilled. With wages so low across the country at the moment, who wouldn't want a chance to earn a little extra? The other exhibitors were generally offering only three yuan a day for their employees, with the more generous offerings being five yuan.
Ten yuan a day, only Qianhe Food Factory dares to offer it.
Sun Zongyuan arranged for several people to make arrangements on how to stand, how to talk to foreign businessmen, how to display and explain canned products, and how to tell the stories of three kinds of canned products. He also emphasized how to further sign the contract.
Following Sun Zongyuan's explanation, the hired personnel walked through the stage several more times. Xu Rui, Meng Xiangguo, and other food factory representatives, acting as customers, cooperated and deliberately raised a few challenging questions. Everyone then collectively researched how to respond to these questions, drawing inferences from their experiences and expanding upon many of these issues, ultimately developing clear solutions. Commissioner Liu Dehai, along with County Magistrate Wang and all the participating regional leaders, watched the Qianhe Food Factory's drill. They found it quite novel, but they weren't sure if it would be effective at the trade show starting tomorrow. However, some exhibitors, finding it useful, quietly sent people to learn from it. Nothing is impossible for those who put their minds to it!
At 10 a.m. on October 15, the China Export Commodities Fair, commonly known as the Canton Fair, was successfully held in Guangzhou.
The Canton Fair, jointly organized by the Ministry of Commerce and Guangdong Province, is held twice a year, in spring and autumn. It is China's most influential trade fair and also has a significant international impact, attracting businesses from many countries around the world seeking business opportunities. This autumn's Canton Fair even broke a record: US Vice President Bush appeared at the fair, followed by a large number of American businesspeople. He would later be elected President of the United States and launch the Iraq War.
The Autumn Canton Fair usually starts in mid-October and ends in early November, lasting about 20 days.
For a moment, red flags were waving, firecrackers were blasting, gongs and drums were beating, merchants gathered, and the crowds were like the sea.
After the opening ceremony, as the door slowly opened, many merchants poured into Hall 3. Hall 3 is mainly a food hall with a large area, many booths and many manufacturers. Many foreign buyers gathered in front of many booths.
No foreign businessmen came to inspect the Qianhe Food Factory booth that morning. Their crowds were still gathered in front of the first few rows of booths at the entrance and slowly moved inward.
There were also many men and women who hurriedly entered the restroom in front of the booth and left in a hurry without even looking at the Qianhe Food Factory booth.
The situation remained the same in the afternoon, but two buyers from Northeast China came out of the restroom and stopped by the booth to take a look, ask where we were from and what products we had, and then left. The whole process took less than two minutes.
Meng Xiangguo was anxious and could not help pacing back and forth. County Magistrate Wang had been with him for the whole morning, but not only had he not signed a contract, no one even came to ask about it. He sat anxiously on a stool beside him and kept smoking. If there was no order from the food factory, Anyang County would have a hard time this year.
Sun Zongyuan called Meng Xiangguo over and whispered a few words to him, and then Meng Xiangguo left.
On the first day of the Canton Fair, Qianhe Food Factory received zero orders and no foreign businessmen came to negotiate.
With half an hour left before closing time, Sun Zongyuan gathered everyone together again, encouraged them, and rehearsed the reception they had arranged yesterday afternoon. Then, they left work, ate, and went to sleep...
The first day brought no progress, and everyone's spirits were low. Only Sun Zongyuan knew that within the twenty days of the Canton Fair, foreign businesses would gradually move towards the booths deep within the Food Pavilion. Qianhe Food wasn't without opportunities; it just lacked the right moment. God rewards hard work, and if Qianhe Food didn't make a splash, it would become a sensation. Sun Zongyuan had every confidence in this.
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