Check your product's exhibition phase before you book the rest of your Guangzhou trip. The Canton Fair runs across several weeks, but the same exhibitors are not there throughout. Arriving in the right city on the wrong dates can leave you with a hotel booking and none of the meetings you wanted.
For the 140th Canton Fair, autumn 2026, Phase 1 began on October 15. This guide was checked on October 16, while that phase was under way. Use the official links below again before travelling; a saved screenshot from a previous session is not a current attendance guide.
Canton Fair autumn 2026 dates: pick your phase first
| Exhibition phase | Dates in 2026 | Official theme |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | October 15–19 | Advanced Manufacturing |
| Phase 2 | October 23–27 | Quality Home Life |
| Phase 3 | October 31–November 4 | Better Life |
These dates and themes come from the official Canton Fair website. Check its exhibition sections and exhibitor search for your actual product. The broad theme alone is not enough to decide which flight to book.
The gaps between phases are not additional exhibition days. If a supplier gives you a booth number, ask for the phase as well. Keep both in your meeting notes.
Sort out your buyer badge before planning the first morning
Use the organiser's Buyer Service System, not an unofficial registration form linked in a message. Check which badge process applies to your identity documents and current status.
The organiser's September 26 140th-session buyer badge guide lists an original valid identity document, a business card and the pre-registration QR receipt among the required documents. Read the full list for your document type rather than assuming a photograph of your passport is enough.
Returning buyers should also read that guide. It says a valid badge from an earlier session can be used after verification without activation, but includes an exception for older badges issued on the basis of a work visa. An old badge in your wallet is therefore something to check, not a reason to skip the current instructions.
Choose your collection point from the current official list. Some buyers can use alternative registration offices, while other document categories must use offices at the complex. Collection hours and document eligibility are separate checks; do not assume every desk can handle every application.
An invitation letter and a buyer badge serve different purposes. If you need an invitation, use the organiser's invitation application guide. Separately confirm the entry requirements for China that apply to you with the relevant official authorities. A fair invitation is not a substitute for permission to enter the country.
Getting to the Canton Fair Complex: start with the hall, not just “Pazhou”
The fair is held at the Canton Fair Complex in Pazhou, Guangzhou. Save the Chinese venue name 中国进出口商品交易会展馆, then add your exhibition area, hall and booth. A driver or map app can get you to the complex without getting you close to your first meeting.
Guangzhou's October 14 transport update identifies Xingangdong and Pazhou on Metro Line 8, plus Pazhou on Line 11, as stations serving the fair area. It also announces extra capacity and passenger-flow arrangements during the event. Line 8 is not the only option now, so check a current route rather than copying an old airport-transfer blog.
Choose the station and exit using the current official layout and signs for the area you need. Do not settle an outside meeting point with only “Pazhou station”: specify the line, exit and a landmark both people can identify. Follow staff directions if crowd management changes the route that day.
If you take a taxi or booked car, confirm a permitted pickup or drop-off point close to your visit. Avoid promising a driver that you will be at an exact gate five minutes after leaving a booth. Walking out of a large hall, finding the right exit and reaching the road are different parts of the journey.
Pick accommodation around a route you can repeat
Before choosing between staying near Pazhou and elsewhere in Guangzhou, check the whole commute: the walk to the station, transfers, the final walk to your hall and the return after your last meeting. A hotel that looks close on a map may not be the simplest daily trip.
If a hotel advertises a fair shuttle, ask for the actual departure times, drop-off point, return pickup location and booking requirements. Do not build a first appointment around the word “shuttle” on a listing.
For an arrival day, keep the first supplier meeting flexible until you have checked your route and badge arrangements. No hotel recommendation or guaranteed journey time is implied here; use current transport information and confirm services with the property.
Save a first-meeting card on your phone
Keep the venue details somewhere you can open without a data connection. A useful card looks like this:
Canton Fair / 中国进出口商品交易会
Phase and visit date: [phase / date]
Exhibition area and hall: [area / hall]
Booth: [full booth number]
Supplier company: [company name]
Contact: [name / agreed contact channel]
Meeting time: [time in Guangzhou]
Outside meeting point, if needed: [line / exit / landmark]
Ask the supplier to send the full booth location in writing. Before sharing a photograph of a sample, check whether the exhibitor permits photographs. Link each permitted picture to a company and booth number; otherwise your camera roll can become a catalogue with no way to contact the seller.
For mobile data and payment preparation, the China Travel Tips hub covers those tasks separately. Prepare them before the fair day rather than using your first appointment to troubleshoot a phone setup.
If someone is meeting you to interpret
Ask two different questions: can the person handle your product discussion, and are the arrangements for their own admission in place? Your buyer badge does not answer the second question for them.
The Canton Fair interpreter checklist explains what to send in a brief, how to separate interpreting from sourcing work and where to check the official accompanying-personnel process. If admission has not been resolved, confirm it with the organiser before agreeing on an inside-the-hall meeting.
Before you leave for the complex
- Check your phase, visit date and first booth against the current exhibitor information.
- Carry the identity documents required for your badge process, plus your receipt and business card where required.
- Save your own badge arrangements and each colleague's separately.
- Confirm the station or permitted drop-off point for your first hall.
- Tell the first supplier how to contact you if arrival is delayed.
- Leave a gap between meetings in different halls instead of scheduling them back to back.
For local communication and practical help outside the organiser's services, use the Guangzhou city page. Describe the task and date before agreeing on someone's availability, scope and fee. GotripCN does not issue badges, approve admission or act for the Canton Fair organiser.
Checked October 16, 2026 against the organiser and municipal sources named in the guide. This is independently researched editorial guidance, not a report of an accompanied visit or an official Canton Fair publication. Requirements can change; the organiser's current instructions take priority. GotripCN is not affiliated with the Canton Fair organiser and does not issue badges, approve admission or sell fair-access packages.