With the theme of “Building a Robust Digital Infrastructure to Embrace the Internet Economy”, the 2020 Overseas China (Shanghai) International Technology Fair (Online) will be held from September 23 to 25, 2020 as the first-ever “cloud-based industry fair” to be held in the context of the “new normal” COVID-19 era. Featuring 70 high-tech companies with more than 100 new technologies, the virtual fair will be held on a brand-new online platform that includes five cloud-based exhibitor features: online product launch, live streaming, inquiries and negotiation, procurement and distribution and contracting, allowing exhibitors to interact using the online virtual exhibition hall and other new Internet technologies.

To support enterprises to “go global” and increase their international presence, CSITF has successfully organized several Overseas Exhibitions to help Chinese technologies to go global, including in the Czech Republic in 2016, Southern Europe in 2017, Latvia in 2018, and Turkey in 2019. Hosted by Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce and the Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanghai, and organized by Shanghai International Technology Import and Export Promotion Center and Digital Expo Co., Ltd., the virtual fair will include four major components, namely exhibition display, inaugural forum, trade promotion, and publicity. It is expected to reach out to 30 countries and regions, and cover 100,000 buyers around the world, attracting millions of online exposures.

No matter where the audience are or how they access the virtual fair—be it through the mass media, H5 or web—just by downloading the app and they will get direct access to the virtual fair.

Customers from home and abroad can easily register through mobile phones, emails, etc.

Customize your tour by adding industries to follow.

With one touch, you can watch live webcasts, exchange business cards and make inquiries —all in the comfort of your own home.

1. About the virtual fair

Theme of the virtual fair. Under the “new normal” for COVID-19 prevention and control, the virtual fair takes on the theme of “Building a Robust Digital Infrastructure to Embrace the Internet Economy” and will focus for the first time on the new Internet economy, particularly on new applications for the digital economy, information technology, intelligent manufacturing and cross-border trade. Further, the fair is committed to exploring new business formats and models that fully integrate intelligent interactive technologies—such as artificial intelligence, 5G communications, the Internet, big data, and blockchain—into the exhibition industry. In doing so, it aims to improve itself as an international technical exchange and cooperation platform and a professional science and technology center service system that serves the national strategy, ultimately creating an intelligent online digital exhibition platform with international influence in the field of technology trade.

About the exhibition and displays. The 70 exhibitors will showcase nearly 100 items of advance technology for trading and global release. Using the online platform, exhibitors will have access to one-click exhibition set-up, agile marketing, targeted reach, intelligent traffic conversion, etc. The platform is a window to worldwide professional audiences with an enhanced virtual experience enabled by convenient login, on-demand browsing, real-time inquiry, online negotiation and other handy online features. The exhibition area will consist of five thematic zones, including the Preamble, Scientific and Technological Innovation, Intelligent Pandemic Prevention, Shanghai Fair Exclusive, and Trade Services. Innovative technologies in the fields of artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain and intelligent manufacturing will be the highlights of the exhibition.

About the inaugural forum. The inaugural forum will be held as an online-offline hybrid event in the afternoon of September 23. About 150 participants are expected to take part in the Forum at the WE Theater of the Expo Museum, which will be joined by a similar number of participants connecting real-time from Greece, Italy, Hungary, Poland and China (Beijing and Shanghai). Keynote speakers Zhang Jianfeng, Chairman of Alibaba Technical Committee and President of Alibaba DAMO Academy, and Syrus Lohrasb, organizer of the first China-Britain AI Summit and CEO of China-Britain Business Fusion, will share their thoughts on the new industrial technology landscape in the post-pandemic era and the new future of digital economic development. The launching ceremony will be innovatively rendered with high-tech “cloud” elements. The inaugural forum will be preceded by a showcase of featured companies such as Shanghai Electric, INESA, Deep Blue Technology and Alibaba Group.

About trade promotion. Supported by internationalized promotion and effective traffic conversion measures, the virtual fair will ensure a minimum of ten business inquiries for each exhibitor during the exhibition period. By organizing cloud-based targeted trade negotiations, online foreign trade gatherings, the fair provides accurate supply-demand matching that translates to online orders and contracts.

About promotion. In line with the special characteristics of online exhibitions, the virtual fair will open up all channels of media communication and further broaden its influence by engaging mainstream media outlets from home and abroad, social media channels of as Alibaba International, overseas chambers of business and other partners, as well as new media platforms such as Toutiao and Tiktok.

2. Five highlights of the virtual fair

Highlight 1: First-ever cloud-based exhibition model that embraces the new Internet economy and showcases achievements of CSITF in promoting technology trade

The virtual fair is the first endeavor of CSITF to explore the new business model that brings intelligent interactive technology into the MICE sector. In response to the pandemic, the Internet economy thrives with the rise of cloud-based services and big data in the fight against COVID-19. Thanks to their advantageous characteristics, such as efficiency and convenience, data sharing, efficient allocation of resources and accurate identification of supply and demand, these services play a tremendous role in bringing convenience to the people and companies at large. The virtual fair will include an innovative preamble exhibition, which combines thematic and image displays to demonstrate the appeal of Shanghai from multiple perspectives such as city image, industrial ecology, business environment, as well as trade and investment, while highlighting the value and achievements of CSITF as a platform of trade in technology over the years.

Highlight 2: High-tech companies gather at the Innovation exhibition zone with a focus on technology launch and product debuts

The Science, Technology and Innovation exhibition section is composed of special galleries on four specific themes starting with new infrastructure development. The Information Technology gallery will showcase cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, 5G communications technology, edge computing, and digital supply chains; the Intelligent Manufacturing gallery will focus on the reorientation and transformations of the traditional manufacturing industry in the new wave of intelligent applications; the Intelligent Innovation gallery will highlight the innovative application of innovative and cutting-edge technologies in the fields of smart cities and smart healthcare; and the Cross-border E-Commerce gallery will focus on platform technologies, supply chain systems and other business scenarios that empower the Internet economy. In particular, the INESA Group will introduce its latest Internet security outlook awareness platform; FushengTek will display its latest domestically-developed proprietary chipset IPC; Unodolar Intelligence will show its recently developed automatic inspection system using 3D holographic scanning; Shadow Creator plans to unveil its next-generation MR smart glasses “Hong Hu” to be released in October at the 2020 World Conference on the VR Industry; iVision Lab and Gantu AI will showcase the outcomes of their latest joint project on China’s first post-welding visual inspection system for large-scale tubular exchangers; Aican Robotics will showcase the latest models on their “mini” series for home applications and the “pro” series for commercial purposes; Slamtec will introduce Athena, a platform for smart shelf robots and universal robots developed specifically for new retail powered by 5G technologies.

Highlight 3: First-ever intelligent exhibition for epidemic prevention to highlight the key supporting roles of new technologies in major public incidents.

This section highlights next-generation advanced technologies, targeted information-based technologies, and products emerging from various industries in the context of global COVID-19 response. These include Keenon disinfection robots and medical delivery robots; the product line for epidemic response recently released by Deepblue (such as AI floor cleaning robots, AI UV disinfection robots, and AI IR systems); and new technologies for epidemic prevention for use in intelligent building projects, developed by Shanghai Elevator Trade Association in collaboration with well-known elevator manufacturers.

Highlight 4: Continuing to enhance the “Launched at CSITF” brand by building a platform for exhibitors that combines exhibition and product launch. To enhance the “Launched at CSITF” brand, the virtual fair will include a product launch area to feature several leading technology projects and innovative applications with a focus on the Internet economy. The online release will not only showcase the key technologies and innovative applications for the Internet economy, but also introduce practices and experiences that provide new impetus to boost consumption and transform traditional industries.

Highlight 5: Creating a service area for technology trading and a one-stop ecosystem and industrial chains for technology trade promotion. The trade service zone will introduce various services including on trading platforms, financial investment, intellectual property right, policies and laws, and other services that support technology trading. The goal is to provide “one-stop” service for technology trading and develop an ecosphere for technology trade promotion. Exhibitors will include Shanghai Intellectual Property Service Center, Shanghai Patent and Trademark Law Office, JZMC Patent and Trademark Law Office, Data Grand, among others.