In order to adapt to the difficulties and disadvantages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Organizing Board of VIMEXPO 2021 has proactively combined diverse new forms of trade promotion based on technology and brought about positive initial results, helping organizations and enterprises participating in the exhibition improve the efficiency of activities of introducing and promoting products and finding new customers; while still ensuring pandemic prevention.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exerted a detrimental impact on the entire social life, production and business in almost all countries; including Vietnam. One of the areas most affected is trade promotion when many events with mass gatherings have to be canceled or postponed, travel between different countries, even between localities in the country is also restricted to prevent and control the spread of the pandemic.
In which, the most prominent and direct trade promotion activity, which is the organization of international fairs and exhibitions for domestic and foreign businesses to attend and do business matching, is mostly impossible to be organized due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is estimated that in 2020, nearly 50 national trade promotion programs had to be canceled or postponed until the pandemic situation is completely controlled.
However, in the “dark panorama” of the exhibition industry, Vietnam International Supporting Industry and Manufacturing Exhibition – VIMEXPO 2020, directed by Ministry of Industry and Trade, hosted by Vietnam Industry Agency, organized by C.I.S Vietnam Advertising & Exhibition JSC. from December 9th -11th, 2020 is the highlight. This is the first specialized exhibition on manufacturing and supporting industries to concretize Resolution 115 of the Government, offering feasible solutions to promote the development of supporting industries in Vietnam. Vietnam. Because of such importance, although the Covid-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted on production activities, consumption markets as well as the supply chain of raw materials for the manufacturing industry, VIMEXPO 2020 still received the support and participation of a large number of state management agencies, governmental and non-governmental organizations, professional associations, trade promotion organizations and leading domestic and international enterprises operating in the supporting industry. VIMEXPO 2020 featured the presence of more than 170 exhibitors with around 250 booths on an area of 5000 sqm.
Following the success of the first exhibition, The 2nd Vietnam International Supporting Industry and Manufacturing Exhibition – VIMEXPO 2021 will return from October 27th to 29th, 2021 at Hanoi International Exhibition Center – I.C.E Hanoi. In order to adapt to the difficulties and disadvantages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Organizing Board of VIMEXPO 2021 has proactively introduced more technology applications, diversified forms of promotion, and new connections. Besides the traditional physical booths, for the first time, “remote booths” and 2D online booths have been introduced, in order to bring many solutions for attending the exhibition to partners and businesses, especially units that cannot come to Vietnam due to the pandemic, helping to remove all spatial barriers, creating conditions for businesses to connect and do business matching across borders extremely flexibly. It can be said that the COVID-19 pandemic has urged the formation and development of a new form of trade promotion based on technology and brought about very positive initial results in introducing, promoting products and finding new customers. This is not only a temporary solution, but also a long-term direction accompanying exhibitions and traditional marketing channels to improve the efficiency of approaching customers from face-to-face to online.
The pandemic situation in the country is still complicated, but the Organizing Board of VIMEXPO 2021 did not wait to fall into an alarming situation to prevent the pandemic. The early and remote initiative in the organization helped the Organizing Board of VIMEXPO 2021 realize the dual goal: “effectively prevent the pandemic and make the most of economic development opportunities in the new normal state” as directed by the Prime Minister.
