International Participants Reaffirm API China And INTERPHEX China's Position As A Vital Gateway Into China's Flourishing Pharmaceutical Market
API China, a leading exhibition for China's entire pharmaceutical manufacturing sector, enjoyed a robust turnout over the three-day show in Shenzhen from 13 - 15 November 2007. On the first day, over 18,000 trade professionals packed the halls that spanned 45,000 square meters, about the area of seven football fields. In total, more than 30,000 dealers, buyers and sellers of ingredients, intermediates, fine and specialty chemicals, excipients, raw materials, packaging materials, processing and packaging machinery attended this biannual event to trade, source and network with their domestic and international counterparts.
API China is a well-established event that gathers the most number of prominent decision-makers, CEOs, and top-level management of the Chinese pharmaceutical industry to engage in high level discussions via networking events and key conferences. The autumn 2007 installments of API China and the co-located INTERPHEX China welcomed 1,119 local and overseas exhibitors, and about 1,000 visitors from all over the world. Held in Shenzhen, the 4th most competitive city in China and an investing hub for 83 of the world's Fortune 500 enterprises, the 59th edition of API China proved to be a strategic and vital platform for international buyers to connect with the burgeoning Chinese pharmaceutical market.
To accentuate API China's importance as a key platform for discussions in the industry, 14 conferences and 18 seminars were held to offer industry insights and share peer-to-peer know-how. API China's supporting partner, the China Pharmaceutical Industry Association (CPIA), held an official meeting to update its association members on policy adjustments and important developments in the industry. CPIA helmed two key seminars that addressed topics such as the ‘Intellectual Property Protection of New Drug in China', ‘Impacts of Government Tax Policy on the Pharmaceutical Industry in China', and ‘Insuring Market Access to the US and EU: Meeting Standards and Managing Product Liability Risks'.
"As a leading organizer of pharmaceutical and healthcare events such as API China and INTERPHEX China, we work closely with government and industry associations to promote industry best practices," commented Kun Ping Hu, Vice President of Reed Sinopharm Exhibitions (RSE). "We believe in doing our part to uphold the standards of excellence in the pharmaceutical industry by running education programs for domestic exhibitors who are looking to internationalize. We also have an IP booth at the show to facilitate original proprietorship of ideas."
The China Pharmaceutical Packaging Association (CPPA) organized a packaging design forum that addressed the development of packaging design and analyzed critical market trends for primary packaging materials in Europe. Exhibiting companies, Honeywell and Rousselot, also hosted talks on the global pharmaceutical industry standard and the nutritional properties of gelatin, respectively.
Seizing New Business Opportunities
Bellwether multi-national corporations such as Pall Life Sciences, Honeywell and Novasep Process exhibited at INTERPHEX China, an internationally-recognized event that provides processing and packaging solutions for pharmaceutical, finished-drug, and chemical manufacturers. Both API China and INTERPHEX China offer participants direct access to buyers and distributors across the diverse pharmaceutical chain, and resulted in ample new business opportunities for many of these companies.
"The co-location of INTERPHEX China with API China helped us connect with key players in the Chinese pharmaceutical market," said Ming Huang, International Sales Manager of Cozzoli Machine Company (USA). "As a result, we came across several interesting business opportunities. We also enjoyed good traffic at the booth and came away with at least fifty sales leads."
Tapping into API China's extensive customer base, Honeywell chose to launch a new product, Aclar Fluoropolymer Film, on the first day of the show. "This is a show for companies who are serious about expanding their reach into the Chinese pharmaceutical industry," said Michael Zhu, Market Development Manager, Specialty Films, Asia Pacific, Honeywell (USA). "In addition to the business networking opportunities the show provided us, we felt that the event conference program offered great learning and education on the Chinese marketplace, which is vital for foreign companies. We also organized our own seminar to introduce a new line of products and were able to generate some quality leads from it. Money well spent!"
At the event, Pall Life Sciences announced the launch of a Technical Innovation Center in Shanghai that will provide technical support, validation services and professional training for their customers. "Our main focus at API China is to promote our new technical center in Shanghai," said Ian Sellick, Director of Marketing, Pall Life Sciences (USA). "Many pharmaceutical manufacturers paid special attention to this announcement and we were pleased that our technical and scientific staff received numerous enquires at the show."
Andy Lau, China Country Manager for Particle Measuring Systems (USA), a regular exhibitor at INTERPHEX China, added, "This event provides us with a comprehensive business forum to showcase our innovations to leading Chinese manufacturing companies who are present at API China. The quality of attendees at the show is particularly noteworthy."
Thorsten Boettcher, Director, Business Development Asia, Erweka (Germany) took time to personally connect with prospects at all three days of the show. He shared, "Not only did we garner a lot of sales leads and useful contacts at this event, we were also able to introduce our company and products to local attendees. The shows provide a great platform for international companies to reach out to a large domestic audience."
Recognition Awards & International Media Hosting
A lunch reception invitation was extended to key exhibitors, government officials, and VIPs on the first day of the show and eight awards were given out to the top exhibitors from API China Spring 2007:
Creative Sparks Award: Colorcon
Excellent Booth Award: WELL-CHEM
Most Popular Award: North China Pharmaceutical
Good Design Award: Rousselot
Best Visual Award: Chongqing Daxin Pharmaceutical
Booth Construction Award: Shenyang Tonglian Pharma
Booth Style Award: Xinhua Pharmaceutical
Booth Display Award: Huangshan Capsule
Ms. Hu commented, "Implementing an awards program serve as an encouragement and quality benchmark to improve our customers' booth displays. Exhibitors have found that having a stellar booth showcase results in tangible pay-offs at the event, and contributes to the overall image of the Chinese pharmaceutical industry, one of the world's largest producers of high-quality pharmaceutical products. Because of the qualitative value we bring to the table, many enterprises attach great importance to winning this competition."
As part of RSE's efforts to engage a greater number of internationals at the biannual shows, a comprehensive media hosting package was introduced for the first time at the event. Seven journalists from leading international trade media titles: BioWorld Europe, BioPharm International, Notiziario Chimico Farmaceutico, Industrie Pharma Magazine, The Indian Pharmacist, Modern Pharmaceuticals, and Express Pharma were invited by RSE to cover both shows and engage in exclusive interviews with key exhibitors.
API China 60th Anniversary Extravaganza
An exciting event on the pipeline is the 60th edition of API China which will be held from 20 – 22 May 2008 in Dalian, China. To celebrate this significant milestone, API with a 43-year history in China, will be planning a series of commemorative events and grand-scale networking sessions that will bring together the top brass of the industry. As global manufacturing demand for pharmaceuticals continues to grow, API China and INTERPHEX China's reputation as a vital platform for providing cost-effective yet high quality pharmaceutical solutions, readily answers the needs of the international community.
For the latest information on API Spring 2008, visit www.apichina.com.cn.
About Reed Sinopharm Exhibitions
Reed Sinopharm Exhibitions Co. Ltd (Reed Sinopharm) is a joint venture between Sinopharm, the largest state owned pharmaceutical group in China, and Reed Exhibitions, the world's leading organizer of trade and consumer exhibitions with a portfolio of over 430 events in 32 countries. As the leading professional, specialized trade show and conference business organizer of medical, healthcare and pharmaceutical events in China, Reed Sinopharm covers the entire supply chain and is dedicated to the medical, pharmaceutical and healthcare industry sectors. Reed Sinopharm organizes and manages numerous exhibitions and fairs that rank among the largest in its niche sectors worldwide.
For more information about Reed Sinopharm and its services, visit www.reed-sinopharm.com
SOURCE: API China