In-person China Fish ‘ticks all the boxes’ for award-winning exhibitors

Buyers returned to China Fish in force following its much-awaited return to the fishing trade show circuit last month.

The show in Beijing attracted a record number of exhibitors which saw the addition of another hall. That may have given an unusual sense of emptiness in the aisles, but that did not dampen the mood. Qian Gang Wang, owner of Chinese rod maker Weihai Hanhigh, told Angling International: “Everyone had great expectations for the show and there were more exhibitors.

“The addition of another hall made it look more empty and the visitor numbers did not reach expectations, but most of the buyers still arrived.”

Jan Willenbruch, Managing Director of German-based Ockert, which won an award for the best fishing line at the show (main picture), added: “The visitors were there and we enjoyed a lot of interest – it was great to see the fishing world back.

“We always look to see as many new and existing customers as possible at the show, which we did, and winning an award was the icing on the cake. China Fish ticked all the boxes for us.”

Another international winner at China Fish was American Tackle – now part of the Foundation Outdoor Group (above) – which added its 16^th industry award to its collection.

“It was great to see China Fish back. The ability to attend re-establishes the need to have an international trade expo and reinvigorates the progress and innovation that drives this industry,” said Brook Oliva, President and CEO of Foundation Outdoor Group.

“The event was a tremendous success for Foundation Outdoor Group. We have always been successful here with our brands and that continued to be evident this year. We were able to revitalise past relationships and create new ones

“Introducing the new structure at Foundation Outdoor Group and its stable of top-notch brands was our main priority, alongside highlighting our pillars of business which are a service-forward mindset paired with exceptional products.

“Winning another award for the Tsuka 2 solidified even further our company/brand as an international presence in the fishing tackle market.”

Oliva noted the generally accepted lower attendance figure, but added: “Despite that, the quality of our meetings and the visits made to our booth made up for the lack of quantity. Although the headwinds in our industry are no secret, the general mood was enthusiastic and optimistic for the future.

“As a truly global business with operations in the US, Europe and China, shows like this are vitally important for us not only to reach each segment but to have a global reach across the entire world.”

Wang said that the mood among exhibitors and visitors to the show was ‘cautiously’ optimistic regarding the future of the industry. “It is accepted that the sector is starting to recover slowly.”

He added that he was pleased by the reception its new range of rods received from visitors to his booth. “Our new products with good designs and functions attracted a lot of attention and many visitors said they were among the best in the show. Maybe that was an exaggeration, but at least it showed they liked them!”