Crowded ending for Guangdong & Macau fair

The last day of the sixth Guangdong & Macau Branded Products Fair (GMBPF) has drawn a large crowd. According to the organizers, more than 130,000 people visited the Macau Fisherman’s Wharf Conference and Exhibition Centre during the event.
Irene Va Kuan Lau, the executive director of one of the organizers, the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), told the Times that the Fair itself has become a brand that attracts businesses and visitors year after year.
“This fair has become a brand. Residents also know that the fair will take place every year [during] this period of time. Therefore, we have a good response and the attendance is similar to our expectations.”
She also said that some visitors suggested that the quality of the products has improved, although the prices seemed to be increasing as well. Ms Lau said that it is probably due to inflation.
“The prices [of the products] are not as cheap as they were before. Of course, this is a problem brought by  inflation. I think this is not an issue in only Macau, the same situation happens in nearby regions as well.”
The executive director has called on people to provide feedback so that they can include new elements in the Fair next year.
The Times also spoke to some visitors and enterprises that participated in the event and were generally positive towards the fair.
This is the first time the Portugal-China Young Entrepreneurs Association (AJEPC) took part in GMBPF. Joana Rocha, the association’s project manager, said that they sold all the products they brought with them. Although their main goal was to promote their products rather than making a profit from the event, Ms Rocha said that she is happy with their achievement.
With five booths for Portuguese wine, olive oil and a Macanese restaurant, Joana Rocha revealed that the association  made contacts with various businesses.
Meanwhile, Mr Miao Yerong from the Zhongshan Cuisan Food Company from the mainland said that this was the third time they set up a booth in GMBPF. He said that unlike other fairs and exhibitions, customers seemed to require more persuasion. However, he still wants to come next year.
One of the visitors, Mr Caeiro, said that this is the first time he came to the event because of some coupons he received. He was surprised by the amount of people but was still enjoying the event because of the mix of cultures on display. Nevertheless, he said that the prices were higher than expected.