We had 8 staff visiting the Canton Fair Phases 1-3 in October 2016, ODM are going to spend a few weeks uploading our “best of” new promotional products. However, just for fun we would like to start with our Worst. With the recent online Canton Fair 2020 ending and the autumn Canton Fair coming up in October, we thought this blog deserves an update!
The Canton Fair is China’s oldest, largest and most representative import and export trade fair. Looked forward by thousands of companies across the world. There are definitely no shortages of great promotional product ideas but have you seen some of what we think are the worst countdown? For jokes and giggles this is an interesting read.
No.3 Weird Trends
You may be wondering what this contraption in the image below is. This Gas Mask Bong was displayed on many booths around the Canton Fair. This product is made from a combination of silicone, hard plastic and metal. While not the most appealing, it was one of many interesting contraptions pulling in the crowds at the show. Some of the other Marijuana related smoking devices seemed overly complex and not really anything we could touch for the promotional products industry.
Simplicity, practicality and design are some of the important factors, among others, to consider when choosing promotional products.
Worst 3 Products from Canton Fair
No. 2 Wow – Nauseating TV stand
We spent over 4 hours in the furniture section looking for inspiration in the past 4 years we have ventured more and more into the business of POS displays and it has becomes of our specialities in the promotional products business. It is important for us to know and keep updated to what various factory capabilities are.
This booth specialises in MDF wood and plastics. The design was certainly eye-catching, but I think they really need Mindsparkz to come in for an overhaul of this one. This is a good example of how global this trade show is. You might be able to sell these in Asia and do very well, but perhaps not in Europe for example.
Worst 3 Products from Canton Fair
No.1 Absolute worst animal cruelty
Upon leaving the show there was a man with a caged rat. He had what looked like an ultra sonic pest control gadget that he turned on and off and this caused the animal to become visibly agitated. Glad Canton Fair has enough animal welfare standards not to leave him in. Hoping the Police moved him on too. Sorry for the poor focus on the picture, but it was probably for the best.
Worst 3 Products from Canton Fair
Now that we reported on the worst, stay tuned and we will get to the best. At the same time, this list is far from complete and there are many more puzzling products on display. We are reaching out to our industry friends to send in their picks and we would gladly include them. #Always happy to see more best and worst pics from Trade Shows so reach out to us on Twitter and share!
The ODM Group have significant experience in product design, sourcing and manufacturing, and is always following new market trends by visiting events and conferences. For more of our case studies on previous conferences see the list below
More of Our Case Studies
Read this blog about the new promotional products at the Canton Fair 2019 that we love for a change!
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