The Sign China and LED China 2010 Exhibitions in Guangzhou
About five years ago we used to fly to Hong-Kong and China in half-empty planes. Alas, all has changed drastically. The planes to China are flying one after another filled to capacity with eager foreigners. On arrival the people rush off to different exhibitions that are constantly being conducted in China.
You are welcome to the Fur Exhibition, Jewelry Exhibition, Consumer Goods Exhibition and a thousand others. Driven by the crowd we also found ourselves at the Exhibition: this one was dedicated to LEDs and digital advertising. Previously, the most visible event in the sphere was conducted in Taipei (Taiwan), but China drew its visitors away to Hong-Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou (capital of Guandung province), and also to Beijing and Shanghai.
Today we wanted to share impressions of the parallel Exhibitions Sign China and LED China 2010, conducted in Guangzhou by UBM Trust Co. on March 2-5th. An article about modern China needs adjectives in superlative only: the fastest, the biggest, and the most frequented. Guangzhou is no exception. A recently completed huge modern exhibition complex could house a mid-sized city. The exhibitions are enormous. China seems not to have noticed the financial crisis that is raging around the world. More than 1000 exhibitors opened their pavilions at LED Sign and more than 500 at a more specialized LED China.
As usual we were interested in LED screens, LED signs and other LED applications and we were not disappointed: what a great multitude of LED screens and signs woes visitors with attractive video imaging! Had you been at this same exhibition two years ago, you’d see 10 times fewer LED screens and of much worse quality at that. Judging by the March exhibition, the quality of Chinese LED screens has improved. At first sight at least.
That was when we started asking ourselves the key question. What should a customer do? Where to go? Which company to choose? Previously a customer would choose a LED screen that seemed better than others in quality then would compare the prices and make a choice. Today we saw hundreds of LED screens with the same image quality, offered at practically same prices.
And all Chinese exhibitors claimed that their company was the leading manufacturer with the best record of installations worldwide. You’d feel dizzy after seeing even a minor fraction of LED screens. And then we realized that out of hundreds of exhibitors we recognized just a tiny handful of those who attended the exhibition a year ago. All others are brand new. New but leading manufacturers.
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| Huge LED screen at the exhibition | Shaped LED screens |
Time has come to remind all potential buyers that an LED screen is a complex product. Image defects always start to occur 6 to 12 months after installation (depending on weather conditions). The fact that every year hundreds of new LED screen manufacturers appear while others disappear in hundreds from the market should put buyers on alert. Who will provide spares, who will carry out warranty obligations etc?
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| LED video cube | Good quality LED screens |
The Chinese industry is growing fast; the manufacturing equipment is getting better and newer. Most Chinese engineers receive excellent education. All industrially developed countries continue to export to China their state-of-the-art technologies and get cheap competitive products in return. Seems like an ideal arrangement. Harmony of the 21-st century. Not so, though. Nicely packaged sweet is not necessarily tasty. This is a statement about LED screens. But the Exhibition in Guangzhou was wonderful. Awesome.
