Share
China Fish – one of the world’s major fishing tackle trade shows – opened on the day that the US and Israel began military action against Iran – and the beginning of the conflict immediately had those at the event pondering the effect it could have on the industry.
Freddie Lai, of OEM line manufacturer FirstDart, told Angling International: “There is some concern as to how the war will pan out in the coming weeks and the anticipation that the situation in the Middle East could result in increasing material costs. The problems in the region are making the global situation worse.”
Scott Xu, Chief Marketing Officer at hook maker BKK, added that the fast-evolving situation in the region was a hot topic at the show. “The potential impact of the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, particularly the conflict involving Israel and Iran, and how they could effect oil prices and global transportation costs was a subject that was widely discussed.
“While companies remain focused on growth and innovation, there is also an awareness of external factors that may influence supply chains and logistics.”
The general consensus was that the number of visitors to Beijing for the show was below previous years, although both Xu and Lai agreed that they were satisfied with the quality of the visitors to their booths.
“Compared to previous years, the show felt quieter in terms of visitor volume. However, over the three days we welcomed more than 200 companies from over 30 countries and regions which created valuable conversations with distributors, partners and brand owners across different markets.
“In many ways the show was more about quality interactions and long-term collaborations rather than just foot traffic. China Fish continues to be one of the most important global meeting points for the fishing tackle industry and for us it remains a key opportunity to connect with the international community.”
Lai said: “The mood could have been pessimistic bearing in mind the low turn-out of visitors, but for FirstDart it was business as usual. Those who did attend seemed to be genuine buyers so it was a successful show for us.
“It was good to meet up with our longstanding customers to strengthen partnerships and introduce our new products.”
