On April 19th, the second day of CSITF, PTCG CEO Michelle Zou hosted the Smart City Dynamics Forum.  The speakers from Germany, UK, USA, Japan and China shared their products and services related to smart city solutions that they have brought to exhibit at CSITF, and their observations on smart city development in their countries.  Their thoughts about their own experience in Shanghai during this trip and innovative ideas on how to make Shanghai "smarter" brought fresh perspective to audience, including leaders from Shanghai local government.  

The 7th China (Shanghai) International Technology Fair (CSITF) is April 18-20 in Shanghai.  PTCG is the North America Pavilion organizer for this show and brings in 18 technology companies from the US and Canada to exhibit at CSITF.  This is the first year that CSITF has a North America Pavilion.  The tech companies from North America are looking potential partners and customers.  Welcome to stop by the North America Pavilion to meet our exhibitors.   

In our last episode, I shared my interview by ChinaBiz Connect about trade shows in China. As I pointed out, one of the first steps in doing business in China is establishing relationships with potential partners and customers, and attending trade shows can help foreign companies leverage the venue to attract a crowd and to have many conversations in a short period of time. I talked about the reasons why foreign companies should include trade shows in their China go-to-market strategy and provided recommendations for choosing the right shows and getting expert advice. In this episode I will share the 2nd part of the interview, focusing on tips to attend trade shows in China, such as what you should do before, during and after a trade show to take full advantage of it. An example is the China International Technology Fair (csitf.com) in Shanghai. Understanding the uniqueness in Chinese culture and people will help you have a great experience and outcomes at trade shows in China.

One of the first steps in doing business in China is establishing relationships with potential partners and customers. To do this, you will want to meet people face-to-face. A trade show is a great venue to attract a crowd and to have many conversations in a short period of time. I will talk about the reasons why foreign companies should include trade shows in their China go-to-market strategy and provides recommendations for choosing the right shows and getting expert advice. This episode was an interview I did by ChinaBiz Connect, and I think it is helpful to share my knowledge here too. The key takeaways are: Trade shows are a low-cost, low-risk means to gain intelligence about the China market and engage in business development; Many Chinese trade shows provide opportunities for foreign companies to showcase their products; Trade show marketing in China requires a different approach compared to other countries.
www.voiceamerica.com/episode/114472/using-trade-shows-to-market-products-in-china

Fashion is a $2.4 trillion-dollar global business (2% of world’s GDP), and is one of the most polluting industries in the world. Sustainability is a complex and critical issue in today’s fashion industry. China is the largest textile producing and exporting country in the world with $110B exports of textiles and apparel (2017). “Made in China” is on 50% of the world’s apparel (Business of Fashion). This also means that an estimated 53% of the world’s textile production waste comes from China - an estimated 70,000 tons produced every day, and 2.5 billion tons of polluted wastewater produced annually. In this episode, Rayne Reed will discuss what each of us can do in sustainable fashion, what companies can do to increase sustainability while meeting consumers’ demand, and share some industry best practices. Rayne has 30 years’ experience in the fashion industry, has worked for Gap as Senior Director of Product Development and Buying in China, and lived in USA, Europe and Asia.
www.voiceamerica.com/episode/114212/china-and-the-sustainable-fashion

Rayne Reed has crafted a career in the global business of fashion. She has over 20 years of experience in growing businesses, brands and teams across the world, and has lived in San Francisco, New York, London, Shanghai and Singapore. As a truly global citizen, Rayne is passionate about the connections of creativity and culture. Rayne is a committed advocate for the fashion industry and believes it can be a force for positive change and innovative evolution in the right hands. She has been in senior leadership roles in global fashion and apparel manufacturing managing revenues of $20M to $800M. She has worked in Gap for 15 years and her last role was Senior Director of Product Development and Buying in China. After that, she was Head of Design and Private Label Brands for a fast fashion eCommerce start up Zalora in South East Asia. Rayne has recently turned her focus to the study of social enterprise, sustainable design and the circular economy within the fashion industry.

Rayne Reed has crafted a career in the global business of fashion. She has over 20 years of experience in growing businesses, brands and teams across the world, and has lived in San Francisco, New York, London, Shanghai and Singapore. As a truly global citizen, Rayne is passionate about the connections of creativity and culture. Rayne is a committed advocate for the fashion industry and believes it can be a force for positive change and innovative evolution in the right hands. She has been in senior leadership roles in global fashion and apparel manufacturing managing revenues of $20M to $800M. She has worked in Gap for 15 years and her last role was Senior Director of Product Development and Buying in China. After that, she was Head of Design and Private Label Brands for a fast fashion eCommerce start up Zalora in South East Asia. Rayne has recently turned her focus to the study of social enterprise, sustainable design and the circular economy within the fashion industry.

Eric Cai is a successful entrepreneur and is currently in charge of the international development for the China (Shanghai)International Technology Fair (http://www.csitf.com) which is organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Commerce of China and the Municipal Government of Shanghai. Previously Mr. Cai was CEO and Co-founder of Mega Media Works and CMO of Tulip Mega Media which is the largest LED outdoor screen network in Asia. Eric is an expert in Digital and New Media and is regularly sought out for his in-depth knowledge of the complex China media, technology and entertainment market. ​

What We Have Achieved in 2018?
– A Summary of PTCG Projects to Help US-China Cross-border Business
 
On the first day of 2019, we summarized the major projects our team has accomplished in 2018 related to US-China cross-border  business. 

1/2018: Started radio show “In China with Michelle Zou” at VoiceAmerica; WYZLINK strategy project 
Travel: Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing

2/2018: Workshop in Kunming, Yunnan for Lean In! Work together with Cecelia Ren on WYZLINK China strategy to help WYZLINK investigate places to land in China, checked Qingdao, Jinan, Beijing, Shanghai; Clark University collaboration on Chinese students’ career; Qingdao and New York Student east coast camp potential; Qingdao and Seattle Student Summer camp collaboration project; Della 方芳 launched 在美一芳 podcast
Travel: Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Qingdao, Kuming/Dali, New Jersey, Worcester, Boston

3/2018: Shanghai Yangpu Event at GIX with 上海归心谷Home Valley; Meeting with WA Department of Commerce and started China International Import Expo (CIIE) planning; training for 中国扶贫基金会leaders on 3/31
Travel: Taipei, Beijing, Jinan, Qingdao, Shanghai, Suzhou

4/2018: ChinaStone Seattle and Bay area visit and training; Speech at Seattle University; Consulting project with UW Global EMBA team for Shanghai company Westwin; CIIE heavy marketing and promotion
Travel: Flew back to Seattle on 4/1/2018, no travel in May

5/2018: Submitted CIIE applications for booths on behalf of WA state companies; alignment with Shanghai on CIIE press conference in Seattle; Delivery and presentation on consulting project with UW Global EMBA team for Shanghai company Westwin
Travel: Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou

6/2018: CIIE WA Press Conference on 6/13; Donghao International visited WA government and companies
Travel: Beijing

7/2018: Education Speaking Event at US Embassy in Beijing on 7/5; Group coaching on career 7/7; Live Stream Presentation on 7/7 in Beijing; training for Shanghai Startup incubation center; 神州网信training on 7/27/2018; Visit and interview for 505 Group and Xianyang City government 7/2-3; Visit US Embassy Commerce Department; CIIE booths received approval
Travel: Beijing, Xianyang, Xi’an, Luoyang

8/2018: Training for SVIEF client delegation in Microsoft; 8/28 Shenzhen/Luohu District Seattle event MC/Host; CIIE payment; WYZLINK moved to Shanghai Yangpu 归心谷Home Valley incubator
Travel: no travel in Aug

9/2018: ChinaStone Retail Delegation Seattle & Bay area visit and training; CIIE marketing materials 
Travel: Silicon Valley, Wyoming

10/2018: CIIE Meeting arrangements; CIIE marketing materials and booth design finalized;  Shangdong Delegation training; ChinaStone partnership planning in Beijing; Speech at Seattle University; Michelle Podcast “听Michelle 讲述美国故事” celebrated Episode #100!
Travel: Silicon Valley, Beijing

11/2018: CIIE in Shanghai; Big Data Analytics Training (Li Fang); meetings and engagement in Shanghai; Henan Province delegation visit WA hosting and government meetings; Alignment with WeHour on Jan CES delegation event Silicon Valley hosting; Signed contract to organize US companies attend CSITF （上交会） in Shanghai, April 2019
Travel: Beijing, Hongkong, Shanghai, Qingdao, Suzhou
​
12/2018: Alignment with SEC and Washington Technology Industry Associate (WTIA) on CSITF promotion; Alignment at Silicon Valley on US-China education radio show 
Travel: Silicon Valley

Blockchain technology is one of the new technologies that will build a new game-leading advantage, cited in China’s 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020). On the other hand, in 2018, China government has banned trading via cryptocurrencies (ICOs) in China and closed cryptocurrency exchanges operations in China. In short, China is taking a “Blockchain not Bitcoin” strategy. The fact is, Blockchain startups have been hot in China in the recent years. According a report published in November 2018 by iyiou.com, Beijing alone has 275 blockchain companies, and Shanghai also has over 100 companies. So, how to make sense of China’s Blockchain strategy? What is the impact it will bring to our economy and lives? Listen to Blockchain expert, founder and CEO of Adgetec Corporation, Mark Mueller-Eberstein, share his thoughts about Blockchain and China.  
​https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/112307/blockchain-and-china

About the Guest
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Mark Mueller-Eberstein is one of the world’s leading experts on how businesses can leverage key technology trends, transform organizations and to drive a competitive advantage. He is focusing on the potential of Blockchain including and beyond crypto currency technologies as investment and economic structure transformer and lead the discussions e.g. at #FIF2017 with CEOs of the largest financial institutions. Mark is an internationally renowned business leader, entrepreneur, investor, best-selling author, and shares his insights frequently through executive level engagements as well as broad global events. Mark deeply appreciates working with international organizations like the Shenzhen (China) based Qianhai Institute for Innovation Research (QIIR) and and is a member of the “Washington State IoT and the Blockchain Council” advising the Governor and state legislators. Mark is the founder of the Adgetec Corporation’s consulting business since 2010 and advises many entrepreneurs.