Trade Show
GILE Guangzhou
As in the best days
If there is one event that will have marked the year of trade fairs, it is the GILE, acronym for Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition and this for a very simple reason.
Indeed, this one was held in China, and that alone justified all the curiosities, questions that nothing and no one could escape when it comes to what can happen within the Middle Empire after three long years of crisis and withdrawal into himself. All this, rightly, it must be admitted, as the most contradictory information continues to fuel the fantasies of many Westerners. Armed with our beautiful visa granted without great difficulty, we were able to see in situ that this incredible country quickly regained its rank, which one wonders if it has really lost.
This question, we kept asking ourselves during our trip. We imagined a country convalescing, even still weakened by the covid and especially by the way the government authorities managed it. We thought we were seeing a weakened, demoralized, disoriented population, still reeling from months of confinement. We also wondered what state the infrastructure would be in, how daily life would be, in short, we had a thousand and one subjects of curiosity about this China that had been barricaded for so long and which had suddenly lifted all the restrictions. Also Guangzhou, the bubbling capital of the wealthy province of Guangdong, with some 15 million inhabitants, seemed to us to be the best laboratory for observing the situation, especially when a large-scale and world-renowned trade fair such as the GILE, has stuck to it and what is more, open to the whole world with a subject as broad and as sensitive as that of lighting in all its forms, all its aspects. When one knows the stakes attached to it, and the size of these markets, there were many areas of interest there, and this all the more so since national companies of all sizes are particularly efficient in this domain.
Guangzhou, capital of electricity
In short, there was therefore enough to whet our curiosity in all areas and we were not disappointed, to say it is an understatement. So it all started with a shock and what a shock! Indeed, when we arrived in the Chinese megalopolis, we were surprised by the strange silence that reigned there compared to the ambient noise that reigned there during our last visit before the curtain of generalized confinement fell on the planet. three years ago. At first glance we thought of a sort of post-pandemic curfew. However, nothing suggested anything abnormal, and yet this sound calm kept calling out to us as soon as we got off the high-speed train from Hong Kong. It was when leaving the station and heading towards the taxi lines that we understood what was happening, or rather what had happened. Now everything that drives in town or elsewhere, whether private cars, apart from a few isolated latecomers, but also buses, taxis, two-wheelers, runs on electric! Incredible as it may seem, most of the country, especially in the big cities, has accelerated its energy transition in terms of mobility at breakneck speed during these years of isolation, while old Europe has difficult to have this mode of operation accepted, to manage the problems of logistics, and especially of the network of charging stations, while the Chinese authorities, in agreement with the local manufacturers, have imposed the electrification of their entire fleet of new vehicles. All of this is truly mind-boggling, especially at a time when thermal cars will have to disappear by 2035, when nothing seems ready. Our Chinese friends are therefore at least 10 years ahead in the use of this technology. All this is therefore very worrying for the future of Western manufacturers who will have to act very quickly. However With the hasty decision of Brussels, isn't this however shooting itself in the foot, when nothing seems ready yet?
GILE
Gallery
Spotlight on Lighting
But the future of the automotive industry is another story, and that is not on the agenda in this report. We simply wanted to emphasize this subject in order to show that China did not remain inactive during these years, in all areas. We have seen this astonishing dynamism everywhere in a megalopolis which now shines with a thousand lights. With the rise of new technologies, public lighting has taken on a very spectacular dimension, and Guangzhou has become an incredible city of light. The color effects on the buildings are not only spectacular but also superbly decorative, without forgetting the function of protecting goods and people thanks to innovations in the field of security. We will not expand on the subject of surveillance, which is not our subject in these columns and which remains a very country-specific area and which is not in our Western societal approach. We can only note that in terms of technological progress this sector is not left out either, in unison with this formidable multidimensional market which provides hundreds of thousands of jobs, and participates in the industrial enrichment and commercial of the country.
In such an environment, a show of international scope could only impose itself, and this is what happened with the GILE/GEBT which very quickly found its place in this very dynamic sector, so much so that today the show is an absolute benchmark for the profession in terms of the offer which has continued to grow year after year. . Of course, you have to see the touch of Messe Frankfurt, which officiates at the helm of the event and offers a version very close to the one that is held every two years in the big German city. Indeed, the animations and the way in which the lighting is apprehended are very similar. Thus, novelties and innovations are treated in a very didactic way for the attention of buyers who are increasingly perplexed in the face of permanent technological developments. We don't just talk about the product on the stands, we talk about solutions, where various parameters are integrated, including energy saving and performance that take on their full dimension, in particular via space GEBT, which deals with technologies dedicated to the building as we know today how much this one, whether public or residential, is energy-intensive. It is through this philosophy that the Messe Frankfurt touch is obvious. However, the GILE obviously has its own identity which makes it a unique event in the world, and this translates into an exceptional offer in terms of quantity. There is no platform in the world capable of being so comprehensive. This 2023 edition of the great return to the world level has proven it to us by exploding all its records. This is how they were 3018 exhibitors to come and present their novelties and innovations on the few 220,000 m2, spread over the 22 halls of the gigantic exhibition center of the city, located on the site from Pazhou. Despite the addition of 2 new buildings, the organizers were sold out. This is an absolutely colossal result when we know that the GILE 2023 signed his big comeback on the international scene after three more than complicated years.
Visitors at the rendezvous
However, the big question was about the number of visitors knowing that we could fear a certain restraint due to the apprehension of nationals due to the resurgence of Covid, and the difficulties that foreigners still encounter in terms of transport and for some, of formalities although the latter are increasingly reduced. All these potential obstacles did not dampen the ardor of the professionals who came to make the trip, since these were counted in the exceptional figure of 207,681 from 140 countries and regions, which allows this edition to smash all its records. For the reasons expressed above, it was the Chinese visitors who fueled this tidal wave who responded massively, proving that the dynamism of this country remains even more than impressive, whatever some may think. On the other hand, and unsurprisingly, Westerners were a little behind, and we dare not imagine what the 2024 edition of the show will be like, when all international connections are fully restored. Everything suggests that all the current figures will be pulverized.
GILE
Gallery
A hyper-connected offer
Such was the line of force of this 2023 edition. With the extraordinary progress of advanced technologies, the world of lighting is settling everywhere, in all industrial fields, allowing the development of new opportunities in terms of partnership and trade and this is just the beginning. In any case, the phenomenon was present in sectors as diverse as well-being, the so-called city smart city, low carbon and smart architecture, the smart home, the protection and monitoring of the elderly, health, bio optics, venues for sporting events and meetings, education and healthy and smart university campuses, the design of commercial spaces, tourism. This list is not a Prévert-style inventory, but an exhaustive illustration of the extent of the possibilities offered by modern lighting, and everything leads us to believe after all that we have seen that the phenomenon will only go 'progressing, knowing that technology is not about to experience a slowdown in its forward march with artificial intelligence which will again upset our society in the years to come. Obviously, all this must be explained to buyers who discover these infinite possibilities still unknown to many, but also to potential partners who see an astonishing range of growth drivers opening up.
But if a new world has exposed itself on the platforms GILE and GEBT, it should not be forgotten that the meeting of Guangzhou proposes a formidable offer in the field of the components in particular through the many small companies, which constitute a unique platform of sourcing in the world, as one finds only on the large Chinese fairs and that this is no exception to the rule. It is also the expression of the renewed energy of a country which is clearly back at the forefront of the world in the lighting sector. Finally, a word about decorative interior or comfort. Here too, local businesses have made enormous progress both in terms of design and perceived quality. Moreover, with the thousand and one opportunities offered by LEDs, designers do not hesitate to use them.
So here is a return to business from GILE trade show more than thunderous. Never in its nearly 30-year-old history has it been so crowded. Clearly, the players in the lighting sector have returned with enthusiasm to the assault of a market in full effervescence due to its extraordinary technological changes. The most amazing thing is that we had the impression that nothing had happened in the past three years. The proof has been provided to us during these days, proof of the incredible resilience of the citizens of the Middle Kingdom. In any case, here is a platform that has regained its rank as a global meeting place. In this context, buyers around the world will soon find their way back even more massively. For this purpose, we can trust Messe Frankfurt and his expertise in recruitment. In any case here are tomorrows that sing.