IAS - INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION SHOW CHINA

About the fair

The Shanghai International Industrial Automation Show (IAS) is a major event for world-renowned players in the industrial-automation market, where key companies present the latest software, high-precision sensors, smart robots and microtechnologies. Key products include manufacturing automation (control systems, sensors, drives, assembly and handling systems, linear positioning, data acquisition, identification, laser instruments, machine vision, industrial networks); IT and software (industrial software, development tools, the industrial internet, factory LANs); electrical systems (servo motors and frequency converters, transformers, batteries, UPS, gearboxes, mechanical drive systems, wiring, cables, switches, photovoltaic cells, power meters, test equipment); microtechnologies (micro-sensors and -actuators, microsystem components and modules, design, modelling and miniature optical and fibre-optic developments); and industrial robots, smart vehicles and VR. IAS serves industrial automation, robotics and smart-device development, IT, renewable energy, construction, heavy industry, aviation, aerospace and automotive, infrastructure and research.

Planning the trip

• Register the badge online. Every major fair issues visitor badges in advance, and on-site registration means queueing on the busiest morning of the show. Registration usually opens one to two months out.
• Check the visa position early. China's entry rules have changed repeatedly in recent years, including visa-free arrangements for a growing list of countries and transit exemptions. Confirm what applies to your passport for this month, and ask the organiser for an invitation letter if a business visa is needed — issuing one is routine.
• Book accommodation before the dates firm up. A large fair fills its host city and rates move accordingly. Cancellable bookings made early cost less than confirmed ones made late.
• Decide which halls before you arrive. The bigger Chinese fairs run to several halls across separate phases, and walking them without a plan burns a day. Shortlist the stands you need and treat anything else as a bonus.
• Plan the follow-up, not just the visit. Business cards collected at a fair convert poorly once you fly home: quotes arrive in patchy English, samples stall, and the time difference eats a day per exchange. Deciding who handles that before you travel is what makes the trip pay for itself.