Bringing trade connections to concrete results.

The 2026 Northern Region Rural Industrial Products Exhibition is currently taking place in Hai Phong with nearly 500 booths, attracting more than 190 businesses and trade and industrial promotion agencies from 18 provinces and cities. Its large scale provides ample space for product promotion, partner seeking, and business networking.

The goal after meetings at trade fairs like these should be to build genuine connections and create concrete results in the market. Effective trade promotion should go beyond the number of booths or participating businesses; it should be demonstrated by the ability to transform these contacts into partnerships, introduce products into additional distribution channels, and expand businesses' markets.

From a meeting at a trade fair to a product entering the distribution system is a long journey with many steps involved. The interest of new distributors opens the door to access; to be selected, the product must meet requirements regarding quality, price, design, production volume, traceability, and delivery capabilities. The process of communication between the business and its partners, receiving buyer feedback, and refining the product therefore plays a crucial role in bringing those initial connections closer to a successful commercial outcome.

Optimizing market research efficiency and expanding output are also key objectives set for this year's fair. The Hai Phong Department of Industry and Trade aims to support rural industrial enterprises in finding partners and stabilizing output; promoting cooperation in production, processing, and consumption; forming sustainable production-consumption linkages; developing the domestic market; and promoting exports. Therefore, practicality and professionalism are linked to the quality of trade connections and the ability to form business partnerships, rather than simply focusing on the scale of the event.

Following the trade fair, promotional activities should focus on connections with the potential to develop into trade relationships, supporting businesses in accessing distribution systems, providing market information, and expanding direct and online trade channels. This will allow businesses and partners to better understand each other's needs and facilitate the process of moving towards concrete cooperation.

From a business perspective, product quality is an integral part of competitiveness. The ability to fulfill orders, maintain supply, ensure delivery schedules, and adapt to the requirements of each distribution channel also determines whether a business interaction can develop into a long-term partnership.

Trade promotion also has value in the reverse direction, as market signals become information for the production process. Distributor demand, the standards of each sales channel, consumer feedback, etc., help businesses adjust products, organize production, and choose the appropriate market segment. When market information deeply permeates production, businesses not only find places to sell what they already have but also gradually create products the market needs, thereby increasing competitiveness and the ability to participate in supply chains.

Therefore, the product's output market needs to become an important basis for evaluating the effectiveness of trade promotion. The number of connections maintained, products reaching more distribution systems, businesses gaining more partners, orders, and markets will more clearly reflect the results after each program. Monitoring these results also helps identify what businesses are lacking and what the market needs, so that subsequent support programs are more closely aligned with actual needs.

Hai Phong's advantages as a major industrial, port, and logistics hub in the North, along with its multimodal transportation network, provide the conditions for promoting regional-scale activities. When businesses from many localities meet in the city, the resulting linkages can help products access distribution systems, logistics services, and broader markets; simultaneously increasing production and trade links between Hai Phong and other localities and partners both domestically and internationally.

HA KIEN