China Consumer 2023 - Day 1 - Conference | Events

Forum

Event Agenda - Day 1 (4th July)

View the Event Agenda here

Hosted at 10 Union Street, London Bridge

Panel Sessions

Day one of the programme will feature a morning of panel discussions where UK brand representatives and China based retailers, innovators and creatives will engage in a dialogue on key topics and considerations shaping the UK consumer agenda in China. The UK experience and the view from China do not always harmonise easily and the last three years of travel hiatus have only served to widen the knowledge gap when it comes to how Brand Britain can engage with the world’s leading consumer groups: China’s Millennials and Gen Zs.

Networking Lunch

These panel sessions will be followed by a networking lunch where attendees can meet fellow consumer businesses and creative partners working in the retail, luxury or food and drink space in China, and swap ideas on brand collaborations and projects.

Break Out Workshops

Break out workshops hosted by our event sponsors will deliver tailored sessions focused on different aspects and stages of the China market journey. From managing your China expansion and balancing offline and online sides of your business, to choosing the right (virtual) Brand Ambassadors in China, to taming China’s decentralised e-commerce sector, our partners will walk you through how to engage the China market, one step at a time.

Drinks Reception

Discuss the takeaways of the day and network with delegates over drinks and nibbles.

Forum

Panel Discussions:

The UK experience

UK consumer brands have had in recent times some of their toughest years in the China market since its opening up in the 1980s. Travel restrictions, economic headwinds and geopolitical shifts have all combined to make this complex market even more challenging. Separated from their Chinese partners and consumers for more than 1,000 days, many UK brands have had to navigate the new landscape from afar and continue to respond to evolving consumer demand through innovation. But staying relevant to a consumer audience which uses its unique social media platforms and internalises products and experiences through lenses of growing national pride has not been easy. Neither has been facing up the nimble Chinese competition. Join us to hear how UK brands have innovated and evolved to thrive in the market.

The China View

Consumers in China have been continuously shaped by the country’s rapid economic growth and digitalisation, the explosion of e-commerce and the closed to the outside world but nonetheless thriving Chinese social media scene. The international isolation inflicted on them by the Zero Covid policy over the last three years has also had a profound impact on their perceptions and interactions with international brands. In this session we engage in a dialogue with Chinese retailers and entrepreneurs, Chinese brand owners, and distributors of UK consumer brands in the Chinese market to see how they perceive Brand Britain’s journey into the market from their side.

Embracing the Chinaverse

The prolonged pandemic restrictions in China have accelerated an existing trend of digitalistion and experimentation with the Metaverse in this technology-savvy market. Driven by the expectations for novelty by increasingly sophisticated Chinese consumers many brands are boldly experimenting with immersive experiences, virtual product demos, virtual influencers and metaverse malls. Our panel of experts will delve into the unlimited potential of the Metaverse and Web 3.0 for consumer businesses in China and look at the opportunities for IP collaborations with Chinese creatives and domestic brands.

Breakout Sessions:

Chinese Tourists and the Promise of Hainan

The emergence of Hainan island as the prime tourist and travel retail destination in China during the last three years of pandemic restrictions has created new opportunities for UK consumer brands but it has also challenged the pre-Covid supremacy of international tourist destinations. Are UK brands ready for the return of Chinese tourists with global pricing strategies? Is Hainan’s evolving free trade opportunity part of their China strategy?

The China Expansion Playbook

Balancing offline and online channels in China can be tricky for UK brands especially as the last few years had seen many of them enter the Chinese market via cross-border e-commerce. What are the pitfalls of offline expansion in the market? Does crossborder e-commerce continue to provide a sufficient route to business growth? What are the Chinese cities that will offer the most desirable outposts for setting up in post-Covid China?

Private Domains and Beyond: Leveraging Livestreaming and Key Opinion Leaders in Chinese ecommerce

Discover the latest strategies and models for success in China's fast-evolving digital ecosystem. Join this session of industry leaders as we discuss the latest emerging sales channels, Chinese influencers and private traffic to mono brand e-commerce sites, working with live-streamers and product seeding.

Innovating in China for Global Growth- The CEO Roundtable

China is at the forefront of innovation technologies being adopted by other consumer markets – changes in the market are happening with lightening speed where top-down government directives meet with consumer demand. Join this exclusive session to hear from UK consumer brands leaders on their China takeaways.

Pricing:

Early Bird - Ticket Fee Early Bird – ends 30th April,2023