The 18th Jinjiang Footwear & Sports Industry Int'l Expo opens in Jinjiang, Fujian province, on April 18. [Photo by Hu Meidong / China Daily]

The 18th Jinjiang Footwear and Sports Industry International Expo opened on April 18 and will last through April 21 in Jinjiang, Fujian province.

Covering a total area of more than 50,000 square meters, the expo will provide 1,800 international-standard booths in various pavilions including 750 booths for finished footwear and sports goods, 600 booths for shoe machinery, and 450 booths for shoe materials.

Exhibitors, entrepreneurs and industrial experts in the footwear and sports industries from Germany, Italy, France, Austria, Cuba, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia, India, Columbia and South Africa were attracted to the event.

The expo is organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the China National Light Industry Council and sponsored by the Quanzhou city government, the Fujian Provincial Chamber of International Commerce, the China Leather and Footwear Industry Research Institute and the China Leather Industry Association.

The expo has traditional pavilions for footwear machinery, footwear materials, footwear and sportswear, and new pavilions for swimwear, sports equipment, and sports e-business, covering nearly all aspects of the sports industry.

An enterprise booth at the 18th Jinjiang Footwear & Sports Industry Int'l Expo. [Photo by Hu Meidong / China Daily]

A number of e-commerce giants, including Amazon, JD Mall and Suning, are displaying their latest products and technology in the sports e-commerce pavilion.

In addition, an app that features information releases, product exhibitions, online settlement and data analysis is being developed to facilitate participation, which is one of the highlights of this year's expo.

Over the past 17 years, the expo has played a crucial role in boosting the development of the city's shoe manufacturing industry and promoting the awareness of local footwear brands around the country and throughout the world, including Anta, Xtep and 361 Degrees.

As the expo is not only a show for footwear, but also for the sports industry, it is trying to promote itself to focus on the whole chain of sports industry. The development index of the Chinese footwear industry is going to be first released at the expo, which is considered to be an authoritative event for the development of the whole industry.

There also has a series of glamorous supporting activities during the expo, including the Global Footwear and Leather Market Trends Forum, the Annual Meeting of China Leather Footwear and Sportswear, providing a platform for high-level industrial communication and discussion.

Bringing sports goods, sports marketing resources, sports culture and science together, the 18th Jinjiang Footwear and Sports Industry International Expo is expected to be a high-end platform for sports industry development.