The 2026 Trade Show Playbook: China Fish Show, ICAST, EFTTEX, and ICAF

If you source fishing tackle from China, four trade shows are non-negotiable on your calendar. They are not equal: each serves a different purpose, attracts a different crowd, and rewards a different kind of preparation. Going to the wrong show, or going to the right show unprepared, is a common reason that sourcing trips fail.

This article is the 2026 playbook for all four shows. It is written from the perspective of an international buyer (US, EU, AU, or JP buyer visiting a Chinese show, or a Chinese brand visiting a US/EU show). It includes:

• What each show is good for (and what it is not)
• Who attends, in numbers and types
• What to bring (booth or no booth, sample case, business cards, translation help)
• How to budget realistically
• The unwritten rules of the show floor

Show 1: China Fish Show (中国国际钓鱼用品贸易展览会)

Where: Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) When: Mid-February annually Established: 1988 (38 years running as of 2026) Scale: ~600 exhibitors, ~30,000 visitors, ~80,000 m² floor space

What it is good for

• Sourcing new factories in all categories
• Meeting existing suppliers face-to-face (Chinese business culture still requires the face-to-face)
• Seeing the full industry in one day
• Negotiating annual contracts at favorable terms (Feb is when factories lock in their H1 production schedules)

What it is not good for

• Meeting international brands (most Western brands attend ICAST, not China Fish Show)
• High-end product launches (China Fish Show is a B2B show; consumer-facing launches happen at ICAST)
• Hard-bait and saltwater innovation (most Chinese factories do not invest in R&D for these categories)

Who attends

• 60% Chinese factory representatives (exhibitors and visitors)
• 25% Chinese domestic distributors
• 10% international buyers (mostly Russia, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Latin America)
• 5% other (media, associations, government)

The international buyer percentage is rising, but the show is still predominantly Chinese-facing. If you are an English-speaking buyer, you will be popular.

What to bring

• Comfortable shoes (the show floor is 800 m long end to end)
• A notebook or tablet for taking notes
• WeChat installed and QR codes ready to exchange (WeChat is the primary business communication channel in China)
• Business cards (English on one side, optional Chinese on the other)
• A translator or a Chinese-speaking colleague if you do not speak Mandarin
• A sample case if you are sourcing — bring 3–5 products you currently sell, ask the factories if they can match or improve
• A flexible schedule — do not try to walk the show in one day

Budget

• Show admission: free (pre-registration required)
• Flight (US round-trip): $800–$2,000
• Hotel (4 nights): $400–$800
• Meals and ground transport: $200–$400
• Translation help (full-day): $150–$300
• Total: ~$1,500–$3,500 per attendee

For a full cost-benefit analysis of attending, see The B2B Buyer’s Calendar.

Show 2: ICAST (International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades)

Where: Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL, USA When: Mid-July annually Established: 1957 (69 years running as of 2026) Scale: ~600 exhibitors, ~15,000 visitors, ~30,000 m² floor space

What it is good for

• New product launches and awards (the ICAST New Product Showcase is the industry’s most-watched event)
• Meeting US-based brand marketing teams
• Seeing the US consumer-facing market in one place
• Trade press coverage (every major fishing publication attends)

What it is not good for

• Sourcing (most ICAST exhibitors are finished-goods brands, not factories)
• Meeting Chinese factories directly (a small but growing Chinese factory presence, mostly represented by their US distributors)
• Bargain pricing (this is the show where US MSRPs are set)

Who attends

• 45% US retailers (independent and chain)
• 25% US brand staff (marketing, sales, product development)
• 15% international buyers (Latin America, Canada, EU)
• 10% trade press
• 5% other

What to bring

• Comfortable dress shoes (Orlando in July is hot; the convention center is air-conditioned but the walk to/from your hotel is not)
• A pre-show meeting schedule (the show is too large to walk without a plan)
• A notebook or tablet
• A sample case only if you have scheduled meetings with buyers who want to see samples
• Business cards (US-style)
• A budget for dinners (US brand dinners are how relationships are built)

Budget

• Show admission: $50–$200 (varies by registration type)
• Flight (from anywhere in the US): $300–$800
• Hotel (4 nights): $800–$2,000 (Orlando is expensive during ICAST)
• Meals and ground transport: $300–$600
• Total: ~$1,500–$3,500 per attendee

For related coverage of ICAST’s Chinese presence, see How Chinese Tackle Brands Are Quietly Winning Amazon.

Show 3: EFTTEX (European Fishing Tackle & Trade Exhibition)

Where: Varies (recently Amsterdam 2024, Vienna 2025, Brussels 2026) When: Mid-June annually Established: 1982 (44 years running as of 2026) Scale: ~250 exhibitors, ~5,000 visitors, ~10,000 m² floor space

What it is good for

• European market intelligence (retail trends, pricing, compliance requirements)
• Meeting EU distributors
• Smaller, more focused than ICAST (easier to see everyone in two days)
• EFTTEX Awards (the European equivalent of ICAST New Product Showcase)

What it is not good for

• Sourcing from factories (most Chinese factories do not exhibit; they exhibit at China Fish Show instead)
• Volume (smaller show, smaller audience)
• US market intelligence

Who attends

• 50% EU retailers (mostly DE, UK, FR, NL, IT)
• 25% EU brand staff
• 15% international brands (US, JP)
• 10% other

What to bring

• Layered clothing (European convention centers are often cold)
• A pre-show meeting schedule
• A notebook or tablet
• A budget for EU-style business dinners (the EFTTEX networking is more dining-focused than ICAST)

Budget

• Show admission: €100–€300
• Flight (US to EU): $600–$1,500
• Hotel (3 nights): €400–€1,000
• Meals and ground transport: €300–€600
• Total: ~$1,500–$3,000 per attendee

For more on EU market entry, see Amazon US vs EU vs TikTok Shop: 2026 Marketplace Guide.

Show 4: ICAF (International China钓鱼用品展)

Where: China Import & Export Fair Complex (Canton Fair Complex), Guangzhou When: Mid-September annually Established: 2017 (9 years running as of 2026) Scale: ~400 exhibitors, ~15,000 visitors, ~25,000 m² floor space

What it is good for

• Sourcing from southern China (Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan)
• Meeting Hong Kong-based trading companies (the traditional gateway for international buyers)
• Late-year Q4 sourcing (factories are looking to fill H2 production capacity)
• Smaller and more intimate than China Fish Show (easier to build relationships)

What it is not good for

• Northern China factories (Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong factories do not typically exhibit at ICAF)
• Western consumer-facing products (ICAF is B2B focused)

Who attends

• 50% Chinese factory representatives (mostly Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangxi)
• 25% Hong Kong / Macau trading companies
• 15% international buyers (Southeast Asia, Middle East, Latin America, Africa)
• 10% Chinese domestic distributors

What to bring

• Same kit as China Fish Show (WeChat, business cards, comfortable shoes)
• A flexible schedule (Guangzhou traffic is bad)
• A budget for after-show socializing with Hong Kong trading companies (this is where relationships happen)

Budget

• Show admission: free (pre-registration required)
• Flight (US round-trip): $900–$2,200
• Hotel (4 nights): $300–$700
• Meals and ground transport: $200–$400
• Translation help (full-day): $150–$300
• Total: ~$1,500–$3,500 per attendee

The unwritten rules

Six rules that everyone in the show circuit knows but no one writes down:

Rule 1: Schedule meetings before the show

The show floor is too crowded and too loud for serious conversations. Use the show to scan new factories, follow up on existing ones, and make initial contact. Save serious conversations for pre-scheduled meetings at hotels or restaurants near the show.

Rule 2: Never make a deal on the show floor

Any deal made on the show floor is the one the factory will renegotiate later. Use the show to identify, then move to a private meeting for negotiation.

Rule 3: Bring a clear “spec sheet” not a “wants list”

A spec sheet is a one-page document with target price, target quality, target quantity, and target delivery. A wants list is a vague aspiration. The spec sheet is what gets you a real conversation.

Rule 4: The factory representative you meet is not the factory owner

The Chinese factory representative at ICAST or EFTTEX is usually the export sales manager (出口销售经理) or the trading company intermediary. They have limited authority. Get the boss’s WeChat early.

Rule 5: Chinese factory relationships require 3 visits before they trust you

The first visit is the polite meeting. The second visit is the serious conversation. The third visit is where the real pricing and terms happen. If you only show up once and try to lock in a deal, you will pay 20–40% more.

Rule 6: After-show follow-up within 48 hours

After every show, send a follow-up message within 48 hours to every contact you made. The Chinese business culture punishes delay; a contact you wait two weeks to follow up with has likely already been picked up by a competitor.

The 2026 calendar at a glance

A serious buyer attends at least two of the four per year. A buyer with a $1M+ annual spend attends all four.

What’s next

We are working on:

• A 12-week pre-show preparation checklist (for each of the four shows)
• A sample spec sheet template (downloadable)
• A factory visit protocol (what to ask, what to verify, what to look at)

If you have a show story — a great find, a wasted trip, a relationship that turned into a $1M account — send it in. The article will be updated quarterly.

Related coverage

• B2B Negotiation Across Cultures — what to do once you’ve identified a factory
• Reading a Chinese Tackle Factory’s ICP Filing — due diligence after the show
• Amazon US vs EU vs TikTok Shop: 2026 Marketplace Guide — where to sell what you source
• Soft Lures: The Hidden Chinese Manufacturing Cluster — one of the categories to focus on at China Fish Show
• Xiamen: The Tackle Accessory Capital — the cluster to visit after the show

Sources

• China Fish Show official site (chinafishshow.org, accessed 2026-06-21)
• ICAST official site (icastfishing.org, accessed 2026-06-21)
• EFTTEX official site (efttex.com, accessed 2026-06-21)
• ICAF official site (icafexpo.com, accessed 2026-06-21)
• Eventbrite trade show budget guide (eventbrite.com, accessed 2026-06-21)
• Direct attendance notes: China Fish Show 2024, 2025; ICAST 2023, 2024, 2025; EFTTEX 2024; ICAF 2024
• Anonymous buyer interviews: 12 international tackle buyers (US, DE, UK, AU, RU)

— The Editor

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