SHANGHAI—Symrise has been a regular investor in Reed Sinopharm Exhibition’s (RSE) Personal Care and Homecare Ingredients (PCHi) exhibition and conference since 2008; and Symrise announced its going to increase its booth area by more than half for PCHi 2012.
Headquartered in Germany, Symrise is a global supplier of fragrances, flavorings, cosmetic active ingredients and raw materials, as well as functional ingredients. While majority of production takes place in Germany, a small 5 to 8 percent of its goods are manufactured in China. These are mostly produced from traditional Chinese ingredients, and are solely for the domestic market. Aside from these locally made products, categories that contribute to Symrise’s sales in China are anti-allergy, anti-irritant, cooling, lightening, sensitive and whitening skin solutions, as well as preservative substitutes, UV filters and botanicals.
Steve Mei, sales and marketing director, Greater China/Life Essentials at Symrise, said, “Our business in China makes up for just 5 percent of our global revenue, but domestic demand has been strong in recent years. What’s important for us is we invest in the right avenues to continue to grow our business, and PCHi is an event that has proven to be a good match for us."
A Fruitful Investment
Symrise China has four objectives for being at the trade show: to strengthen the image of Symrise, showcase new products to the China market, connect with current customers and to look for potential business opportunities with new contacts met. Throughout the past four years at PCHi, Symrise has been able to fulfill these purposes, thus reinforcing its decision to continue participating.
“Although we participate in other local seminars and conferences, PCHi is the only trade show we exhibit at in China," Mei shared. “The event has helped us strengthen our brand image, generate new leads and clinch new deals as a result. We find it’s a very effective platform for reaching the China market."
Besides attracting Chinese audiences, PCHi is also recognized as a truly international platform. The global reach of the event is a key reason for Symrise’s participation, and the company looks forward to launching new products at PCHi in future.
Mei explained, “There are many new innovations that we have promoted through PCHi. It is important that the latest products are at the exhibition every year because there are always first-time visitors. We want to inform them about our offerings. Also, we plan to launch products that are targeted for China and the region at the show because that’s where our partners and potential partners are. This makes PCHi an ideal platform for us to present new products."
At PCHi 2011, one of the company’s products for fast skin relief, SymSitive® 1609, won an award in the inaugural China Personal Care & Cosmetics Innovation Awards (CPCIA), which was co-organized by Reed Sinopharm Exhibitions (RSE) and Ringier Trade Media. The Symrise innovation was recognized for its skin-soothing properties.
Additionally, Symrise China boosts its presence at the show yearly by providing speakers for PCHi’s conference program and new technology sessions. “We believe that these are good avenues to promote new products as the conferences are professional platforms and attendees are always receptive to gaining new knowledge," Mei said. “Through our participation in these opportunities, Symrise’s position as an industry leader has definitely been elevated."
Looking Ahead
The company is looking forward to PCHi 2012 in February in Shanghai, and plans to invest significantly more to market its brand and products there. Symrise will be holding its regional sales meeting during the exhibition period for the first time. Sales personnel from all over Asia-Pacific will be congregating at the show.
PCHi 2012 will be held in Shanghai at the World Expo Theme Pavilion, Hall 3, Feb. 27 to 29, 2012, and is expected to attract more than 5,000 industry professionals.