On-site services, interpreters and assistants

At a glance

• The fair offers interpretation, medical and shuttle services on its buyer portal, but exact Phase 2 and Phase 3 desk locations, rates and hours are not confirmed.
• The official Phase 1 guide lists luggage storage, a meditation room, first aid and AEDs, bank and ATM, photocopy and business-card printing, post, and air and train ticket services. Whether these continue in Phase 2 and Phase 3 is not confirmed; ask at an information desk.
• Bringing your own interpreter needs a companion badge: up to 1 assistant and 1 interpreter per buyer per phase, RMB 300 per day plus a RMB 50 card fee (a buyer-portal screenshot also shows RMB 200 for a replacement badge). The buyer applies online at least 2 calendar days ahead (the portal blocks earlier start dates). Interpreters must show CATTI, NAETI or a foreign-language degree.
• The relationship must be genuine. Fake companion applications lead to both badges being confiscated, removal and blacklisting with no refund. Paying middlemen for "badge arranging" is high-risk.
• Interpreter prices vary by a factor of ten. What Chinese exhibitors pay student booth interpreters (reported RMB 200-600 per day) is a different market from buyer-side escort or technical interpreting (agency quotes RMB 800-2,500 per day for English).
• "Free translator" offers are a known tout tactic at metro exits, security lines, food courts and hotel lobbies.
• Get it in writing: hours, overtime, badge cost, factory travel, meals, cancellation and deposit.

8.1 On-site services

Locations below come from the 140th Phase 1 guide, a 140th Area C service page reposted on Xiaohongshu and media reports. Use them as a starting point and confirm on the day. The reposted image does not state its phase, so all image-only service locations are not confirmed.

Registration and information

• Overseas Buyer Registration Office at the Registration Hall between Area D and Area A, with a shuttle bus stop to it marked on the site map; another office on Area C 1F, by Halls 14.1 and 15.1.
• Information desks (咨询服务), for example Area C 2F; a multilingual service centre was added this edition.
• Volunteers: about 10,000 volunteer shifts at the venue, transport hubs, malls and sights, including French, Arabic and Spanish speakers; 3 volunteer stations outside the halls.
• Immigration help: 12367 runs a 24/7 multilingual Canton Fair line and a booth inside the venue.
• Fair app: booth-level indoor navigation, AI notes, the ASKME assistant, appointments and badge applications.
• Badge collection hours: one report says 08:30-18:00 (not confirmed).

Luggage and lockers

Whether lockers continue in Phase 2 and Phase 3, prices and size limits are not confirmed. Buyers recommend a carry-on or wheeled case rather than a large suitcase.

Catalogues and samples: a third-party service offers to collect and hold heavy catalogues and business cards (by phone). It is commercial and not vetted. Your hotel bell desk can usually store samples (Chapter 5.7).

Medical

• First aid points and AEDs are listed in the Phase 1 guide; Area C shows a first aid point on 1F and AEDs on every floor.
• A new International Medical Services area sits in the Trade Services Zone. Reports differ on size: 19 medical institutions or about 30 providers. The "GZ Medigo" app offers multilingual consultations and appointments.

Business services

• Photocopy and business-card printing (名片制作/文件复印点) on Area C 1F.
• VIP Buyer Lounge on Area C 1F; a meeting reception area is also marked there.
• Air and train ticket office on Area C 3F.
• IP and trade dispute complaint station (CFCS) on Area C 4F.
• Trade Services Zone: 10 categories including warehousing and shipping, design, overseas agency, cross-border finance, IP mediation and testing and certification.
• Flight check-in in the venue: a Hall A counter (3-6) run with the Hong Kong Airport Authority and Cathay Pacific handles check-in, ferry tickets and enquiries; 8 airlines offer on-site check-in this edition.
• Hotel business centres offer per-page contract printing, scanning, 1-hour binding and phone booths, open to 22:00.

Money and connectivity on site

ATM and bank on Area C 2F; cross-border payment help desks. Power-bank rental kiosks frequently run empty at peak, so bring your own. More in Chapter 7.

Getting around inside

Internal electric shuttle carts run along the Pearl River Promenade and the central flyover; a 3D layout image numbers 24 stops (1-10 Area A, 11-17 Area B, 18-24 Area D). Area B and Area C are linked by the elevated Central Flyover (中央天桥). One report says toilets are by hall entrances and lifts are under the connecting bridges.

8.2 Hiring an interpreter or assistant

Do you need one?

Many booths have English-speaking staff; buyers on Reddit say an interpreter matters most for screening suppliers and technical terms. The practical value of a good one: technical negotiation, real-time price comparison, negotiating MOQs and tooling costs, turning English specs into Chinese factory specs, and keeping daily supplier logs. If you need help at factories after the fair, say so up front: the strongest buyer requests we found were for factory transport plus bilingual help for an existing shortlist.

How the companion badge works

The portal details below come from screenshots of third-party posts, not a logged-in check of the official page. Screenshot-derived form fields, fees, refund and invoice rules are not confirmed.

For Phase 2: apply by Wed Oct 21 to enter on Fri Oct 23. For Phase 3: apply by Thu Oct 29 for Sat Oct 31.

Badge cost on a 5-day phase: at RMB 300 per day plus RMB 50, five days of badge fees come to RMB 1,550, separate from the interpreter's own fee. A portal screenshot shows a Phase 2 application for Oct 23-27 on the fee screen and asks you to reconfirm the number of entry days before paying, which suggests you pay for the days you apply for; unused (never scanned) badges are refundable only on request.

Interpreter cancellations happen on the other side too. A Phase 1 interpreter post (Oct 17) describes an agency cancelling 6 booked Spanish interpreters at 01:30 on opening day and later paying USD 100 each; the post says the same agency was recruiting for Phase 2 and 3 and that interpreters were moved between booths and buyers. One report, but it is why you should name the person, the days and the cancellation terms in writing.

What interpreters expect: freelance interpreters often ask the client to supply the entry credential; a recruiter says Phase 2 and 3 interpreters must already have their own badges; booth jobs have the exhibitor arrange badges.

Reported rates

All figures are reported or advertised, not official, unless stated. RMB per day unless noted.

A. What exhibitors pay booth interpreters (the student and part-time market)

11 datapoints, range RMB 200-600 per day for ordinary booth work. These are what exhibitors pay, not buyer-facing escort prices.

B. Buyer-side interpreting, escort and technical

A Reddit comment claiming RMB 600 booth / 800 escort as "official English rates" and RMB 600-700 freelance is unverified and marketing-adjacent. Hindi and Urdu rates were not found.

Reading these numbers. For general English help at the fair, the evidence clusters around RMB 400-800 per day from freelancers and USD 149-200 per day from agencies; technical, rare-language or factory work costs more. Add the RMB 300 per day badge if the interpreter does not have one.

What to ask before you hire

1. Badge: Who applies, who pays the RMB 300 per day + RMB 50, and is it already approved?
2. Hours and overtime: What counts as a day (8 h? 09:00-18:00?) and what is the overtime rate? Is under 4 hours a half day?
3. Factory travel: Does the day rate include Guangzhou-Foshan transport and lunch? Who pays the car, tolls and the interpreter's meals and lodging?
4. Language and industry: Have they worked your product category? One Phase 3 factory brief demanded Mexican Spanish and manufacturing terms. Good interpreters study the product sheet first and check uncertain questions.
5. Credentials: CATTI or NAETI or a degree, needed for the interpreter badge anyway.
6. Deposit and cancellation: Agree in writing; interpreters commonly ask for a deposit against mid-job cancellation. Ask what happens if you cancel or cut days.
7. Lead time: Providers ask for at least 2 days' notice, the same as the badge rule.
8. Who they work for: Are they also paid by suppliers? (See 8.3.)

What a fair quote should itemise

Buyers on Facebook asked providers for: inclusions and exclusions, hidden charges, payment terms, cancellation policy, first-time-buyer experience, years in business and references, plus hourly and day rates, overtime and factory-meeting translation. Reddit buyers asked for hours, overtime, badge, technical terms and factory travel to be quoted separately. A clean quote therefore lists, line by line:

• Interpreter fee per day (define hours) and half-day rate
• Overtime per hour
• Companion badge: RMB 300 per day + RMB 50, and who pays
• Meals, transport, and lodging if outside Guangzhou
• Vehicle and driver for factory days, priced separately (car, fuel, tolls, parking, waiting)
• Deposit, payment method and cancellation terms
• Deliverables: daily supplier log or notes

Licensing note: under the Tourism Law, charging to book hotels or tickets, arrange vehicles or run day tours is travel-agency business, and unlicensed operators face fines of RMB 10,000-100,000. A licensed charter should hold a road transport permit, vehicle operating licence, a properly licensed driver and carrier liability insurance. Interpreting alone is a different service; bundled "interpreter + car + hotel" offers fall into the agency category.

8.3 Scams and quality problems

• "Free translator" touts. Unauthorised sales reps intercept buyers at security checkpoints, food areas, smoking zones, metro exits and the Westin and Shangri-La lobbies offering free translation to collect contacts. "Free guides" may steer you to unlicensed workshops or brokers on kickbacks.
• Brokers posing as your interpreter. Unregistered suppliers enter the halls as "translators" or "purchasing assistants" for buyers and try to divert them.
• Badge sellers. A video claims many people pay intermediaries about RMB 1,000 one-off for a companion badge, since exhibitor routes need social-insurance proof. One commenter offers "assistant sponsorship" for 700 and "translator sponsorship" for 300 on set dates (currency not stated in the source). This conflicts with the genuine-relationship rule; borrowing or renting badges can lead to a blacklist, and the fair has never authorised third parties to process badges.
• Contact harvesting after closing. People at exits hand out cards and collect foreigners' contacts, often hired promoters chasing quotas; on teardown night, discarded inquiry forms and cards are collected from bins. Shred or take your quotes.
• Payment-detail fraud after the fair. If a supplier emails "our bank details have changed", verify by phone or the original chat before paying.
• Unverified logistics agents. One author alleges an Area B logistics intermediary misrepresented its courier affiliation and overcharged without an itemised bill (one-sided allegation).
• Interpreter disputes. Commenters recommend a written agreement and deposit before work. Unofficial agencies reportedly reshuffle interpreters across booths and buyers, breaking continuity in price talks. Interpreters themselves are warned not to send ID-bearing CVs to unknown recruiters, so expect a careful freelancer to share credentials in redacted form.
• Facebook reality check. Under a Phase 3 guide request, most of 22 replies were "Available DM" pitches without prices, credentials or terms.

Do / Don't

Do

• Apply for the companion badge at least 2 full days before entry.
• Brief your interpreter with product sheets the day before.
• Separate interpreter, car and tour costs in any quote.
• Use the Area C business services and the Hong Kong airline counter in Hall A where you need them.
• Ask your interpreter provider to name the person for each day; avoid substitutions mid-negotiation.

Don't

• Don't sponsor a companion you don't actually work with.
• Don't accept "free translator" offers from strangers.
• Don't pay anyone to "arrange" a badge.
• Don't rely on in-hall power-bank rental.

Still to confirm

Official sources

• Official buyer portal explicitly lists interpretation, medical services and shuttle services. Exact Phase2/3 desk locations, rates and ho...
• Official Phase1 guide lists luggage storage, meditation room, first aid/AED, bank/ATM, photocopy/business-card printing, post and air/tra...
• Official travel contact: Canton Fair International Travel Agency +86 20 89268105, cantonfair.tour@163.net, booking.cantonfair.org.cn. Hot...
• 140th retains Phase 2 Fashion Jewelry and Phase 3 Smart Healthcare sections; app offers booth navigation, AI notes, ASKME, appointment/pl...
• Phase 2 is Oct 23–27, 2026; Phase 3 Oct 31–Nov 4; changeover Oct 28–30 (also Oct 20–22).
• Official Buyer Guide landing page currently exposes Phase 1 PDF only in readable extraction; no Phase 2/3 attachment found here. Therefor...