The Dalian International Garment Fair and China Garment Export Fair (DIGF) '02, the key event of the 14th Dalian International Fashion Festival, opened its 14th show on Saturday in the coastal city in Northeast China's Liaoning Province.

As one of the largest exhibition events in China, DIGF is facing a major challenge from the Union des Foires Internationales (UFI), a major worldwide organization serving the exhibition industry. DIGF is applying for UFI membership.

UFI is the central organization of the world's leading trade show organizers and fairground owners, as well as of the major national and international associations of the exhibition industry.

As a commissioner of UFI, Chen Ruowei, vice-president of the China International Exhibition Centre Group Corporation (CIEC), attended the 14th Dalian International Fashion Festival to investigate the city's UFI membership application.

An organ to promote dialogue, UFI's main purpose is to represent its members and the exhibition industry worldwide, promoting the unique characteristics of trade fairs, sources with UFI said.

So far, six Chinese exhibitions have membership in UFI, five of which are in Beijing, with the other one in Shanghai. If accepted by UFI, DIGF could be the first garment fair organization in China to join UFI.

Li Suzhen, general manager of the Dalian International Garment Exhibition Co Ltd, pointed out that with a 23,000-square-metre exhibition area, the four-day fair attracted more than 400 garment and textile firms and traders from 61 domestic cities and 21 countries and regions.

( China Daily September 16, 2002)