Going global for enterprises is not just about "going global" - the 2026 Shanghai Enterprise Going Global and Cross border Cooperation Exhibition will open in November

A manufacturing company planning to expand into the Southeast Asian market usually needs to first clarify a series of questions: How to do product certification? What form is the local company established in? How can funds be exported in compliance with regulations? How to manage exchange rate fluctuations? Where do local teams recruit from? If each step involves contacting a separate institution, scheduling a communication, listening to an introduction, and following a set of procedures, more than half a year has already passed.

This is not an isolated case. In the past few years, the focus of many companies' discussions has shifted from 'whether to go global' to 'how to go global and how to stabilize after going global'. From public reports and industry information, it can be seen that the willingness of small and medium-sized enterprises to consider overseas markets as a new increment has significantly increased. Various regions are also improving supporting measures to support enterprises in exploring international markets, and cross-border logistics, payment and other infrastructure are constantly maturing. What supports enterprises to go global is no longer just determination, but a complete set of professional service chains.

The difficulty lies in the fact that this chain is too long and too scattered. Enterprises do not know where to start, and it is difficult to determine which institution is more reliable.

1、 The hidden cost that is easily underestimated on the way out to sea is 'information'

Looking at going global, it roughly goes through six stages: compliance filing, overseas entity landing, supply chain support, financial support, market expansion, human resource construction, and then digital operation. Each link is not lacking in service providers - law firms, accounting firms, banks and payment institutions, logistics companies, recruitment platforms, marketing agencies - but they each specialize in their respective fields and lack natural connections with each other.

Taking the funding process as an example, companies may encounter issues such as overseas investment filing, opening overseas accounts, cross-border receipts and payments, and currency hedging at the same time. Each type of issue corresponds to different professional institutions, and communication costs are stacked layer by layer. The human resources process is equally complex, as overseas employment involves local labor regulations, salary structures, social security, and personal income tax arrangements, and even a slight mistake may pose compliance risks. The market process is also not easy, with significant differences in channel structure, consumer habits, and brand registration rules among different countries, resulting in high trial and error costs.

For enterprises, the cost of individual contact is high: each institution needs to re understand the background of the enterprise, each communication needs to explain the requirements again, and it is difficult to compare different solutions horizontally. Information dispersion is a hidden cost that is easily underestimated on the sea route. It does not directly manifest as costs, but it actually prolongs the decision-making cycle and increases the risk of choosing the wrong service provider.

2、 Centralized docking, while addressing both 'comparison' and 'trust'

The 2026 Shanghai Enterprise Going Global and Cross border Cooperation Exhibition (ODI Exhibition) will be held in the same venue as the Overseas Property, Immigration, and Study Abroad Exhibition, bringing together the service agencies involved in the aforementioned activities in the same exhibition hall. Enterprises can communicate and compare their compliance, funding, supply chain, market, manpower, digitalization and other needs one by one at the same time and place.

This form brings two direct values. One is to reduce costs: multiple institutions display back-to-back, making it easier for companies to see differences in solutions, service scope, and charging logic. Quotations and service content can be compared under the same standard, no longer relying on one-way introductions from a single institution. The second is faster trust building: face-to-face communication is easier to verify institutional qualifications, past cases, and responsibility boundaries than online consultation, and it is also easier to judge whether the other party truly understands their industry and target market.

For companies preparing to go abroad, it is a relatively safe path to first conduct a survey at the exhibition site and then determine the list of service providers based on this. The qualification documents, project experience, and fee structure of service providers can be directly verified on site, saving a lot of round-trip costs compared to post communication.

3、 During the three-day exhibition period, enterprises can complete a 'centralized survey'

According to the exhibition schedule, from November 20th to 22nd, 2026, visitors can complete three things on site. One is to communicate face-to-face with compliance filing, overseas account opening, cross-border payment, exchange rate hedging and other service agencies to clarify the issues in the funding process at once. The second is to understand the entry strategies and localized operation plans of different overseas markets, and compare the differences in policies, costs, and talents among different regions. The third is to communicate with enterprises that have already gone global, and determine from real cases which links need to be prepared in advance and which risks require professional institutions to intervene.

For enterprises planning to go to sea, this is equivalent to completing a centralized survey of sea going services in three days; For enterprises that have already gone global, it is a window period to make up for their shortcomings, change suppliers, and understand policy trends. During the exhibition, there are also sections for immigration, study abroad, and real estate. While dealing with overseas business issues, companies can also learn about cross-border arrangements for employees and overseas arrangements for executive families, reducing repetitive trips.

4、 Service agencies participating in the exhibition will gain precise customer base and cross sector opportunities

For law firms, accounting firms, banks and payment institutions, logistics and supply chain service providers, overseas parks, and investment institutions, the value of participating in this expo lies in its precise customer base: a considerable proportion of the on-site audience are business leaders and decision-makers with clear overseas plans. Compared to visiting customers one by one and making phone appointments one by one, exhibitions provide the efficiency of one-time centralized contact with a large number of target customers, with lower communication costs and more direct intention judgments.

At the same time, the immigration, study abroad, and real estate sectors held at the same venue will bring a large number of high net worth families with cross-border configuration needs. This group is also a potential customer for high-end finance, tax planning, and overseas legal services. The cross sector audience structure is a difference that ordinary single industry exhibitions cannot provide, and it also provides opportunities for service providers to expand customer boundaries and establish industry cooperation. During the exhibition period, service agencies can continue to reach audiences and expand brand awareness through channels such as conference publications and on-site materials.

5、 Event information and exhibition consultation

The Overseas Immigrant Study and Property Expo, as well as the Enterprise Overseas Development and Financial Services Expo, will be held from November 20 to 22, 2026 at the Shanghai World Trade Exhibition Center (No. 99 Xingyi Road, Changning District) for three days, with an expected reception of about 8000 visitors. The Exhibition on Enterprise Going Global and Cross border Cooperation is held in the same venue as the Exhibition on Overseas Property, Immigration and Study Abroad, with shared service resources.

Enterprises interested in exhibiting or visiting can call the exhibition hotline at 13681692751 (same as WeChat), or visit the official website www.qs-expo.com to learn about booths, schedules, and participation methods. The number of booths is limited, it is recommended to confirm the plan with the organizing committee as soon as possible.

There is no standard answer to going out to sea, but you can avoid taking detours. Concentrating problems, aligning information, and selecting the right institutions are the three things that most companies can do right first. In November, it is worth bringing questions to the Shanghai World Trade Exhibition Center.