Before you travel: shortlist and questions
A fair is inefficient without preparation, and the preparation is mostly about narrowing. Decide in advance which platforms you want to look at, which capacity steps matter most in your market, and which retail tier you are buying for, because those three answers turn a general enquiry into a shortlist. Write the questions down in the order you want them answered, starting with the ones that can disqualify a supplier quickly: which codes are in production, which certificate file is available for your country, and how a claim is handled after the season. Carry your own template for notes and a consistent way of recording model codes, so the notes you take on day one can still be compared with the notes you take on day three.
At the booth: verify the product, not the pitch
Every booth has a sales pitch, and the useful work starts when the pitch ends. Open the indoor unit if the supplier allows it, look at the coil, the filter and the display, and ask what changes between the unit on display and the version shipped to your market. Ask the supplier to explain the panel naming, because sales material is often written around panel families while the order is placed against model codes. Check whether the unit shown is a production model or a prototype, and whether the capacity steps you need exist in the same cabinet. Note the name of the person answering technical questions, since that is usually the person who will still answer your email three months later.
Model codes, nameplates and cartons
Model codes are what you will actually order, so they deserve the most attention. Ask for the complete code to be written out, then read it on the nameplate, on the indoor unit and on the carton label, and photograph each of them with the code legible. Where the code contains letters for platform, compressor type or market configuration, write down which letter changes for your voltage, your frequency and your certification requirement. Ask for the carton dimensions of the exact models you intend to load, because loading quantity is calculated from those cartons rather than from the series name. If a code cannot be repeated consistently by the sales team and the carton, treat the whole offer with caution until the documents confirm it.
Documents: what to request at the fair
Ask for a company profile, the current model list, the series descriptions and any test reports the supplier can share, and note which of these arrive during the fair and which are promised later. For conformity documents, the honest answer is usually that the file follows the model and the destination, because a certificate is normally issued for a specific model, configuration and sometimes a specific importer. Write down what you expect to receive, who issues it, and at which point in the order process it becomes available. Where a claim of certification is made verbally, ask for the issuing body and the model code it covers, then let the written follow-up confirm it. Verbal certification claims are the most common source of disappointment after a fair.
Samples, loading and prices
Samples are useful for inspection and for showing your own dealers, and the practical questions are what the sample costs, whether a sample can be built in a salable configuration, and how it is shipped. Loading plans can be discussed at the fair in terms of carton count and model mix, but the final loading figure belongs to the exact combination you order. Prices follow the same logic: the useful number at a booth is a range for a defined mix, not a single price for a series. Minimum order quantity is a commercial policy rather than a technical limit, and it moves with the model mix and the packing. All three are confirmed with the quotation once your market, your codes and your volume intention are known.
After the fair: the follow-up that produces an offer
Send the follow-up within a few days, while the discussion is still fresh for both sides. Repeat the codes you recorded, your market, your intended volume and your branding and certification requirements, and ask for a written offer against those codes. Ask the supplier to confirm each item that was left open at the booth instead of restating the open question, which makes the reply easy to check line by line. Before writing, you can compare platforms on our Shinco model list, review the destination priorities on our market pages and read the brand overview on the Shinco air conditioners hub page so that your message arrives as a shortlist. Anything not yet verified is simply noted as confirmed with the quotation.