China Sourcing Fairs Set to Increase Specialization, Frequency and Locations International IC-China Scheduled to Expand to Chengdu Franchising China Exhibitions Planned Again for Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou HONG KONG, Aug. 6 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Global Sources (NASDAQ: GSOL) is planning to expand its overall trade show schedule to 28 events in 2008, an increase of seven shows over 2007. Shows include China Sourcing Fairs, International IC-China Conference & Exhibition (IIC-China), Electronics Components Pavilions and Franchising China. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030303/LNM011LOGO-b ) New or expanded Global Sources ( http://www.globalsources.com/ ) events scheduled in 2008 are: -- Two China Sourcing Fairs ( http://www.chinasourcingfair.com/ ) in Dubai, which are expected to boost sales capacity to 900 booths, up from 500 in 2007; -- Two China Sourcing Fairs in Shanghai, increasing booths available from 450 in 2007 to over 1,000 in 2008; -- One International IC-China Conference & Exhibition (IIC-China) ( http://www.iic-china.com/ ) in Chengdu, and, co-located with IIC-China in Shanghai and Chengdu, two Electronic Components Pavilions, increasing booth capacity from 1,000 in 2007 to over 1,500 next year. Existing technical events in Taiwan will be repositioned as IIC-Taiwan. Global Sources' Chairman and CEO, Merle A. Hinrichs, said: "A key part of our growth strategy is new product development. This includes increasingly specialized online marketplaces, magazines and trade shows. "Following on from our tremendous trade show growth in 2007, we're focusing on expanding our trade show footprint significantly for 2008 by extending our geographic scope and the number of verticals we serve, and increasing booth capacity at our Dubai and Shanghai venues. "Our shows are a vitally important complement to our online and print media as they provide both buyers and sellers with face-to-face contact and ordering opportunities. "Before buyers place orders, they need to carefully qualify suppliers they've learned about through our online and print media. And, for our supplier customers, meeting face-to-face with highly qualified buyers who are ready to place orders is a top export marketing priority for them, as well as a distinguishing competitive advantage for us. "We focus on three primary categories of shows: Our China Sourcing Fairs in Hong Kong and Dubai are for international trade; our China Sourcing Fairs in Shanghai are for international and domestic mainland China trade; and our technical IIC-China events serve mainland China's domestic high-tech sector. In addition, we also organize mainland China's premier franchising event, Franchising China. Expanding these shows is part of our overall strategy of increasing our business in mainland China and globally." More Specialized China Sourcing Fairs Scheduled for More Locations Among the 15 China Sourcing Fairs planned for 2008 are two new events in Dubai and two new events in Shanghai. The eight Fairs in Hong Kong are scheduled to be held at AsiaWorld-Expo; the three Dubai Fairs are scheduled to be held at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre; and the four events in Shanghai are scheduled to be staged at the Shanghai New International Exhibition Centre. The complete Global Sources 2007 and 2008 show schedule is available for download at http://corporate.globalsources.com/INFO/IMAGES/GS_SHOW_SCHEDULE.PDF . Complete details about China Sourcing Fairs for fall 2007 and 2008 are available at http://www.chinasourcingfair.com/ . Expanded International IC-China Events and Electronic Components Pavilions for 2008 IIC-China's new Chengdu venue enables Global Sources to better serve manufacturers as they shift production westwards beyond traditional electronics manufacturing hubs. IIC-China is also scheduled for Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai. Electronic components buyers in China should be able to source more conveniently, as the Electronic Components Pavilion, launched last year at IIC-China in Shenzhen, is scheduled to expand to Chengdu and Shanghai. 10th Annual Franchising China Exhibition set for 2008 Additionally, the company's 10th annual Franchising China events in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing aim to continue providing China's entrepreneurs access to international and local brands seeking business partners. Specialized Global Sources Trade Magazines, Websites and China Sourcing Fairs Global Sources events are an important part of Global Sources' sourcing and product information services. These include Global Sources magazines, Global Sources Online ( http://www.globalsources.com/ ) and technical websites, and Global Sources Direct ( http://www.globalsourcesdirect.com/ ). Further information about Global Sources is available at http://www.corporate.globalsources.com/ . About Global Sources Global Sources is a leading business-to-business (B2B) media company and a primary facilitator of two-way trade with Greater China. The core business is facilitating trade from Greater China to the world, using a wide range of English-language media. The other key business segment facilitates trade from the world to Greater China using Chinese-language media. The company provides sourcing information to volume buyers and integrated marketing services to suppliers. It helps a community of over 635,000 active buyers source more profitably from complex overseas supply markets. With the goal of providing the most effective ways possible to advertise, market and sell, Global Sources enables suppliers to sell to hard-to-reach buyers in over 230 countries. The company offers the most extensive range of media and export marketing services in the industries it serves. It delivers information on 1.8 million products and more than 150,000 suppliers annually through 13 online marketplaces, 12 monthly magazines, over 100 sourcing research reports and nine specialized trade shows which run 22 times a year across seven cities. Suppliers receive more than 18 million sales leads annually from buyers through Global Sources Online ( http://www.globalsources.com/ ) alone. Global Sources has been facilitating global trade for 36 years. In mainland China it has over 1,700 team members in 44 locations, and a community of over 1 million registered online users and magazine readers for Chinese-language media. Global Sources Press Contact in Asia: Camellia So Tel: +852-2555-5021 Email: Global Sources Investor Contact in Asia: Eddie Heng Tel: +65-6547-2850 Email: Global Sources Press Contact in U.S.: James W.W. Strachan Tel: +1-602-978-7504 Email: Global Sources Investor Contact in U.S.: Moriah Shilton & Christiane Pelz Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates, Inc. Tel: +1-415-433-3777 Email: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030303/LNM011LOGO-b DATASOURCE: Global Sources CONTACT: Press contact in Asia: Camellia So, +852-2555-5021, ; Press contact in U.S.: James W.W. Strachan, +1-602-978- 7504, , both of Global Sources; Investors contact in Asia, Eddie Heng of Global Sources, +65-6547-2850, ; Investor Contacts in U.S.: Moriah Shilton & Christiane Pelz, +1-415-433-3777, or , both of Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates, Inc. for Global Sources Web site: http://www.globalsources.com/ http://corporate.globalsources.com/ http://www.chinasourcingfair.com/ http://www.iic-china.com/

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