How to divide team work at a sourcing fair
Let procurement own supplier meetings and follow-up, technical staff own specification questions and evidence review, and commercial staff own the business case and approval limits. Reconcile shared notes daily and give UK colleagues named actions with supporting files. Cambridge China Bridge can coordinate this with its own staff in China.
Agree roles and authority before travelling
Brief the travelling team and UK colleagues on the buying objective, specification version, acceptable alternatives and decisions needing approval. Name a meeting owner and a deputy for each supplier appointment. Agree who can request samples, discuss terms or approve expenditure, and when UK decision-makers will be available.
Use the product specification guide for the technical brief. The role split below assigns responsibility for collecting and resolving information; it does not give attendees automatic authority to place orders.
| Role | Owns | Passes to colleagues |
|---|---|---|
| Procurement | Meeting agenda, supplier identity, quotation requests and follow-up | Comparable offer, supplier questions and next actions |
| Technical | Specification fit, sample observations and evidence requests | Deviations, missing evidence and proposed checks |
| Commercial | Customer fit, delivered-cost assumptions and approval limits | Business case, priorities and decisions needing approval |
Give each meeting a clear owner
Procurement opens with the buying brief, directs questions to the relevant colleague and closes by reading back the requested deliverables. Technical staff question materials, construction, performance and the exact model shown. Commercial staff clarify intended customers, offer scope, warranty support and cost assumptions. Where someone covers several roles, record which responsibility they are handling.
Keep a named note-taker so the meeting owner can listen. Before leaving, confirm who at the supplier will send which document or quotation, to whom and by the agreed deadline. Make clear whether a statement is an enquiry, a provisional preference or an approved decision.
Keep a shared supplier record
Create a shared record for each supplier, with separate entries for product variants. Capture company and contact names, stand location, meeting date, attendees, model reference, specification version, quotation scope, sample reference and file links. Label photographs while the product is still in front of you. Keep supplier statements separate from team observations and verified findings.
Record unanswered questions, exclusions and substitutions alongside the offer rather than burying them in chat. The supplier exceptions guide covers that detail. Our commercial lighting guide illustrates why evidence must match the configuration; at the fair, the technical owner records that match as checked, unresolved or unsuitable.
Reconcile notes at the end of each day
Review the shared records together before sending further instructions. Merge duplicate supplier entries, attach missing files and resolve conflicting accounts of what was offered or promised. Procurement checks offer scope, technical staff check deviations and evidence gaps, and commercial staff check whether the opportunity still fits the buying objective.
Give each opportunity a clear status: continue, hold pending evidence or stop pursuing. Assign every open action to a named person with an agreed deadline. If recollections conflict, retain the uncertainty and ask the supplier for written clarification. Do not turn an enthusiastic meeting summary into technical approval.
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Hand over decisions to colleagues in the UK
Send UK colleagues a decision brief linked to the supplier record: what you recommend, why, what remains uncertain, which decision is needed and who owns the next action. Include the current specification, offer, sample photographs, evidence received and outstanding requests. Flag any commitment already made and its approval record.
Ask recipients to acknowledge their actions and confirm access to the files. Route supplier communication through the agreed contact so parallel requests do not contradict each other. For continuing ownership after the trip, use the staff handover guide. Cambridge China Bridge's China staff can follow up locally while UK colleagues retain the agreed approval decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Who should lead supplier meetings at a sourcing fair?
Procurement usually leads the agenda and follow-up. Technical and commercial colleagues own questions in their areas. Name the meeting owner beforehand and record any different arrangement.
What should shared supplier notes contain?
Supplier and contact identity, product reference, specification version, offer scope, sample and file links, unanswered questions, decisions and named actions. Separate supplier claims from verified findings.
What should the team reconcile each evening?
Duplicate records, conflicting notes, missing files, specification deviations, offer exclusions and supplier promises. Agree whether to continue, hold or stop, then assign the outstanding actions.
How do we hand over sourcing fair leads to UK colleagues?
Send a recommendation with supporting files, unresolved questions and the decision required. Name the UK action owner, agree a deadline and obtain acknowledgement of both the action and file access.