On November 15, 2025, a group of 40 students majoring in Marketing from the Business School at Shenzhen Technology University, led by Associate Professor Lutz Philip Hecker, visited the 27th China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF) at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center. This field trip was designed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge from their courses and real-world global business practices, providing an invaluable platform for students to observe, learn, and experience cutting-edge technological trends and their market applications.
The 2025 CHTF, under the theme of "Technology Leads, Innovation Drives," was a massive exhibition covering frontier fields such as Artificial Intelligence, the Digital Economy, Smart Manufacturing, New Energy, and Biomedicine. For International Business and Marketing students, this visit was an immersive learning experience with the following key takeaways:
1. Insight into Global Market Trends:
Students witnessed innovative achievements from dozens of countries and regions, gaining a tangible understanding of the "global market" and "technology transfer." This deepened their comprehension of concepts from their International Business curriculum, such as global value chains, technology life cycles, and cross-border technological collaboration.
2. Practical Application of Marketing Strategies for High-Tech Products:
The diverse marketing tactics employed by exhibitors served as live case studies. From immersive booth designs and interactive product demos to customized solutions for international clients, students could analyze brand positioning, promotion strategies, and customer relationship management in both B2B and B2C contexts for high-tech products, directly aligning with their Marketing coursework.
3. Deep Integration of AI and the Digital Economy:
AI large models, intelligent robots, and metaverse applications were key highlights. Students focused not only on the technologies themselves but also on how they are reshaping business models, for instance, enabling precision marketing through data analytics, enhancing user experience with smart customer service, and creating entirely new digital service markets.
4. Sustainability and Green Marketing:
New energy technologies and energy-saving products held prominent positions. This highlighted to the students that "green" and "sustainability" are no longer just technical standards but core competitive advantages and essential components of brand narratives in the current global trading environment.
5. Cross-Cultural Communication Skills:
By interacting with exhibitors and visitors from diverse cultural backgrounds, students practiced the cross-cultural communication skills emphasized in their classes, which is crucial for their future careers in international business.
Students reported that the CHTF visit significantly broadened their horizons. They successfully connected abstract theoretical knowledge (e.g., "technological barriers," "diffusion of innovations," "global marketing") with the real business world. The experience sparked their thinking about future career paths and provided a deeper appreciation for Shenzhen's vibrancy as China's "Silicon Valley."
图/文提供者：Lutz Philip Hecker
