16 01732 759725 INTERVIEW serve SMEs, and we know SMEs are the backbone of the UK and European economies, so these are particularly important markets for Alibaba.com. We believe Europe and the UK have a lot of potential to grow, especially when it comes to exports and digital sourcing and procurement. We have already seen very good growth in the number of European buyers and sellers on Alibaba.com and in the range of products they are selling, and we’re confident this momentum will continue. CoCreate Europe is going to be an excellent occasion for us to showcase all the platform tools and AI tools we have been developing and the resources we can provide to European SMBs. Last year we were lucky enough to hold a series of events during Paris 2024, so London, as one of the most digitalised economies and an important global hub, was an obvious choice to host the first CoCreate Europe. Hopefully, in the future we will roll out CoCreate events in other European cities. MIT: Is CoCreate an exhibition, with suppliers meeting buyers, or is it more of an Alibaba customer event, where you showcase your latest developments? ML: It’s a mix of the two. First, there will be a great selection of exhibitors, mainly suppliers from global industrial regions that we are bringing over to showcase their latest innovations. Then, there is the insight and sharing part, a series of conferences and workshops and a learning centre where visitors will be able to discover everything about the Alibaba.com platform, the global tools we have, the digital tools we are developing and how users can leverage the different insights and connections available Taking place at ExCeL London on 14th November, a couple of months after the third US event, CoCreate Europe is expected to build on growing interest in digital sourcing from European B2B buyers and European sellers. In April and May of this year, the number of paying buyers from Europe on Alibaba.com was up 38%, with strong growth in France, Italy, Germany and the UK, and the number of products being sold by European suppliers on Alibaba. com was 500% higher than in the same period last year. Part exhibition and part customer event, CoCreate Europe will give entrepreneurs and growing businesses the chance to interact with a selection of the 200,000 suppliers from around the world that sell standard and custom-made products through the platform, whether they are looking for products to consume and/or resell or seeking a manufacturing partner. Underlining the platform’s value in taking a product idea from prototype to global distribution, CoCreate Europe is hosting the final round of Alibaba.com’s $1 million product-based pitch competition, CoCreate Pitch (see page 18), which it has opened up to UK and European participants for the first time. In this Q&A, Michelle Lau, Managing Director of Alibaba.com, France, explains how Alibaba.com is making it easier for B2B buyers to source innovative products from European and global suppliers and helping UK and European suppliers to find global manufacturing partners and boost export sales. ManagedIT (MIT): Why are you launching CoCreate in the UK now, and what are you hoping to achieve? Michelle Lau (ML): Our platform and our digital solutions mainly As Donald Trump’s mercurial approach to trade deals and tariffs continues to cause friction and confusion, many exporters to the US will be looking to develop alternative markets for their goods, which makes the European launch of Alibaba. com’s CoCreate B2B event very timely. The Chinese-owned platform for global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce has been hosting the annual customer and trade event in Las Vegas since 2023, providing an opportunity for 2,000 to 3,000 North American SMEs to develop relationships with selected product manufacturers/suppliers from around the world and learn how to use the Alibaba.com platform to maximise the benefits of global digital sourcing. This year, for the first time, Alibaba.com will be bringing its flagship event to Europe as well. With Michelle Lau, Managing Director of Alibaba.com, France Q&A Michelle Lau
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