Events — 16 Sep 2026
ChinaJoy in
Post-COVID
Times
ChinaJoy is the largest gaming and digital entertainment exhibition held in Asia. This year, the conference was the first live event our team in China attended since the start of the global pandemic.
The 18th ChinaJoy was held from July 31 to August 3, 2020, at Shanghai New International Expo Center. We asked our China Country Manager, Mikhail Preobrazhenskiy, to share his impressions and observations about ChinaJoy 2020.
– The conference was different a lot. I should start by saying that this year only one conference hall from the usual four devoted to the industry was filled. Last year we noticed fewer companies attended the conference, but this year the number of attendees dropped dramatically. Very few to zero foreign attendees as the Chinese government closed its borders.
It is still hot as hell in Shanghai at this time of the year, and it was pretty hard for people to line up for the health screening in masks. However, it was much easier to catch a cab or get into the subway afterwards, in the previous years people had to arrange the transportation in advance or struggle in the queue for hours.
– As expected, most attendees are the local companies or those who have local teams. Foreign giants like Facebook, Google or Snap who usually attend with giant booths weren’t there this time. Many local giants we are used to seeing at CJ didn’t show up either. Moreover, local ad networks like Mobvista didn’t have a booth. I see a few reasons for that. The first one, which looks obvious but might not be that common for the chinese companies, is the care about the employees. Although Shanghai is virus-free, a mass event like this one with attendees from all over China is a huge risk. The second one is the most practical, companies were not sure there would be a conference till the very last moment. With almost no time for preparation, most of them decided not to buy a booth but to assign a couple of employees to walk it through. And the final reason is travel restrictions. It’s banned for foreigners, but even within China, it is still not so easy to travel, so Shanghai and the neighboring provinces were the lucky ones to attend it with almost no struggle.
– The topics didn’t change much except for everybody talking about the post-COVID trends, and this one is huge for the gaming industry. Although there were some people without masks, what was different and a little bit uncomfortable is that people had to have meetings with their masks on and keep the distance. It is pretty hard to have a face to face communication when you don’t see the face. Many were very concerned if not afraid to talk to strangers. This differs a lot from any conference before the pandemic where everybody is smiling and welcoming you to a booth for a chat.
Video report from ChinaJoy 2020 by Affise
– In terms of live events, things are definitely slowly getting back to normal in China. But no one can be sure when it will get to the way it was back in 2019. Most likely we won’t get there in the near future, although with the proper measures like we now see within China and the vaccine believed to arrive in a few months, hopefully, we can get to the normal in 2021. However, masks, temperature screenings, shields and distancing should stay much longer.
– The market is slowly recovering and we see a direct impact on our activities. With that market slump, we are looking for a huge bounce beyond the normal just like this year can be described. We keep an eye on the changes in the events’ schedule and adjust our calendar accordingly.
As for me, I will be a speaker at the GMIC online event on September 24-25. I am going to talk about how the technologies saved digital marketing from bankruptcy during COVID-19 and even empowered it to grow. Tune in!
In conclusion, Affise hopes that the current global situation and transport connections will return to normal as soon as possible and allow more live events to take place. See you then!
ChinaJoy 2020 was significantly smaller than previous editions, with only one conference hall filled instead of the usual four. The number of attendees dropped dramatically, and there were virtually no foreign attendees because the Chinese government had closed its borders. Major international companies like Facebook, Google, and Snap, which typically attend with large booths, were absent, and even local giants and ad networks like Mobvista did not set up booths. The event also required health screenings, masks, and social distancing, making face-to-face networking much more challenging than in pre-pandemic times. To better understand how such shifts affect the broader affiliate marketing events landscape, you can explore our guide to top affiliate marketing conferences and events.
The topics at ChinaJoy 2020 didn’t change much from previous years, except that everyone was talking about post-COVID trends, which was particularly significant for the gaming industry. Attendees had to conduct meetings with masks on and maintain social distance, which made communication difficult since people couldn’t see each other’s faces. Many participants were concerned or even afraid to talk to strangers, a stark contrast to pre-pandemic conferences where everyone was welcoming and eager to chat at booths. To dive deeper into how the pandemic reshaped affiliate marketing across various verticals, you can read our interview on affiliate marketing post-COVID-19 and vertical trends.
The article highlights that the gaming industry was a major focus at ChinaJoy 2020, with post-COVID trends driving much of the discussion. As live events slowly return, marketers need to adjust their strategies to engage users in a market that is recovering and evolving. One effective approach for mobile gaming marketers is to leverage interactive ad formats that let users experience a mini-version of a game before installing it, which can drive higher engagement and retention. You can learn more about this format by reading our playable ads definition. By combining such innovative ad formats with data-driven insights from in-app events, marketers can better navigate the post-pandemic landscape.
Written by
Affise Academy
Affise is a partner marketing platform for brands, advertisers and agencies to scale via all possible performance marketing channels. Synergy of technology and our long standing experience lets you expand your partnerships, automate every step of the campaign lifecycle and make data-driven decisions.
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