China's economic and trade exhibition sector experienced steady growth in 2024, with a total of 3,844 events held, according to a report released by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) on Friday.
The report was released at the 20th China Expo Forum for International Cooperation (CEFCO), a key annual event in the global exhibition industry, which opened in north China's Tianjin Municipality on Thursday.
Themed "Empowering a Sustainable Future with New Quality Productive Forces," the three-day forum has attracted over 600 industry professionals from 20 countries and regions, including China, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, with participants sharing insights and discussing the future prospects of the global exhibition industry.
The report shows that in 2024, a total of 3,844 economic and trade exhibitions was held nationwide (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions), with a total exhibition area of 155 million square meters.
The number of exhibitions remained basically the same as the previous year, while the exhibition area increased by 10.1 percent year on year. The average exhibition area per exhibition increased from 35,900 square meters in 2023 to 40,300 square meters, an increase of 12.3 percent.
"In terms of exhibition scale distribution, it has continued to optimize. In 2024, the number of small exhibitions with an area of 10,000 square meters or less dropped sharply, a year-on-year decrease of 25.8 percent; the number of large and medium-sized exhibitions with areas of 50,000 to 100,000 square meters increased significantly, a year-on-year increase of 11.8 percent," said Wu Shengrong, head of the department of exhibition under the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
The report also shows that China's outbound exhibitions are showing a strong momentum of development. In 2024, the number of overseas exhibition projects approved by CCPIT and actually fulfilled reached 1,166, including 99 overseas exhibitions hosted by Chinese units. These projects involved 68 organizers and more than 50,000 exhibitors from 60 countries or regions.
The top three countries in terms of the number of China's outbound exhibition projects in 2024 are Germany, the United States, and Russia.
"We don't look at it as competitiveness, we look at it as cooperation. I do think that our industry, more than many industries, recognize that if the China trade show industry is strong, and the U.S. trade show industry is strong, we all benefit. I do feel that the collaboration is increasing, and I think that 2025 is really (great). The optimism is that we can all have a great year, this coming year," said Vincent Polito, CEO of Society of Independent Show Organizers.
China's exhibition industry shows steady growth in 2024: report
