Last year, China's economic and trade exhibitions reached a new high in terms of both the number and total exhibition area, indicating the continuous amplification of the comprehensive driving effect of the exhibition industry

According to the "China Exhibition Economy Development Report 2025" recently released by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, a total of 4,095 economic and trade exhibitions were held domestically in 2025, with a total exhibition area of 159 million square meters, representing year-on-year growth of 6.53% and 2.5% respectively. Both core indicators set new historical records. The domestic exhibition economy continues to show a good trend of steady progress.

"The exhibition industry serves as a crucial carrier for guiding industrial development and promoting economic and trade cooperation," said Li Qingshuang, Vice President of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. China boasts the most comprehensive industrial system and a well-established innovation system globally. The steady expansion of Chinese enterprises' "going global" scale and continuous regional expansion have provided a vast market space for deepening cooperation between the Chinese and foreign exhibition industries. Data shows that in 2025, the actual transaction volume of self-organized exhibitions abroad increased by 19.09%, and the average transaction volume per venue increased by 14.16% year-on-year.

Integration, greenification, internationalization, specialization, and digitization are the core directions for the future development of the exhibition industry. Various regions are breaking down business barriers and promoting deep integration between the exhibition industry and consumption, trade, cultural tourism, culture and sports, and other fields, amplifying the comprehensive driving effect.

In terms of "convention and exhibition + consumption", Guangdong, Jiangxi, Tianjin, Chongqing, and other regions have incorporated the exhibition industry into special actions to boost consumption, encouraging the holding of consumer exhibitions, debut events, and premieres, and promoting the transformation of exhibition scenes into consumption scenes. Zhejiang has innovatively proposed the brand "Explore Zhejiang with Conventions and Exhibitions", which gathers consumer populations through conventions and exhibitions, driving related consumption in catering, retail, cultural tourism, and other sectors. In terms of "convention and exhibition + trade", Beijing emphasizes the platform role of the exhibition industry in its high-quality development plan for service trade and digital trade, encouraging the holding of professional exhibitions related to digital trade and service trade.

Currently, the exhibition industry has evolved from catering to low-level trade needs to nurturing an industrial ecosystem. Lin Shunjie, Chairman of the China International Exhibition Center Group, believes that exhibitions are no longer confined to hosting short-term events, but should be upgraded to become "co-existing partners" that grow alongside the industry. "We cannot merely rent out venues; we should promote collaboration within the industrial chain, facilitating 'chemical reactions' between upstream, midstream, and downstream industries, as well as between large, medium, and small enterprises in production, education, research, and application."

In 2025, various regions introduced a series of policy documents to support the development of the exhibition industry, perfecting a diversified support system of "incentives + subsidies + reductions and exemptions", accurately matching the needs of the exhibition industry at different stages of development, and exploring ways to promote production through exhibitions and boost exhibitions through production. Taking Wuhan as an example, exhibitions such as the Wuhan International Auto Show and the China International Commercial Vehicle Show have accelerated the transformation of Wuhan's automotive industry. In 2025, taking the exhibition as an opportunity, the "China Auto Valley" in Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone attracted four new energy vehicle manufacturers to settle down in succession, with a total investment of over 40 billion yuan. It is expected to add a production capacity of over 700,000 vehicles.

Zhuge Yujie, Deputy Secretary of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee, introduced that in 2025, Hubei held nearly 2,000 exhibitions of various types, among which over 100 exhibitions had a booth area exceeding 10,000 square meters. The exhibitors and participants came from more than 120 countries and regions worldwide, with a signing amount exceeding 300 billion yuan. The exhibition industry has further integrated with advantageous industries such as automobiles, biomedicine, and modern agricultural product processing, forming a virtuous cycle where exhibitions and industries mutually promote and progress together.

Currently, the development of China's convention and exhibition economy presents a trend of international, regional, and characteristic tiers competing on the same stage. Global metropolises focus on world-class trade exhibitions, striving to seize the commanding heights of the convention and exhibition economy and international exhibition resources; regional central cities prioritize hosting national key exhibitions, activating consumption and driving urban development through the exhibition economy; characteristic industrial cities leverage local leading industries to create distinctive industry landmark exhibitions. Experts indicate that various exhibition resources will accelerate their restructuring and distribution among cities of different levels, becoming a showcase for city image and a booster for industrial upgrading.