According to the report, in 2023, China hosted a total of 3,923 trade and economic exhibitions, representing a growth of 117.1% compared to 2022 and a growth of 10.6% compared to 2019. The total exhibition area reached 141 million square meters, a growth of 153.3% compared to 2022 and 8.25% compared to 2019. The number of trade and economic exhibitions and the exhibition area surpassed the pre-COVID levels, indicating a comprehensive recovery of the MICE industry.

Wu Shengrong, Director General of the Department of Exhibition Management (Office of International Exhibitions Bureau and World Expo Affairs) at CCPIT, introduced five major characteristics of the development of China's MICE industry in 2023, namely the comprehensive recovery of trade and economic exhibitions to pre-COVID levels, the continuous improvement of the operating conditions of entities in the MICE  industries, increased efforts by enterprises to participate in international exhibitions and expand market opportunities, the leading role of national-level exhibitions in the industry's recovery, and a significant increase in the number and utilization rate of exhibition venues.

The report also reveals that in terms of regional distribution, the exhibitions show significant regional clustering characteristics. The eastern region of China leads in terms of the number and area of trade and economic exhibitions, accounting for 68.26% and 73.53% of the national total, respectively. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta remain popular exhibition areas, with the three regions accounting for 57.35% of the total number of trade and economic exhibitions in 2023 and 63.27% of the total exhibition area. In terms of industry distribution, industrial and technological exhibitions rank first in both quantity and area among all industries.

As the offline exhibition market demand rebounds and the MICE industry gradually recovers, the operational conditions of relevant market entities in the industry continue to improve. According to relevant data, in 2023, the operating income and profits of Chinese MICE companies continued to recover, and several listed MICE companies in China achieved a turnaround from losses to profits or significant profit growth.

With the gradual restoration of international exchanges and the continuous improvement of the economy, Chinese companies have restarted participating in overseas exhibitions and expanding their efforts to explore international markets. Data shows that in 2023, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) approved a total of 1,240 plans for participating in overseas exhibitions, of which 900 were actually implemented. Among them, there were 822 cases of participating in overseas exhibitions and 78 cases of organizing exhibitions abroad, involving 71 exhibition organizing units and 55 countries or regions. Asia and Western Europe remained the main markets for overseas exhibitions. The total number of participating companies reached 39,600, with an exhibition area of 572,200 square meters. The quality of overseas exhibition projects has improved, and the average data for various aspects of organizing exhibitions abroad in 2023 reached or even exceeded the level of 2019.

The report indicates that national-level exhibitions have become the leaders in driving the recovery of the MICE industry. In 2023, national-level exhibitions fully resumed offline exhibitions, and exhibitions such as the China International Import Expo, the Canton Fair, and the China International Consumer Products Expo surpassed the pre-COVID levels in terms of scale and effectiveness.

The actual number of operating exhibition venues and their utilization rates have significantly increased. In 2023, the number of actual operating exhibition venues reached 194, setting a new record. In 2023, various regions accelerated the pace of exhibition venue construction, and new exhibition venues witnessed a peak in delivery. According to incomplete statistics, the newly added exhibition venues in 2023 had an exhibition area exceeding one million square meters.

Wu Shengrong stated that in 2024, the international development of the Chinese MICE industry will enjoy more new opportunities. As China accelerates the creation of new foreign trade momentum and expands high-level opening-up, the country will continue to develop more internationally renowned exhibitions, attract more internationally renowned exhibition companies to establish a presence in China, and promote the continuous improvement of the internationalization level and international influence of the Chinese MICE industry.