CHINA’S business events industry is stepping up its engagement with international organisers and buyers with the launch on Tuesday of the China International MICE Exchange (CIMX) in Beijing, a new conference and exhibition connecting the country’s meetings and incentives sector with global markets.
The inaugural CIMX, organised by Messe Berlin, will bring together 150 exhibitors from China and 18 countries and regions, alongside 350 hosted buyers and an expected 5,000 industry professionals from China and overseas when it opens at the China National Convention Centre Phase II from November 3 to 5.
“As China’s MICE market further grows and matures, its impact will increasingly be measured by the quality of experiences and the business value they deliver,” said Nikolaos Swoch, Director of CIMX.
More… CIMX taps into buyer powerhouse
“China’s role in the global MICE value chain is evolving – as a source of demand, a host for international events and a contributor of expertise and innovation.
“Our ambition with CIMX is to accompany and support that evolution: to give China’s capabilities greater international visibility, while ensuring that understanding, knowledge and opportunity flow in either direction.”
The launch comes as China seeks to strengthen its position in the global meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions industry, with the new marketplace bringing together destinations, convention bureaux, venues, hotels, airlines, technology providers and event support companies.
Among the international tourism and convention organisations exhibiting are the Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau, Dubai Business Events, Singapore Tourism Board, Business Events Sarawak, the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau, South African National Convention Bureau and Catalan Tourist Board. Chinese destinations represented include Beijing, Hainan, Tianjin and Shanghai Lin-gang.
Exhibitors will meet hosted buyers comprising MICE agencies, senior corporate event and procurement planners, and association representatives through a structured programme of pre-arranged business meetings and networking events.
Highlights include the CIMX Opening Dinner, the MICE² Macao x Hengqin Networking Luncheon; Singapore Sponsored Luncheon; CIMX Corporates in MICE Networking Luncheon; CIMX After-Show Happy Hour, and the Shanghai Lin-gang–Dishui Lake Night.
The exhibition will also feature hotels and resorts including Langham Hospitality Group, Meliá Hotels International, Ayana Hotels and Resorts and Sands Resorts Macao, while airlines represented include Air China, EgyptAir, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines and Air Astana.
Alongside the trade show, the CIMX Conference will host 120 speakers across six content tracks covering topics such as incentive travel, meetings strategy, event design, technology and corporate decision-making. The programme has been developed with industry organisations including PCMA, GBTA, ICCA and SITE.
One of the conference’s headline sessions will be the CIMX-ICCA 2026 Global Association Meetings and Destination Development Forum, bringing together destination leaders from across China with international association meetings specialists for a closed-door exchange of ideas and experiences.
Beijing is the event’s official host city partner, while Tianjin, Hainan and Shanghai Lin-gang are destination showcase partners. Following the exhibition, selected international participants will join familiarisation trips to Beijing and Tianjin to explore future opportunities for meetings, incentives and business events across the two cities.
With trade visitor registration entering its final stage, industry professionals are encouraged to register for CIMX 2026 and take part in its inaugural edition in Beijing.
CIMX 2026 will take place in Beijing at the China National Convention Centre Phase II (main picture), alongside the CIMX Conference, November 3-5
