CIFTIS Beijing Guide: China's Services Trade Fair Explained
By Ilyas Kerbal,
Most Chinese mega-fairs are about products. CIFTIS, the China International Fair for Trade in Services, is about everything else: finance, telecoms and computing, logistics, tourism, education, health, and the professional services that help Chinese companies expand abroad. It sits alongside CIIE (imports) and the Canton Fair (exports) as one of China’s three state-level trade fairs. For consulting firms, law firms, fintech providers and other service businesses, the CIFTIS attendee list is a rare B2B audience in China that actually buys services.
CIFTIS key facts
| Industry | Services trade |
| City | Beijing, China |
| Venue | Shougang Park, Beijing |
| Dates | September, 2026: 9–13 Sep |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Moves between cities? | No, always Beijing |
| Typical scale | ~200,000 attendees · ~2,000 exhibitors |
| Visitor ticket | RMB 20/day or RMB 50 three-day pass (trade days) |
| App / platform | CIFTIS app + WeChat mini program |
| Official website | ciftis.org |
Details checked in October 2026. Dates, prices and venues can change between editions, so confirm on the official CIFTIS website before you book travel.
What is CIFTIS?
CIFTIS combines exhibitions across nine specialised areas with the Global Trade in Services Summit and 16 themed forums. Areas include:
- Financial services and fintech
- Telecom, computer and information services
- Transport, logistics and business services
- Culture, tourism and sport
- Education and health services
- Overseas expansion services: legal, accounting, advertising and HR
The 2026 edition drew delegations from about 70 countries and organisations, every Chinese province, and more than 300 Fortune Global 500 and industry-leading companies. It also added a new zone for service providers that help Chinese companies expand overseas, which is good news for international law, finance, accounting, advertising and HR firms.
Shougang Park is a converted steel works in western Beijing, now used for major events like CIFTIS. Photo: N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Venue and dates
CIFTIS is always held in Beijing, in September. The 2026 edition ran from 9 to 13 September at Shougang Park in Shijingshan District, a converted steel works now used for major events. In earlier years the main venue was the China National Convention Center; the move to Shougang changed the location within the city, not the city itself.
Shougang Park is in western Beijing, a long way from the CBD, so plan transport time between meetings. Expect the 2027 edition in September.
Who attends CIFTIS
| Attendee | What they want | Who should target them |
|---|---|---|
| Multinational service providers and Fortune 500 firms | Chinese clients and partners | Local partners, consultancies |
| Chinese companies expanding overseas | Legal, financial, marketing and HR help abroad | International professional services firms |
| Government delegations and international organisations | Cooperation and investment | Investment promotion agencies |
| Investors and consultants | Opportunities and mandates | Startups, advisory firms |
| Professional services firms | Clients and referrals | Each other, tech vendors |
| General public (weekend) | Culture, tourism, consumer services | Consumer-facing brands |
Planning to exhibit at CIFTIS? I build CIFTIS attendee and exhibitor lists before the event: names, job titles, companies, company size, LinkedIn profiles and work emails where available, delivered as a CSV ready for HubSpot, Salesforce or Pipedrive. Ask for your CIFTIS list
Tickets
| Days | Who | Price (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Professional days (9–11 Sep) | Trade visitors | RMB 20 per day or RMB 50 for three days |
| Public days (12–13 Sep) | General public | Free with reservation |
You need the original ID used for booking, and there are no refunds within 48 hours of a session.
The CIFTIS app
Tickets and information are available through the CIFTIS app, the official WeChat mini program (服贸会 | ciftis), the WeChat account and ciftis.org. These make registration simple. They don’t help you find which Chinese companies are planning overseas expansion, who leads that effort, or how to reach them. For a services firm, that’s the list that matters.
Is CIFTIS worth it?
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Rare focus on services | Policy-driven and showcase-heavy |
| Very cheap tickets | Public days dilute the business audience |
| Senior government and multinational participation | Forums mostly in Chinese |
| Good for firms targeting Chinese outbound companies | Shougang is far from the CBD |
| Easy registration via app and mini program | Less relevant for hardware sellers |
Prefer to arrive with a target list? I turn CIFTIS exhibitor directories and app profiles into a sorted, enriched list you can filter by country, industry and job title. Send me your brief
Making CIFTIS work for a services business
- Go on professional days only. The weekend public days are not where deals happen.
- Focus on the overseas expansion zone if you serve Chinese companies going abroad.
- Prepare bilingual credentials and a clear case study for Chinese clients.
- Target provincial delegations. They often bring companies with real expansion plans.
- Schedule meetings in clusters to avoid crossing Beijing repeatedly.
- Follow up via WeChat and email. Many Chinese contacts respond faster on WeChat.
FAQ
When is CIFTIS held?
Every September in Beijing. The 2026 edition ran 9–13 September at Shougang Park.
How much are CIFTIS tickets?
For 2026, professional days cost RMB 20 per day or RMB 50 for three days. Public days were free with a reservation.
Is CIFTIS useful for foreign service companies?
Yes, especially for firms helping Chinese companies expand overseas. A dedicated zone for those services was added in 2026.
Can I get a CIFTIS attendee list?
There’s no exportable list in the app. I can compile exhibitors, delegation members and attendee profiles into an enriched file.
Want the CIFTIS attendee list?
Most teams arrive at a show like CIFTIS with a booth, a brochure and no plan for who they actually need to meet. I’m Ilyas, and through Prospector I build enriched attendee, exhibitor and speaker lists for B2B sales teams: job titles, companies, company size, industry, LinkedIn profiles and work emails where available, delivered as a CSV or Excel file that imports straight into HubSpot, Salesforce or Pipedrive. Tell me which event you’re going to and who you sell to, and I’ll take it from there.
Contact me on the home page to request your CIFTIS list
Related event guides
- CIFIT Xiamen Guide: China’s Two-Way Investment Fair
- CIMT 2027 Beijing: China Machine Tool Show Guide and Leads
- CISCE Beijing: China International Supply Chain Expo Guide
Sources
Photo credits
- Cover image: CIFTIS Hall 3, SGICEC (20260910123435) by N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- In-article image: Shougang International Convention and Exhibition Center during CIFTIS 2024 (20240916125402) by N509FZ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
