CIIE 2026 Guide: Dates, Tickets, Buyers and Attendee List
By Ilyas Kerbal,
Want a sample first? Download the free CIIE 2026 exhibitor list
The China International Import Expo (CIIE) flips the normal trade show model. Instead of Chinese factories selling to the world, foreign companies take the booths and Chinese buyers come to purchase. If your product is aimed at the Chinese import market, the CIIE attendee list is one of the most valuable contact lists you can hold in Asia.
This guide covers what CIIE is, when and where the 2026 edition happens, how registration works, who actually walks the halls, and how to prepare so the week in Shanghai turns into signed deals rather than a stack of business cards.
CIIE at a glance
| Industry | Multi-sector import trade |
| City | Shanghai, China |
| Venue | National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC), Hongqiao, Shanghai |
| Dates | Early November, 9th edition 5–10 Nov 2026 (visitor days 6–10 Nov) |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Moves between cities? | No, fixed at NECC Shanghai |
| Typical scale | ~400,000 attendees · ~3,500 exhibitors |
| Visitor ticket | RMB 200 (≈ US$30) full-week visitor pass |
| App / platform | CIIE app + WeChat mini program + online matchmaking |
| Official website | ciie.org |
Details checked in October 2026. Dates, prices and venues can change between editions, so confirm on the official CIIE website before you book travel.
What is the China International Import Expo?
CIIE is the world’s first national-level expo dedicated to imports. The Chinese government launched it in 2018, and each edition opens with a leaders’ speech and the Hongqiao International Economic Forum. At the close, organisers publish the total value of “intended deals” signed during the week.
The business exhibition is split into themed areas:
- Food and agricultural products, from wine and dairy to seafood and specialty foods
- Automobiles and smart mobility
- Technical equipment, including industrial automation, robotics, energy and semiconductors
- Consumer goods such as cosmetics, luxury, fashion and home goods
- Medical equipment, pharma and healthcare products
- Trade in services: logistics, finance, consulting, tourism and education
A Country Exhibition of national pavilions runs alongside. For a foreign company that wants to sell into China, very few rooms are more efficient.
The NECC “four-leaf clover” complex in Hongqiao has hosted every CIIE since 2018. Photo: Shwangtianyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Where and when CIIE takes place
The 9th CIIE runs from 5 to 10 November 2026, with professional visitor days from 6 to 10 November. It is held, as every edition has been, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Shanghai’s Hongqiao district. The building sits next to Hongqiao Airport and the Hongqiao railway station, and Metro Lines 2, 10 and 17 serve the venue.
Overseas visitors collect their badges at QUBE Hotel Shanghai Hongqiao. The location does not change between editions, which makes planning easier year to year, but Hongqiao hotels sell out fast and the metro is packed on expo days. Book early.
Who attends CIIE
Roughly 400,000 people and around 3,500 exhibitors take part. The buyer side is what makes this show different: many visitors arrive with a mandate to purchase.
| Attendee group | What they come for | Who should prospect them |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese importers, distributors and wholesalers | New foreign brands and products to bring into China | Exporters, brand owners, trade agencies |
| SOE and retail group procurement teams | Volume purchasing and framework agreements | Food, consumer goods and equipment suppliers |
| Provincial and municipal trading delegations | Government-organised buying missions | Exporters with scale and certifications |
| Cross-border e-commerce platforms | Category buyers looking for import SKUs | Consumer brands, cosmetics, health products |
| Foreign exhibitors (Fortune 500 and SMEs) | Chinese buyers and partners | Logistics, consulting, finance and service providers |
| Officials, ministers and diplomats | Trade policy and bilateral deals | Investment promotion agencies, chambers |
That last point matters for service companies. With thousands of multinationals and foreign SMEs in one building, the CIIE exhibitor list is a strong prospecting list in its own right for logistics firms, customs brokers, market-entry consultants and payment providers.
Don’t spend three days of LinkedIn research on CIIE. I do the digging and send you an enriched attendee and exhibitor file, sorted the way your team prospects. Start your CIIE request
Tickets and registration
Registration is online only. There is no on-site sign-up, and the deadlines come early.
| Pass | Valid days | Price (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Professional visitor certificate | 6–10 Nov | RMB 200 (about US$30) |
| Professional visitor certificate | 8–10 Nov | RMB 100 (about US$15) |
| Exhibitor participation | Full event | Separate application |
For 2026, registration closed on 20 October and payment on 23 October. Payment works with UnionPay, WeChat Pay, Alipay, international cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Security and badge approval are strict, so treat the deadlines as hard.
The CIIE app and its limits
Registration runs through the official website, the CIIE app and the CIIE WeChat mini program (Business Exhibition, then Visitor, then Registration). Approved visitors also get access to an online matchmaking platform for pre-booking meetings with exhibitors.
The matchmaking tool helps, but it was built for browsing, not for sales pipelines. You cannot pull a clean export of the companies and people you want, profiles are often thin, and most of the environment is in Chinese. Teams that want a proper target list usually end up copying names by hand for days. That’s the gap a pre-built, enriched list fills.
Is CIIE worth attending?
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Buyers attend with a mandate to purchase imports | Registration closes weeks ahead, no walk-ins |
| Government delegations bring volume and seniority | Hongqiao hotels sell out, metro is crowded |
| Thousands of multinationals and SMEs in one place | Political and choreographed; many deals are framework agreements |
| Matchmaking platform for pre-scheduled meetings | Mostly Chinese-language; interpreters often needed |
| Airport and high-speed rail next door | Only valuable if you target the Chinese import market |
The weeks before CIIE are when meetings get booked. With the enriched attendee list in hand early, your team can start outreach while others are still printing brochures. Request your CIIE list
How to prepare for CIIE as a seller
- Decide which side you are selling to. Chinese buyers and foreign exhibitors are two very different audiences. Pick one primary target before you build any list.
- Register before mid-October. Badges need approval, and late applications are simply refused.
- Build your target list four to six weeks out. Filter by sector hall (food, consumer goods, medical, equipment) and by country pavilion.
- Book meetings through the matchmaking platform and directly. Use the platform for Chinese buyers, and direct LinkedIn or email outreach for foreign exhibitors.
- Bring an interpreter or Chinese-speaking colleague. It changes the quality of every conversation.
- Load every contact into your CRM the same week. Framework agreements need follow-up, and leads from a six-day event go cold quickly.
Frequently asked questions
When is CIIE 2026?
The 9th CIIE runs from 5 to 10 November 2026 at the NECC in Shanghai. Professional visitor days are 6 to 10 November.
Can foreigners register on site at CIIE?
No. Registration is online only, and the 2026 deadlines were 20 October for registration and 23 October for payment.
How much does a CIIE visitor pass cost?
For 2026, RMB 200 (about US$30) covers 6 to 10 November, and RMB 100 (about US$15) covers 8 to 10 November.
Is there a CIIE exhibitor or attendee list?
The official app and matchmaking platform let approved visitors browse exhibitors, but they don’t offer a usable export. An enriched list compiled before the event is the practical way to plan outreach.
Walk into CIIE with a target list
If CIIE is on your calendar, the time to build your target list is now, not on the plane. Send me the event and your ideal customer profile and I’ll put together an enriched list of the people and companies that will be there, ready for your CRM and your outreach sequences.
Ask for your CIIE attendee list
Related event guides
- China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) Nanning: Guide and Attendee Leads
- Canton Fair Guide: Phases, Buyer Registration and Leads
- Yiwu International Commodities Fair: Buyer Guide and Leads
Sources
- Shanghai Gov: FAQs for overseas professional visitor registration, 9th CIIE
- Trip.com: CIIE 2026 guide for overseas visitors
- Official site: ciie.org
Photo credits
- Cover image: China International Import Expo - Ambassador Burns speaks to a woman in front of wine bottles by U.S. Embassy in China, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
- In-article image: 1H area of National Exhibition and Convention Centre (Shanghai) by Shwangtianyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
