On September 17, the "First China Green Convention & Exhibition Conference" was solemnly held at the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Tianjin). The conference was co-hosted by the International Convention and Exhibition Economy Committee (ICEEC) of the China International Economic Cooperation Association, the Convention and Exhibition Work Committee of the National Federation of Urban Industrial Goods Trading Centers, the Global Expo Integrated Media Platform, and the China Green Convention & Exhibition Service Platform.
As a key concurrent event of the 2026 Green and Low-Carbon Expo, the conference brought together hundreds of guests from government authorities, industry associations, exhibition organizers, venue operators, and industrial-chain service providers. They discussed the current state, challenges, and future pathways of green conventions and exhibitions in China, advanced the comprehensive green transformation of the exhibition industry, and supported the national "dual-carbon" goals and the high-quality development of green trade.
Gao Yuanyuan, President of the China International Economic Cooperation Association; Gao Zijian, Vice President of the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Tianjin) Co., Ltd.; and Liu Xinguo, Deputy Director-General of the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Commerce and Deputy Director of the Tianjin Convention and Exhibition Work Bureau, attended and delivered speeches. Lu Cheng, Deputy Director and Secretary-General of ICEEC, hosted the event.
In her speech, President Gao Yuanyuan pointed out that green conventions and exhibitions are no minor matter for a single industry, but concrete actions to implement Xi Jinping's thought on ecological civilization, serve the national "dual-carbon" strategy, and advance the joint development of a green Belt and Road. Green is the passport for Chinese exhibitions to "go global" and the greatest common denominator of the global exhibition industry; the green transformation of China's exhibition industry requires ecosystem-building across the entire industrial chain.
To address the widespread challenge of "wanting to go green but not knowing where to start," the China Green Convention & Exhibition Service Platform, jointly developed by ICEEC and a number of industry institutions, was officially launched. Positioned as a comprehensive public-service platform integrating "standards inquiry, tool support, resource matchmaking, and case sharing," it will effectively connect governments, associations, organizers, service providers, and exhibitors, providing digital support for the nationwide spread of green exhibition concepts and the promotion of green practices.
As a key part of the event, the China Green Convention & Exhibition Development Report (2026) was officially released. Organized and compiled by ICEEC, the Report is positioned as "systematic assessment, trend analysis, and practical guidance." For the first time, it examines the green and low-carbon development of the exhibition industry from the new perspective of "momentum driving."
Ying Lijun, Chief Editor of the Report, Vice Chair of ICEEC, and Deputy Director of the Academic Committee of the China Convention and Exhibition Society, gave an in-depth interpretation of the Report's core ideas and ten key insights. The Report makes clear that green conventions and exhibitions are by no means a simple adjustment in the way exhibitions are run, but a profound restructuring of the exhibition industry's value system, operating model, and industrial ecosystem.
The conference conducted in-depth discussions on core topics such as policy guidance, standards development, and practical exploration of green conventions and exhibitions. A number of distinguished guests delivered keynote speeches, offering a feast of ideas on green conventions and exhibitions from the diverse perspectives of macro policy, academic research, and frontline corporate practice.
Chen Yongqing, former Director-General of the Department of Soil Ecology and Environment of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, spoke on "The Progress, Problems, and Prospects of Carbon Neutrality for Major Events in China." He systematically reviewed the policy systems, technical guidelines, and implementation status of carbon neutrality for major events at national and local levels, and outlined a clear pathway for the "15th Five-Year Plan" period—"deep source emission reduction, standards leadership, and market empowerment"—providing authoritative guidance for green compliance in the exhibition industry.
Yu Hua, Deputy Director of the Institute of Trade in Services at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, focused on "The Development Trends and Practices of Green Exhibition Management." He analyzed five major new trends, including the "normalization of policy," "full life-cycle management," and the "synergy of digitalization and greening." He affirmed the benchmark practices of leading exhibitions such as the Canton Fair and CIIE, while pointing to real challenges facing small and medium-sized exhibitions—cost pressures and uneven implementation of standards—and proposed strengthening standards implementation and fostering green supply chains.
Deng Shuai, Vice President of Jingzheng Exhibition Group, speaking as a representative of exhibition organizers, shared his company's deep understanding of green exhibition management. He argued that green conventions and exhibitions are not only a policy requirement but an inevitable choice for enterprises to "reduce costs and increase efficiency" and invest in long-term value. Through electronic show catalogs, optimized exhibitor services, and joint efforts with venues and stand builders to build a green ecosystem, Jingzheng has integrated the green concept into every detail of exhibition management, proving through practice that "green is competitiveness."
The conference featured a roundtable dialogue hosted by Fan Peikang, Chair of ICEEC and former President and Editor-in-Chief of China Trade News. Guests included Zhao Chuang, Vice Chair of ICEEC and Director of the National Convention and Exhibition Work Committee; Zhang Lijuan, Director of the International Cooperation Division of the China Chamber of International Commerce; Wu Furong, Vice President of Huamo Exhibition Group; and Deng Shuai, Vice President of Jingzheng Exhibition Group. They engaged in a lively exchange on "The Cost-Benefit and Implementation Pathways of Green Exhibition Management."
The guests agreed that while green transformation increases costs in the short term, it is the only path to greater competitiveness in the long run. Solving the cost challenge requires policy guidance and support, coordination and sharing across the entire industrial chain, and—above all—the empowerment and innovation of digital technology. The dialogue offered rich ideas and inspiration for breaking the industry's bottlenecks.
Following the plenary session on the morning of September 17, the conference also held dedicated sessions on green display and on industry-education integration in green conventions and exhibitions; on the morning of September 18, further sessions addressed green exhibition standards and digital-intelligent empowerment of exhibitions.