On September 2nd, the Paris Ile-de-France CCI published the 2026 edition of its review of activity for exhibition and convention centres in the Greater Paris region. The figures show an acceleration across almost all indicators in a region that remains Europe's leading business infrastructure offering, with 24 sites and nearly 700,000 m² of indoor exhibition space.
The trade fair sector experienced significant growth in 2025. The region hosted 362 trade fairs, bringing together 100,487 exhibiting companies, compared with 88,785 in 2023, and 7 million visitors, compared with 5.6 million two years earlier. These events generated €4.1 billion in economic impact, compared with €3.3 billion in 2023, and €18.2 billion in sales between exhibitors and visitors, excluding the aerospace and defence sectors.
This trend continued into the first half of 2026: the net floor space occupied by trade fairs in the Île-de-France region increased by 7.4 % and the number of exhibitors by 8.6 % compared with the previous session, confirming the region’s enduring appeal to organisers.
Conference: significant increase in international clientele
The congress sector showed the clearest growth in the results. The region hosted 1,200 in-person congresses in 2025, compared with 589 in 2024, a year hit by the Olympic Games. The number of international delegates nearly reached 133,000, up from 98,927 a year earlier, an overseas clientele that partly explains Paris's return to the global second place in the ICCA rankings. These congresses generated €942 million in economic impact, compared with €920 million in 2024, according to data from Paris je t'aime Convention Bureau.
The other events organised at the 24 main Île-de-France venues also confirm this trend: their number rose from 1,115 to 1,204 events, driven in particular by corporate events (919, compared with 888 in 2024) and shows and cultural and sporting events (119, compared with 79). « These results confirm that business tourism is much more than just a business sector: it is a powerful driver of growth for the Île-de-France region. », summarises Dominique Restino, President of the CCI Paris Ile-de-France.
