China and the US rank as the world’s most attractive exhibition markets in a new country-level ranking introduced by events industry consultancy jwc, while France places ahead of Germany in third position. The new data and analysis by jwc shows why exhibition markets can no longer be judged by size alone
The jwc ranking, published for the first time, applies a multidimensional framework that assesses demand fundamentals, competitive dynamics, venue capacity, ecosystem readiness, and business conditions across major exhibition markets. After the top four, Spain, Italy, the UAE, India, The Netherlands and Singapore complete the top ten.
Segment rankings reveal distinct market strengths
Beyond the overall results, the new ‘jwc Top-10 exhibition markets tables include three scored-criteria rankings that identify clear segment leaders and reveal how markets can excel for very different strategic reasons. All rankings and corresponding analysis are a new part in jwc’s regular ‘GIPR’ report, out now.
In the market-driven segment, which prioritises market size and growth outlook, India ranks first, reflecting strong demand fundamentals and expansion potential. China and the US follow, highlighting the continued importance of scale in markets driven primarily by volume and growth expectations.
The competition-driven segment, which assesses openness, fragmentation and competitive accessibility, is led by China, followed by Bahrain and Kuwait. The results show how competitive structure and regulatory conditions can create opportunity even in comparatively small markets.
In the ecosystem-driven segment, Singapore ranks first, reflecting its highly institutionalised operating environment, international connectivity and administrative efficiency. Spain and Germany follow, underscoring the role of infrastructure, logistics performance and business conditions in supporting exhibition activity.
“These segment rankings show why simplified headline league tables can be misleading,” said Jochen Witt, executivecChairman at jwc. “Markets can be highly attractive for very different reasons. Some benefit from sheer scale, others from competitive openness or ecosystem maturity. A multidimensional approach makes those trade-offs visible rather than averaging them away.”
Why a multidimensional framework matters
Exhibition markets are not homogeneous. They operate at different stages of development and combine scale, growth and ecosystem maturity in very different ways. Some markets are large but structurally constrained, others are smaller yet highly efficient, while a growing group is scaling rapidly on the back of targeted investment and policy support.
According to the analysis, this diversity of market profiles makes single-metric comparisons increasingly inadequate. By distinguishing between market size, competitive dynamics, venue capacity, ecosystem readiness and business conditions, the new jwc framework enables a more nuanced comparison of markets with very different development paths.
“The findings reinforce that market attractiveness depends on strategic objectives,” said Lorenzo Garbujo, jwc project lead. “Organisers face multiple options and this framework is designed to guide them in prioritising markets.”
Reading rankings in context
The divergence between the overall and segment rankings highlights where bottlenecks exist and why markets with similar scale can offer very different strategic profiles. Market-driven rankings tend to favour large economies with strong demand fundamentals, while competition- and ecosystem-driven rankings elevate markets where operational friction is lower or competitive opportunity remains more accessible.
Taken together, the analysis shows that no single exhibition market is universally optimal. Instead, attractiveness depends on how scale, growth, competition and ecosystem conditions interact – and on how those interactions align with specific strategic priorities.
