IM Sinoexpo

What IM Sinoexpo does

IM Sinoexpo (Shanghai Bohua International Exhibition Co., Ltd., 上海博华国际展览有限公司) is a Shanghai-headquartered B2B exhibition and trade-show organizer, established in 1998 as China's first Sino-foreign joint venture exhibition company through a partnership between Shanghai Huazhan International Exhibition Co., Ltd. and UBM Asia (now Informa Group). The company operates as a subsidiary of Informa PLC, a FTSE 100-listed events and publishing conglomerate, and runs more than 70 trade exhibitions annually across six industry clusters: furniture and home fashion, food/beverage/hospitality, hotel and commercial space, pharmaceutical and health, marine and lifestyle tourism, and industry joint exhibitions. In 2025, the company rented approximately 1.886 million square meters of exhibition space, attracted 1.414 million visitors from 176+ countries, and hosted 20,521 domestic exhibitors alongside 428 forums and 137 competition/themed events.

The company operates a vertically integrated online-offline platform that combines physical exhibitions with a digital ecosystem comprising 16 B2B preferred websites (Chinese and English), 7 WeChat mini-programs, 3 mobile apps, and over 40 WeChat official accounts. Flagship brands include HOTELEX Shanghai, CPHI China, Hotel & Shop Plus, China International Furniture Fair, FHC China, ProPak China, China Clean Expo, and Tourism Plus Shanghai. In 2025, the company entered what it calls the 'Digital 5.0 era,' characterized by platform intelligence and management intelligence with full system interconnection. The company maintains wholly-owned subsidiaries and joint ventures including Shenzhen Boying Exhibition (Greater Bay Area operations, established April 2026), Guangzhou Bohong International Exhibition (bakery industry), and Zhongshan Guzhen Lighting Expo.

IM Sinoexpo generates revenue from four primary streams: (1) exhibition booth sales to exhibitors across 70+ annual events (one-time per event but with strong recurring participation); (2) organization of industry competitions, forums, and themed activities (professional services); (3) subscription-based digital platform services across the 16 B2B websites and mobile applications; and (4) overseas exhibition services in Southeast Asia. Major customers include enterprise exhibitors spanning multiple industries and international buyer delegations from Malaysia, South Korea, Russia, Argentina, Australia, Germany, and the United States. Pricing for exhibitions typically offers a 100 RMB discount for early pre-registration versus onsite, suggesting demand-based event pricing rather than enterprise contract pricing. The company has expanded geographically from Shanghai to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Zhengzhou, and Zhongshan in China, plus Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia internationally, supported by a staff of approximately 600 employees.

Name

IM Sinoexpo

Legal name

上海博华国际展览有限公司

Website

https://imsinoexpo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

IM Sinoexpo (上海博华国际展览) is a Shanghai-based B2B trade-show organizer and subsidiary of Informa PLC, operating 70+ annual exhibitions across six industry clusters (furniture, F&B/hospitality, hotel/commercial space, pharma/health, marine/lifestyle tourism) with an integrated digital platform of 16 B2B websites, mini-programs, and apps serving 20,521 exhibitors and 1.414 million visitors annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Exhibition and B2B Commerce Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry-Specific B2B Trade Show Organizers (THAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD), Trade Show & Exhibition Marketing (Booth Design/Build) (MPAAAGAC)

Keywords

• B2B trade exhibitions
• Exhibition organization services
• B2B commerce platforms
• Industry trade shows
• Online-offline exhibition solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Exhibition Booth Sales: Primary revenue from renting exhibition space to exhibitors across 70+ annual exhibitions covering furniture, F&B, hotels, pharma, lighting, marine, and other industries. Revenue is one-time per event with strong recurring exhibitor base.
2. Event & Competition Organization: Revenue from organizing industry competitions, forums, matchmaking sessions, and themed activities. In 2025, company held 428 forum sessions and 137 competition and themed events.
3. Digital Platform Services: B2B platform services including website subscriptions, mini-program access, and APP products. Platforms include Furniture Online, Food & Beverage Online, Store Commerce Online, Clean Online, Lighting Online, Pharma Online, and Food Processing Packaging Online.
4. Overseas Exhibition Services: Exhibition organization services for overseas markets in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries, helping Chinese companies expand internationally.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IM Sinoexpo organizes 70+ annual B2B trade exhibitions across furniture, food & beverage, hospitality, pharmaceutical, lighting, marine, and lifestyle industries, complemented by 16 B2B websites, 7 mini-programs, 3 mobile apps, and virtual exhibition platforms (VEC, DTS). The company provides integrated online-offline trade matchmaking services connecting Chinese suppliers with global buyers across 176+ countries, offering exhibition booth rentals, digital platform subscriptions, matchmaking sessions, and event organization services.

Product overview

IM Sinoexpo (上海博华国际展览有限公司) operates as a comprehensive exhibition and B2B commerce platform with an integrated online-offline model. The core offering consists of 70+ annual trade exhibitions across six major industry clusters: (1) Furniture/Home/Design (including China International Furniture Fair, 摩登上海时尚家居展), (2) Food/Beverage/Hospitality (HOTELEX Shanghai, FHC环球食品展), (3) Commercial Space/Cleaning/Lighting (Hotel & Shop Plus, CCE China Clean Expo, 古镇灯博会), (4) Pharmaceutical/Health/Food Processing (CPhI & PMEC China, ProPak China, 健康天然原料展), (5) Boat/Tourism/Lifestyle (CIBS boat show, Tourism Plus Shanghai, 生活方式上海秀), and (6) Industry Joint Exhibitions (深圳联展, 成都联展). The digital ecosystem complements physical exhibitions through 16 B2B preferred websites (家具在线, 食饮在线, 店商在线, 清洁在线, 灯饰在线, 制药在线, 食品加工包装在线, 船艇休闲旅游在线), 7 WeChat mini-programs, and 3 mobile apps, creating a year-round '展网融合' (exhibition-network integration) platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 家具在线 (Jiajiale): Professional furniture industry vertical B2B platform with O2O closed loop, offering over 100 million website traffic and PC Chinese site Baidu weight 6.
• 食饮在线 (Shiyin)
• 店商在线 (Dianshang)
• 清洁在线 (Qingjie)
• 灯饰在线 (Denggle)
• 制药在线 (CPhI Online)
• 食品加工包装在线 (SJGLE)
• VEC
• DTS (外贸线上展)
• HOTELEX
• Hotel & Shop Plus
• CCE (China Clean Expo)
• CPHI China
• Tourism Plus Shanghai
• ProPak China
• FHC China
• Connexion Shenzhen

Products and services

• HOTELEX Shanghai (Shanghai International Hotel & Catering Expo)

Quantifiable outcome

• International visitor growth of 48.08% YoY at HOTELEX Shanghai 2026
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• China Stationery & Sporting Goods Association (CSSGA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2026Partnership to create the 2026 Shanghai International Premium Fishing Tackle Exhibition. CSSGA brings industry resources and动员能力 (mobilization capacity) to the fishing tackle sector, while IM Sinoexpo provides exhibition platform and cross-industry synergies with Tourism Plus Shanghai.
• Shanghai Yinghe Exhibition Service Co., Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Joint venture to create the 2026 Shanghai International Personal Care New Consumption & Innovation Exhibition. Yinghe Exhibition brings expertise in personal care industry with its PCE brand covering Guangzhou and Shanghai markets.
• IFOAM - Organics Asia (International Organic Agriculture Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 December 2025Strategic partnership to co-organize the 2026 Asian Organic Industry Exhibition. IFOAM Asia brings industry resources, 25 member countries, and expertise in organic agriculture standards. The exhibition will be held June 15-17, 2026 at National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) alongside Health & Pack series.
• ISSAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2025ISSA provides support for the China Clean Expo (CCE), the premier cleaning industry exhibition in China organized by IM Sinoexpo. CCE 2026 features nearly 500 exhibitors showcasing cleaning products, equipment, and smart cleaning technologies including robotics and IoT innovations.
• Informa Markets (英富曼集团)coreOthersInforma Markets is the parent company of IM Sinoexpo, established in 1998 when Shanghai Huazhan International Exhibition Co., Ltd. partnered with Asia Business Communications (now Informa Markets). Informa is a FTSE 100 company and one of the world's largest exhibition organizers.
• Guangzhou Bohong International Exhibition Co., Ltd.coreOthersJoint venture company co-organizing the China Baking Exhibition (CBE) and other food industry events with All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce Baking Industry Committee.
• Zhongshan Guzhen Lighting Expo Co., Ltd.coreOthersSubsidiary managing the China Guzhen International Lighting Fair, the premier lighting industry exhibition in China covering 150万+ sqm and attracting over 2000+ brands.
• Shenzhen Boying Exhibition Co., Ltd.coreOthersWholly-owned subsidiary established April 2026 for localized operations in the Greater Bay Area (Shenzhen), supporting the company's regional expansion strategy.
• China National Hardware Exhibition GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Henan Frozen Cube Exhibition Group for HOTELEX Zhengzhou exhibition covering frozen food industry, 50,000 sqm with 800+ exhibitors.
• Meichen NetworkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStrategic cooperation to add Meichen Exhibition to the Tourism Plus Shanghai 2025 cluster, expanding into commercial space decoration and marketing event industry.
• China Chain Store & Franchise AssociationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for SFE Shanghai International Franchise Exhibition, connecting franchise brands with investors and business opportunities.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• RX Global (Reed Exhibitions): RELX-owned global B2B exhibition organizer operating flagship shows including ISPE, JCK, and MIPIM in China and Asia, with comparable vertical-agnostic portfolio strategy and exhibition-plus-digital platform structure.
• Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC): Statutory body organizing Hong Kong's flagship B2B trade fairs (e.g., Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair, Hong Kong Watch & Clock) and operating the hktdc.com Sourcing platform — the closest geographic and operational analog to IM Sinoexpo's exhibition-plus-B2B model.
• Messe Frankfurt: Germany-headquartered global B2B trade fair organizer operating major events such as Ambiente, Prolight+Sound, and Heimtextil in China and across Asia; directly comparable to IM Sinoexpo for industry-specific B2B exhibitions and venue scale.

Broad incumbents

• Messe Düsseldorf: Operator of ProWein, interpack, drupa, and K, with foreign-revenue subsidiaries in China and Asia; comparable as another German incumbent pursuing international B2B exhibition expansion.
• Messe München: Munich-headquartered trade fair operator of bauma, IFAT, and drinktec, with selected China editions and global licensing; comparable for large-scale B2B exhibitions organized on a venue-plus-industry specialization model.
• Hyve Group: UK-based B2B exhibition organizer (formed from ITE Group) focused on emerging markets including China, Russia, Turkey, and Southeast Asia; comparable as a multi-vertical organizer in regions where IM Sinoexpo is expanding.
• Deutsche Messe (Hannover Fairs): German trade fair organizer behind Hannover Messe, DOMOTEX, and LIGNA, with active Asia presence (e.g., industrial automation fairs in China and Southeast Asia); comparable as a diversified B2B exhibition incumbent.
• GL Events: French integrated event solutions group organizing exhibitions and operating venues globally, including Asia; comparable for diversified event-organizer business model spanning exhibitions, venue management, and on-site services.
• Koelnmesse: Cologne-based trade fair organizer running events such as Anuga FoodTec, ISM, and gamescom worldwide, including China editions; comparable as a major European incumbent expanding B2B trade fairs into the Chinese market.

Regional players

• CCPIT Exhibition (China Council for the Promotion of International Trade): Chinese state-affiliated organizer of B2B trade fairs and the Canton Fair complex, with deep domestic venue relationships and buyer-program infrastructure; primary direct competitor within mainland China for cross-industry B2B exhibitions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IM Sinoexpo