The Global Exhibition CEO Shanghai Summit will be held in the city from June 19 to 21 after a three-year hiatus due to COVID-19.

More than 250 domestic and overseas senior executives of exhibition groups and institutions and heads of industry associations will attend the event, according to the Shanghai Convention and Exhibition Industries Association (SCEIA).

The summit will be an important sign of a full recovery of China's convention and exhibition industry and its return to the center of the global exhibition market, bringing new opportunities to the global convention and exhibition industry, said Chen Xianjin, an official from the SCEIA.

"Invited CEOs are very excited and they hope to make the trip as soon as possible," Chen told Xinhua. He went on to add that over the past decade, China has been the fastest-growing exhibition market and almost all internationally renowned exhibition enterprises have set up subsidiaries in Chinese cities such as Shanghai.

The invitees naturally pay attention to China's economic prospects, particularly after the optimization of COVID-19 control measures, Chen said. "The Chinese business is vital to them."

The exhibition industry has been regarded as the barometer of the economy. Data from the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce showed that the city's exhibition industry is expected to make a quick recovery this year.

The city's main exhibition venues plan to hold nearly 300 exhibitions this year, with an exhibition area of more than 14 million square meters, said the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce.

Statistics showed that in 2019, Shanghai held 1,043 economic and trade exhibitions and relevant activities, with a total exhibition area of 19.41 million square meters, a record high in history.

Chen said that Shanghai's exhibition industry is in the recovery period this year, and after one or two years, its market size is expected to return to the pre-pandemic level. "Multinational enterprises should seize the new opportunities stemming from China's development," he added.

The Global Exhibition CEO Shanghai Summit was held annually from 2014 to 2019, attracting more than 1,000 corporate executives and government officials from over 20 countries and regions over the years.