China International Industry Fair (CIIF) is a Shanghai industrial trade fair that brings manufacturing sectors together under one event. Its 26th edition is scheduled for October 12–16, 2026, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).
— A single fair with several industrial entry points
China International Industry Fair (CIIF) is a Shanghai industrial trade fair that brings manufacturing sectors together under one event. Its 26th edition is scheduled for October 12–16, 2026, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). The announced program comprises ten theme shows, including industrial automation and robotics. Industrial Automation Show (IAS) and Robotics Show (RS) are specialist sections of the fair, sharing its dates and venue under the CIIF name.
The fair groups fields that manufacturers often address together. Production machinery depends on controls, robotics and materials; energy and transport projects also draw on equipment and digital systems. CIIF’s theme shows give each field a defined place in the program while allowing visitors to move between related sectors. IAS covers automation technologies and system solutions, while RS focuses on robot technologies and applications. Their presence within one exhibition helps explain why both names appear beside CIIF in international event listings.
CIIF also combines exhibition, trade, awards and forums, the four functions identified by the organizer. The exhibition brings industrial technologies to the floor; forums create space for technical and industry discussion; awards recognize selected industrial developments. Commercial conversations connect suppliers with manufacturing customers across those activities. This wider program has developed around a fair first held in 1999 and now preparing for its 26th edition.
Ten theme shows for the 2026 edition
The organizer’s 2026 program identifies ten theme shows. Metalworking and CNC Machine Tool Show (MWCS), Industrial Automation Show (IAS) and Robotics Show (RS) provide recognizable entry points for equipment and production technology. Energy Show (ES), Future Transportation Industry Show (FTIS), Green Low-Carbon Show (GLCS) and New Material Industry Show (NMIS) extend the scope to energy systems, mobility, decarbonization and materials. Scientific and Technological Innovation Show (STIS), Advanced Intelligent Manufacturing Show (AIMS) and IC Ecosystem Show (ICES) complete the announced structure.
The specialist names identify distinct parts of the exhibition rather than alternative names for CIIF. MWCS addresses production equipment and machining; IAS focuses on automation; RS covers robotics. AIMS brings software, connected production and industrial AI into the manufacturing program. Energy, materials, mobility and research-led innovation have their own areas. A team following factory modernization can therefore begin with equipment or controls, then examine the related robotics and intelligent-manufacturing sections without changing events.
The same breadth extends beyond factory automation. ES concerns energy systems, while GLCS addresses low-carbon industrial development. NMIS and FTIS cover materials and transportation respectively. STIS provides a place for scientific and technological innovation within the fair. The themes span different stages of industrial development, from research and materials to machinery, applications and the energy systems that support them.
Several of these subjects meet at the level of an industrial project. A new production line may require machine tools from the metalworking sector, controls associated with automation, and robots for handling or assembly. Materials and energy choices can shape the design of the same line. CIIF’s program does not present these fields as a single product category; it places their specialist exhibitions in proximity, where the technical connections can be examined alongside the separate markets each show serves.
ICES is the integrated-circuit ecosystem component of the program, placing the sector alongside other fields serving manufacturing. AIMS focuses on intelligent manufacturing through industrial AI, software and connected production themes. Their emphasis differs, but both sit within the ten-show program. CIIF’s overall identity remains industrial: it connects these areas with equipment, production processes and wider manufacturing needs.
A Shanghai setting with international reach
Shanghai provides the setting for an event that connects technology providers, industrial enterprises and professional visitors across several manufacturing sectors. China remains a major market for production equipment, automation and industrial services, and the fair’s local setting puts those subjects in front of companies active in the market. Visitors following a particular technology can examine it alongside related equipment, components, materials and digital systems during the same exhibition week.
The fair has previously drawn an international professional audience. A Shanghai municipal industry department account of the 2025 edition reported professional visits from 133 countries and regions. That reach matters because industrial projects often involve suppliers, customers and technical partners across borders. The 2026 program remains anchored in Shanghai while covering manufacturing subjects of interest to companies working in multiple markets.
The announced 2026 plan calls for roughly 300,000 square meters of exhibition space and more than 3,000 exhibitors. Across an event of that planned size, the theme-show structure serves a practical purpose: machinery, controls, robotics and materials can be located through dedicated specialist areas rather than treated as a single undifferentiated display. The exhibition and forum programs also offer different ways to examine a subject, from equipment on the floor to discussion of industrial applications.
The mix creates opportunities for cross-sector meetings. Automation suppliers may encounter machinery makers and manufacturers concerned with integration; materials specialists may connect with equipment or transport projects. Such exchanges are possible because the fields share an event calendar and venue. The current exhibitor and forum listings identify the companies and sessions behind the broader theme-show names, giving visitors a basis for arranging specific conversations.
The fair also provides a common point of reference for organizations outside China that follow developments in Chinese manufacturing. A company tracking automation can identify IAS within the CIIF calendar; a robotics company can identify RS under the same dates and venue. Those distinctions matter for event research, travel planning and coverage of the exhibition. They also leave room to explore neighboring sectors once the current exhibitor directory and forum schedule give a clearer picture of who will participate.
How to read the 2026 program
IAS and RS occupy distinct parts of the 2026 program. IAS centers on automation technologies and system solutions; RS covers the robotics industry chain and industrial and service applications. A control-system project may lead toward IAS, while an investigation of robot technologies begins with RS. Both connect to the larger manufacturing program through equipment, integration and intelligent production. Their separate names allow event listings and visitor plans to distinguish automation systems from robot technologies within the same fair.
The program changes with each edition. Earlier CIIF materials described nine theme shows; the announced 2026 structure names ten, including the IC ecosystem theme. That change makes the current theme-show layout, exhibitor information and forum calendar essential references for anyone arranging meetings. The English CIIF website carries the published visitor and event information ahead of opening day.
CIIF 2026 brings machinery, automation, robotics, energy, materials and intelligent production together at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) from October 12 to 16. Its specialist shows give the broad industrial fair a clear internal structure, while the exhibition, trade, awards and forum functions extend activity beyond product displays. For international manufacturing businesses, the event offers a Shanghai setting in which to follow their own sector and its links to adjacent fields.
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Company Name: China International Industry Fair
Contact Person: Nancy Xu
Email: wtxu@shanghaiexpogroup.com
State: Shanghai
Country: China
Website: https://www.ciif-expo.com/homeEn
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Name: Nancy Xu
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Organization: China International Industry Fair
Website: https://www.ciif-expo.com/homeEn
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