Paris remains a top destination for business travel and MICE

2024 marked a full recovery

After encouraging signs of rebound in 2022 and steady growth in 2023, 2024 confirmed a strong comeback, driven by stellar results from four flagship events—Wine Paris, Viva Technology, Paris Packaging Week and JEC World. 367 trade shows were staged across the region’s 24 major venues (vs. 368 in 2022 and 446 in 2018). They attracted 103,279 companies which participate in an exhibition, up 12.3% from 2022 but still 4.5% below 2018. Professional shows set a record with 75,224 exhibiting firms, including 35,615 foreign exhibitors, the highest since 2010.

Total attendance reached 6.2 million visitors (6.6 million in 2022; 9.3 million in 2018). International attendance climbed to 418,538, edging past 2022’s 402,330 but still short of 2018’s 817,428.

Economic impact for the Paris region hit €4.4 billion, €568 million more than in 2022, while exhibitor-visitor business transactions totaled €21.5 billion (up from €17.9 billion).

Congress Activity Dipped in Olympic Year

Paris ranked 6th worldwide in the 2024 ICCA index of international congress destinations. The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games meanwhile reduced available venues from May to October, leading to fewer international congresses than in 2023. Even so, the city hosted 589 congresses and 689,492 delegates, over 14% from abroad. Having topped the ICCA list eight times since 2010, Paris is expected to return to the podium in 2025.

Other Events Across Île-de-France
In 2024, the region’s exhibition centers also welcomed 1,356 other events—corporate gatherings, cultural and sporting happenings, exams, trainings and more—drawing over 3.6 million participants. The Olympic Games significantly boosted activity and space use in the cultural and sporting segment.

“Trade-show activity in Paris and the surrounding region is clearly on the upswing, confirming a strong positive trend over the past two years,” said Dominique Restino, President of the Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce. “Beyond the economic impact, these events enhance the capital’s global profile and strengthen its appeal as Europe’s leading destination for business tourism and major events.”