The 2026 CP+ Photo Expo Solidified Its Importance to the Industry

When Photokina collapsed in 2020, it was a major blow to the photography industry, adding to the sense of dread that the whole market was coming tumbling down. But now, after multiple years of growth, Japan’s CP+ Show is living proof that photography is not just surviving: it’s thriving.

CP+ has released its report on the 2026 show, and all the numbers look great. As previously reported, CP+ set attendance records for visitors and exhibitors this year, a fact that was shared pretty quickly by the organizers on March 2. But today, thanks to this report, we got a bit more granular with those numbers.

Not only did 58,924 visitors visit the CP+ 2026 show in person during its four days at the Pacifico Yokohama exhibition center, up from 55,791 last year. The online version of the exhibition saw 411,627 unique users (2,385,527 page views).

Beyond that, the show attracted 149 exhibitors, of which 45 of them were new, and 38 of them were from outside of Japan (namely, from China, Hong Kong, Korea, France, Taiwan, Australia, Israel, the UK, Germany, Finland, and Poland) — both of those were also records.

The makeup of the on-site visitors is also notable. Firstly, CP+ saw 22.4% female attendance, which is the highest-ever for the show. Additionally, 47% of attendees were under the age of 49, while 39% of attendees were under the age of 39 — this was a largely young show.

Finally, CP+ conducted a survey and found that 98% of those who attended were satisfied or very satisfied with the event, and a whopping 94% expressed interest in attending the show again next year. 99% of exhibitors echoed the satisfied or very satisfied sentiment, and 97% of them rated the event highly overall.

These are highly encouraging numbers and show that, as an event, CP+ is not only important as an annual gathering for photographers and those interested in the art, but also for companies in the industry.

CP+ Versus Photokina

Looking just at the big numbers from the last years of Photokina, it can appear as though the Germany-based show was substantially larger and more impactful than CP+ is now, even with its successful last few years. For example, in 2016, Photokina attracted an estimated 185,000 attendees and 1,158 exhibitors.

But it’s worth considering a couple of factors. Firstly, Photokina was typically a bi-annual event, meaning it was only held once every two years. Similar to B&H’s Bild event, that kind of buildup (no pun intended) results in a bigger push by exhibitors and, therefore, attendees when the event does take place.

Secondly, Cologne, Germany, is a significantly easier location for international attendees than Yokohama, Japan. Photokina was rather centrally located within Europe, meaning there were a host of countries that were just a short train ride away from the exhibition. Even the East Coast of the United States is a relatively short flight away.

Japan is pretty isolated by comparison, and the on-site visitor breakdown shows it: just 1.1% of attendees came from outside of Japan. More than 70% of the CP+ attendees came from Tokyo and Kanagawa — the two prefectures of Japan located closest to the show.

It’s worth comparing the number of attendees to the number of exhibitors. In 2016, Photokina had a ratio of 155 attendees for each exhibitor. In 2026, CP+ had a ratio of 375 attendees for each exhibitor. That means there is already more public interest in this show than exhibitors are giving it credit for. There were some notable brands that weren’t in attendance this year, like Insta360, GoPro, and Viltrox, and that feels like a misstep.

It could also be argued (to a lesser degree) that, by that metric, there is already more interest by the public in a photo show today than there was when Photokina was at its peak.

For CP+ to grow — and that is a strong goal for CIPA, given conversations PetaPixel had with the event organizers this year — it needs to find a way to attract a substantially larger international audience. That is certainly not impossible, and with China so close, that’s an obvious market to tap.

The number of exhibitors also needs to expand, but that likely will follow in lock-step with broader international attendance.

It’s difficult to say if continued increases in attendance year over year is something that CIPA should expect, given how hard it will be to continually grow a show without expanding international appeal, but one fact is inarguable: CP+ is incredibly important to the photography industry, and this past year solidified that.

Expect a greater emphasis from exhibitors to showcase new products and leverage CP+ as a launchpad in the coming years.

Image credits: CIPA/CP+