On January 10, during the 20th CEFCO forum, the Host City Handover Ceremony and Welcome Reception was held. Meng Hui, Vice Mayor of Wuhan Municipal People's Government, represented the next host city to participate in the ceremony and deliver a speech, marking Wuhan's successful succession of Tianjin as the host city for the 21st CEFCO forum in 2026.

As the only national-level international professional exhibition forum approved by the State Council, CEFCO has evolved over two decades into the world's highest-caliber and most influential annual gathering in the global MICE industry. Having been hosted across 20 Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Macao, the forum has significantly contributed to promoting international exhibition cooperation, leading global industry development, and advancing an open world economy.

Wuhan, a national central city under construction, core city along the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and emerging national sci-tech innovation hub, has been recognized with multiple honors including the "Golden Dolphin" Award for China's Top Convention Cities and "China's Most Happiness City for Exhibition Organization". In 2024 alone, the city successfully hosted 1,060 international events including the World Health Expo, Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs Conference, Wuhan Global Commodity Trading Fair, and Wuhan Motor Show, earning titles as "China's Most Competitive Convention City" and "Top Ten Convention Metropolis".Currently, Wuhan is vigorously implementing the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and the directives from General Secretary Xi Jinping’s inspection tour of Hubei. The municipal government has incorporated support for organizing the 21st CEFCO forum into its 2025 work report, accelerating development of a comprehensive convention industry ecosystem with clustered brands, dynamic markets, and premium benefits.

Vice Mayor Meng Hui pledged to mobilize all municipal resources to ensure exemplary preparation and service guarantees, striving to deliver an international event that fosters open sharing, deepened cooperation, and mutual benefits. "We warmly invite global partners and friends to witness Wuhan's vibrancy at the 21st CEFCO forum in 2026, where together we'll compose new chapters for China's modernized trade promotion," Meng stated.

The welcome reception attracted over 400 distinguished guests from 19 countries and regions including the United States, France, UK, Germany, Poland, India, Singapore, as well as Hong Kong and Macao of China.