CP+ 2027 Announced – Four Days in Yokohama, Exhibitor Applications Open, and a New Early Bird Plan

Industry NewsCP+2027

by Johnnie BehiriAugust 7^th, 2026

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CIPA has confirmed that CP+ 2027 will run from Thursday, February 25 to Sunday, February 28, 2027 at Pacifico Yokohama, once again as a hybrid on-site and online event with free admission after prior registration. Exhibitor applications are open now, with standard packages closing on September 30, 2026 and the discounted Budget and Early Bird plans closing a month earlier on August 31.

For anyone working in camera technology, CP+ has become the first real gear checkpoint of the calendar year, sitting far enough ahead of NAB to set the tone for what manufacturers plan to show in spring. CineD has been attending as an official CP+ Global Media Partner, and our coverage from the last edition, from the record 149-exhibitor lineup to our wrap-up of the industry trends we saw on the floor, should give you a reasonable idea of what the show delivers. With dates and exhibitor terms now public, the planning window for 2027 is officially open.

Dates, venue, and how the hybrid format works

CP+ 2027 takes place across four days at Pacifico Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, with general opening hours running from 10:00 to 18:00. The final day, Sunday, February 28, closes an hour earlier at 17:00. The opening slot on Thursday, February 25, from 10:00 to 12:00, is reserved for press and VIP admission, which is the window where most of the world premiere announcements and manufacturer briefings tend to happen.

The hybrid structure returns unchanged in principle. Alongside the physical exhibition, CIPA runs an online program hosted on the CP+ official website, and according to the organizer, that online footage stays available as an archive until March 31, 2027. Admission to the venue is free, but prior registration is required, and visitor registration is scheduled to open in early December 2026. Note that CP+ 2027 lands a day earlier in the week than the 2026 edition, which ran from February 26 to March 1, so the show sits entirely within February this time.

What the 2026 numbers say about the audience

CIPA has published its results report for the previous edition, and the figures explain why the association is pushing hard on exhibitor recruitment. CP+ 2026 drew a record 149 exhibiting corporations and organizations, including 45 first-time exhibitors and 38 companies from outside Japan. Attendance reached 58,329 visitors, which the organizer puts at 104.5% of the previous year’s figure, with roughly 13,000 of those identified as professionals and industry representatives.

The demographic breakdown is the more interesting part. Visitors under 40 accounted for approximately 40% of attendance, and the proportion of female visitors hit a record 22.4%. CIPA reads this as evidence that the show has broadened from a professional and enthusiast event into something closer to a public festival for photography and videography, which tracks with what we observed ourselves: the family-friendly atmosphere and the sheer volume of educational programming are two of the things that set CP+ apart from most Western trade shows. On the online side, the organizer counts 411,627 unique participants and 2.38 million page views through to the end of March, along with 5,368 media placements, 119 of them from international outlets.

The program keeps tilting toward video

CIPA has been explicit that the number of exhibitors from video equipment and video-related service companies has been growing, and the 2027 program reflects that. The organizer is planning a dedicated content track for video and film creators, produced in collaboration with Japanese creator platforms and industry partners, promising a series of practical sessions rather than product pitches. That is a meaningful signal for our readership, because CP+ has historically been the more photo-centric of the major shows, with video capability discussed as a camera feature rather than as its own discipline.

The rest of the program follows the established formula: an organizer-led main stage bringing in leading photographers and creators for behind-the-scenes sessions, curated projects supporting photographic expression such as Book Marche and the ZINES FAIR, and family-oriented attractions including the returning PLARAIL giant toy train diorama and a cat photo exhibition. CIPA also confirms that world premiere announcements are again lined up for the venue, alongside a selection of food trucks. If past editions are any guide, those premieres are where the show earns its place on the calendar: the last edition brought us the Sigma 85mm F1.2 DG | Art development announcement, a wide-ranging Panasonic LUMIX interview covering the S1H successor question and the company’s cinema camera plans, and a candid conversation with Angelbird about how AI data centers are draining global memory supply.

From photo show to camera and imaging show

Running underneath all of this is a rebrand. CP+ has updated its logo and now presents itself as a CAMERA & IMAGING SHOW, a change CIPA attributes to the expansion of visual culture beyond traditional photography and into new imaging technologies. It is a cosmetic change on the surface, but it is also an accurate description of where the exhibitor mix has been heading for several years now, with lighting, audio, drone, storage, and post-production companies taking up an increasing share of the floor.

What exhibitors need to know

For companies considering a booth, the pricing structure is where the news sits. CIPA is retaining the Budget Plan, which offers compact booths at a lower cost and is available to all exhibitors, and is adding a new Early Bird Discount Plan that applies to any corporation or organization submitting an application one month before the main deadline. The organizer says it is actively courting businesses beyond camera and accessory manufacturers, specifically companies working on imaging technologies and services from adjacent sectors.

Applications for standard exhibition packages close at 17:00 on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, while the deadline for both the Budget Plan and the Early Bird Plan is 23:59 on Monday, August 31, 2026. CIPA notes that applications may close before those dates if demand is high. An exhibitor information session and the booth allocation lottery are scheduled online for Thursday, October 22, 2026. Full details, downloadable exhibitor documentation, and the application form are available on the official CP+ website, and press inquiries go through the CP+ Public Relations Office.

CP+ 2027 returns to Yokohama at the end of February, and we plan to be on the floor again. Will you be joining us there, or following the show online? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!