The China International Optoelectronic Exposition, better known as CIOE or COOC, is Asia’s largest and the world’s most comprehensive optoelectronic trade fair, held annually every September at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center. The 25th edition will run from 11 to 13 September 2024, occupying eight halls and 110,000 m², with more than 3,000 exhibitors and 78,000 professional visitors expected. The event is organised by CIOE and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and is co-located with the 2024 CIOE Optical Congress, a three-day academic conference that brings together over 500 researchers from 40 countries. The exhibition is structured as a cluster of six sub-fairs: Information & Communication, Precision Optics & Camera Modules, Lasers & Infrared Applications, Intelligent Sensing, Infrared Technology, and Photonics Innovation. Each zone hosts dedicated product demonstrations, live testing areas and buyer-seller matchmaking sessions. Key 2024 themes include 800G/1.6T silicon-photonics transceivers, LIDAR for autonomous driving, wafer-level optics for AR/VR, femtosecond laser micromachining, and SWIR infrared detectors for machine vision. The concurrent Optical Congress features 14 parallel symposia chaired by academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and chaired or keynote speakers from Intel, Nokia Bell Labs, Huawei, ZTE, Coherent, II-VI, Hamamatsu and the University of Southampton. Topics range from integrated photonics and space laser communications to meta-optics and quantum sensing. A two-day investment summit, the Optoelectronic Industry Capital Forum, will gather venture funds, private equity and IPO-bound companies; last year 12 projects signed term sheets on site. For the first time a “Photonics for Life” pavilion will showcase miniature OCT engines, wearable glucose sensors and photodynamic therapy devices aimed at hospitals and home-care providers. The format is strictly in-person; overseas visitors can obtain a free multi-entry Chinese visa letter after on-line pre-registration. Technical training courses on optical design, fibre-splicing and laser safety certification are offered the day before the show opens. Student teams from global universities compete in the annual CIOE Optical Innovation Challenge; winners receive prototyping vouchers and mentorship by the Optics Valley of China incubator. Shuttle buses connect the venue with Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport every 30 minutes, and a bi