After the trade association for Nassau had organized a trade exhibition in 1846 with 286 exhibitors - including 135 tradesmen from Wiesbaden - followed by a second exhibition in 1850 with only 177 exhibitors, the general assembly decided in the autumn of 1860 to hold a large exhibition in 1863. It was intended to provide a comprehensive insight into the economic and cultural life of the Duchy of Nassau. During the long period of time, the exhibitors had sufficient time to prepare themselves in competition with domestic production. In addition, the completion of the Nassau state railroad was announced for 1863, so that a much larger participation in the exhibition was to be expected. Wiesbaden was chosen as the venue for the exhibition as the city had the highest population in the duchy and the strong spa and tourist trade meant that a large number of visitors could be expected.

The exceptionally high participation of 1,317 Nassau companies and producers required a financial subsidy of 7,400 fl. from the Nassau government. The exhibition management set criteria for the presentation of their products - they had to be marketable products that were characterized by novelty, quality of workmanship, improvement in (sometimes mass) production or even cheapness in relation to quality. In ten "classes", the exhibition provided an almost complete picture of the high level of development of commercial, industrial and artistic production in the Duchy of Nassau.

The exhibition also included 268 Wiesbaden tradesmen, 148 of whom were awarded medals and honorable mentions by the judging committee. The number of visitors exceeded expectations with a total of 39,069 paying guests; if free ticket holders and various officials are included, 44,000 people viewed the exhibition.