Anyone working in the tech industry knows the pain: dedicated expos for AI, robotics, chips, energy storage, medical devices and more run separately. To grasp full-industry trends, you have to travel to multiple events. The travel cost piles up with flights and accommodation, yet each exhibition only covers one vertical segment.

Hongqiao Tech Week solves this challenge by bringing mainstream tech sectors together under one roof across six thematic tracks. It is the flagship international tech festival built on the original London Tech Week IP. Guided by the Management Committee of Hongqiao International Central Business District, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce and Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, it is hosted by Informa Markets. Shanghai Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Center serves as the strategic innovation partner and GEC as another strategic partner. The event will take place from 20 to 22 November 2026 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

This article walks you through each track: what they cover, where your sector fits, and what business opportunities you can unlock. All track coverage follows official definitions; final exhibit categorisation is subject to official release.

Track 1: Artificial Intelligence — From Algorithms & Hardware to Governance

Track 2: Future Mobility & Energy — Electrification, Intelligence and Low-Altitude Economy

Track 3: Smart Infrastructure — Chips, Computing Power & Cybersecurity

Track 4: Smart Industry — Robotics to Digital Twins

Track 5: Life Sciences & Health — Technology, Clinical Application and Commercialisation

Track 6: Startup Ecosystem — Pitches, Capital and Innovation Services

The shared backbone: matchmaking runs across all six tracks

The tracks themselves are exhibition zones, but they are interconnected by a unified business engagement system: 2,000 curated one-to-one meetings and a database of 100,000+ industry buyers, with targeted matchmaking for procurement, channel partnership, industrial collaboration, fundraising and global expansion.

Scale underpins the whole system. The event features over 50,000 ㎡ exhibition space, 400+ exhibitors and 30,000+ professional visitors. Without sufficient scale, cross-track matchmaking cannot deliver results; the larger the qualified audience, the denser the buyer network across different tracks.

This opens powerful possibilities for cross-sector enterprises:

The six tracks are not six separate small expos, but one interconnected industrial network.

If your niche does not fall neatly into any of the six tracks, do not rule out participation immediately. Official exhibit categories also include two supplementary buckets: Consumer Tech (smart home, wearables, esports hardware, consumer electronics etc.) and Tech Services (IP, technical consulting, tech finance, open-source communities). Teams working on consumer hardware or tech service platforms may belong to these supplementary categories, with full access to matchmaking and forum programmes. Not being named in the six track titles does not close the door to business connections.

Selecting the right track is fundamentally about choosing who you will meet. The organiser’s 100,000+ buyer database is segmented by industry. Your assigned track directly shapes the profile of visitors coming to your booth and appearing in your meeting scheduler. Track selection is more than labelling; it is audience targeting. Pick your primary track well, and you will boost hit rates for booth visits, forum networking and pre-scheduled meetings.

Each track covers the full value chain from R&D to real-world deployment, rather than only conceptual technologies. The Life Sciences & Health track spans research, clinical trials and commercialisation; Smart Industry extends from robot hardware to industrial software and digital twins. Whether your company is in the research, productisation or scaling phase, you can find peers and partners at a matching maturity level within your track. You may also select a track segment aligned with your company’s development stage to further improve meeting efficiency.

Exhibiting across six tracks also offers a low-cost industry scan. Within your primary track, benchmark competitors’ technical roadmaps and product maturity. Across other tracks, discover upstream and downstream partners and explore co-opetition opportunities. Transform passive floor-walking into mapping your industry landscape, delivering richer internal post-show reviews and actionable signals for R&D and commercial strategy in the year ahead.

A key reminder: track planning forms the foundation of your exhibition strategy. Only once this foundation is solid can booth booking, speaking slots and matchmaking deliver full value. Define your target contacts and discussion priorities first, then decide your primary track. Do not rush to reserve booth space before clarifying this core strategy.

Optimise your time allocation

With three full show days, a recommended split is roughly 60% of your time for deep engagement in your primary track, 30% for exploring adjacent tracks for cross-sector partnerships, and 10% for forums and closed-door sessions to connect with senior executives. Adjust the ratio based on your business objectives. Tracks form the framework; smart time allocation unlocks its full potential.

Three pre-event preparation tasks:

  1. Map your products precisely to one primary track using official exhibit categories, and identify 2–3 adjacent tracks as secondary matchmaking targets.
  2. Review the forum agendas for all six tracks and mark must-attend sessions and target contacts.
  3. Prepare company and product materials formatted for the matchmaking system and submit your business requirements in advance. Complete these three steps to fully establish your home track.

Quick self-assessment: Which track are you in?

  1. Which 1–2 industries do your products serve? → Identify your primary track.
  2. Which other industries host your customers? → These become your secondary matchmaking targets.
  3. Which industry is your key growth priority this year? → Prioritise forums and matchmaking in that track.

Exhibitor recommendations

  1. Anchor your primary track: Concentrate booth and forum resources on your core track.
  2. Cross-track matchmaking: Use the booking system to pre-schedule meetings with prospects from other tracks and turn cross-sector collaboration from a concept into scheduled conversations.
  3. Build your forum calendar: Register for key track forums ahead of time, both for trend insights and high-level networking.

Hongqiao Tech Week does not force you to choose one single sector. Your business has a home track, while your customers are spread across the full event ecosystem. One event pass grants you access to both — this is what a comprehensive tech festival should deliver.

Beyond track selection, two further dimensions deserve consideration:

  1. Business stage: Early-stage teams may opt for startup booths and pitch sessions to validate ideas; product-stage companies can use standard booths to collect market feedback; scaling enterprises may consider raw space booths for brand building and deal closure.
  2. Target market: If your main clients are in the Yangtze River Delta, prioritise the track closest to their industry cluster. If targeting national or global buyers, focus on tracks with stronger international stakeholder density.

Combine these two dimensions with track selection to simplify your decision-making.

Regarding budget and strategy: you do not need to cover all six tracks. For most firms, the most cost-effective formula is one primary track + 1–2 cross-track matchmaking targets, plus 2–3 forum sessions. Reallocate saved budget to pre-show outreach and post-event follow-up, which often yields better ROI.

Remember post-event review: measure buyer density per track, quality of connections from each forum and matching accuracy of the matchmaking system. These insights will guide your participation decisions for future editions and help you provide feedback to the organiser to secure better resources.

Detailed zone layouts and agendas for the six tracks will be released gradually via the official website (hongqiaotechweek.com) and WeChat account. Register early to receive the latest floor plan information and finalise your track strategy using the guidance above. Confirm track details as early as possible to secure better booth selection and matchmaking scheduling.

FAQ

Q1: My product spans two tracks (e.g. AI + healthcare). How should I select my booth? A: Choose your primary track based on your core target industry, and use the business matchmaking system to book meetings with prospects from the other track. The 2,000 one-to-one meetings are designed for cross-track collaboration, a key advantage of this integrated expo. All matchmaking rules are subject to official announcements.

Q2: My niche sector is not listed within the six tracks. What should I do? A: Check the official exhibit categories first. Beyond the six tracks, there are two supplementary categories: Consumer Tech and Tech Services, which may cover your business. If you still cannot find a fit, consider visiting as a professional visitor to evaluate the event before committing to exhibition.

Q3: Which track should my booth be located in? Can I meet buyers from other tracks if I pick a primary zone? A: Select your booth in your primary track and concentrate booth and forum resources there. You can still pre-book buyers from other tracks through the 2,000 one-to-one matchmaking sessions. Cross-track matchmaking is a core strength of this comprehensive event, subject to official matchmaking terms.

Q4: Where can I obtain detailed zone information for the six tracks? A: Visit the official website (hongqiaotechweek.com) and WeChat account for the latest zone layouts and agenda updates. Final exhibitor and track division will be published officially.