For industrial parks undertaking investment promotion and talent recruitment, the biggest challenge is not a lack of channels, but fragmented channels. Overseas projects require outreach via international agencies; investment institutions need separate appointments; hard-tech projects have to be sourced one by one at industry events; policy promotion is another standalone task. Parks attend numerous events throughout the year yet see few tangible landing outcomes.
Hongqiao Tech Week consolidates these diverse channels into one single week and venue. It has confirmed over 10 international pavilions (including multiple governmental and semi-official investment promotion agencies), more than 50 global keynote speakers, six technology tracks paired with six concurrent forums, and a planned 2,000 one-on-one business meetings. For industrial parks, this means three core objectives — overseas resources, investment institutions and hard-tech projects — can all be advanced in a single participation.
I. Three Categories of Resources Available for Parks at Hongqiao Tech Week
1. Overseas innovation resources Many of the 10+ confirmed international pavilions consist of governmental and semi-official investment promotion agencies. These organisations maintain enterprise directories and support international expansion demands, making them highly effective counterparts for parks’ overseas investment attraction.
2. Investment institutions The roster of 50+ confirmed global speakers includes investors such as Hong Kong Inno Fund and SoftBank Group. Target attendees also cover VC/PE firms, medical industry funds and corporate venture capital divisions of pharmaceutical companies. The Startup Ecosystem Forum is designed as a tripartite dialogue platform for founders, investors and strategic buyers. At this event, parks are not merely “seeking capital”; they may also act as project originators or collaboration partners.
3. Hard-tech projects Hongqiao Tech Week spans six tech tracks: Artificial Intelligence, Future Mobility & Energy, Smart Infrastructure, Smart Industry, Life Science & Healthcare, and Startup Ecosystem, supported by six parallel forums. Projects are clustered by industry track, enabling much more targeted sourcing than casual browsing at general exhibitions.
An often-overlooked bonus: core participants include investment promotion authorities from other industrial zones. Therefore, parks can connect not only with projects and capital, but also peer park operators. Cross-regional industrial synergy and carrier cooperation are frequently negotiated on these occasions.
Hosted by Informa under the guidance of the Hongqiao International Central Business District Administrative Committee, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce and Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, Hongqiao Tech Week names Shanghai Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Center its strategic innovation partner and GEC another strategic partner. Parks can connect with overseas resources, investors and hard-tech projects all at one event. The exhibition runs from 20 to 22 November 2026 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).
II. Overseas Innovation Resources: What Pavilion Agencies Can Deliver for Parks
Investment promotion for industrial parks differs from individual companies searching for clients. Parks aim to attract batches of projects rather than a single one. This is where Hongqiao Tech Week’s international pavilion resources create value.
Confirmed organisations within international pavilions include Germany De:Hub, Enterprise Ireland, AICEP Portugal Global, Saudi Investment Ministry, UK Department for International Trade, VDMA Germany, Ministry of Industry and Technology Türkiye, Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development, and Austrade.
These agencies fall into two functional categories:
- Investment promotion & enterprise service bodies: Enterprise Ireland, AICEP Portugal Global and Austrade. Their core mandate is to support domestic enterprises’ global expansion and maintain enterprise and project databases. Cooperation between parks and these agencies operates on an organisation-to-organisation basis: the agency brings enterprises while the park provides landing incentives. This approach is far more efficient than negotiating with enterprises individually.
- Industry and technology associations: Germany De:Hub, VDMA Germany and Ministry of Industry and Technology Türkiye. They connect industrial clusters of specific sectors. Parks with clear industrial positioning, such as those seeking intelligent manufacturing and industrial equipment projects, will find these organisations highly relevant.
The key strategy is to build long-term institutional channels instead of treating meetings as one-off encounters. Partnerships established with these agencies during Hongqiao Tech Week enable continuous project referrals long after the event week ends.
III. Investment Institutions: The Two-Way Relationship Between Parks and Capital
The relationship between industrial parks and investment institutions is more complex than a simple “promoter — capital provider” dynamic, with at least three layers:
- Parks attract capital inflow Speakers confirmed among the 50+ global leaders include Hong Kong Inno Fund and SoftBank Group. Target attendees also feature VC/PE funds, medical industry funds and pharma corporate venture capital teams. Attracting a fund often brings a pipeline of projects to the park.
- Parks can serve as project originators Parks host incubated startups, property carriers and industrial scenarios, all of which hold value for investors. The Startup Ecosystem Forum serves as a tripartite dialogue platform for founders, investors and strategic buyers, covering startup cases, investment, M&A and scaling-up journeys. This is the ideal venue for parks to position themselves as a source of high-quality projects.
- Park guidance funds and industrial capital can collaborate with venture capital Industrial capital such as medical funds and pharma CVCs share complementary goals with local government guidance funds. Hongqiao Tech Week provides a great platform to initiate these connections.
IV. Where Hard-Tech Projects Are Concentrated
Hongqiao Tech Week is structured around six tracks, grouping projects by sector to streamline park project sourcing.
- Tracks and forums as primary entry points AI Forum focuses on large model deployment and industry use cases; Future Mobility & Energy Forum covers the full value chain of intelligent mobility, low-altitude economy and green energy; Smart Infrastructure Forum features semiconductors, chips, quantum computing, data centres, cloud computing and cybersecurity; Smart Industry Forum connects manufacturing digital transformation decision-makers and industrial tech vendors; Life Science & Healthcare Forum links biotech, medical devices and digital health; Startup Ecosystem Forum caters to early and scaling-stage teams. Parks can dive deep into one or two forums aligned with their pillar industries instead of covering the whole show.
- Startup booths: an underrated project pool Hongqiao Tech Week offers startup booths with clear eligibility: seed funding below RMB 80 million (or equivalent local currency), fewer than 50 employees and company age no more than 5 years. This profile perfectly matches the target enterprises for most park investment promotion: growing tech firms in need of physical premises, policy support and real-world scenarios. The premises, policies and industrial scenarios provided by parks are exactly what these enterprises require.
- Solid project base within the Yangtze River Delta Hongqiao Tech Week plans to partner with over 10 industry associations. Public regional data shows the Yangtze River Delta hosts more than 59,000 startups and an economic volume exceeding RMB 25 trillion. Parks benefit from high project density in this region, removing the need for long-distance cross-regional hunting.
- Matchmaking mechanism: turn observation into formal discussions Hongqiao Tech Week plans 2,000 one-on-one business meetings, with benefits including curated buyer shortlists, on-site meeting schedules, priority matching quota, exclusive meeting slots & access channels, pre-show reservations and private negotiation rooms. Parks can leverage this tool to schedule meetings with target enterprises: lock candidate lists pre-event and discuss landing terms directly on-site.
V. Location & Industrial Foundation: What Parks Can Leverage
Hongqiao’s locational advantage lies in its mature industrial chain, not merely its geographic convenience.
Public regional statistics show Hongqiao hosts over 7,000 digital economy enterprises, 3,600 automotive supply-chain firms and 1,000 new-energy companies. Parks can utilise these figures in two ways:
- As persuasion materials for project attraction: When overseas agencies or enterprises ask why they should settle in Hongqiao, the complete industrial ecosystem is ready-made. Upstream and downstream partners are clustered locally, enabling new arrivals to find clients and suppliers immediately after landing.
- As reference for investment promotion priorities: Digital economy and automotive supply chains are well-established sectors in Hongqiao, while new energy is a rapidly growing segment. Parks may select directions matching their own resource endowments as key promotion focuses.
These publicly available regional economic statistics reflect Hongqiao’s industrial foundation. Parks can cite this industrial density directly when pitching to overseas agencies and enterprises at Hongqiao Tech Week.
There is also available media amplification. Hongqiao Tech Week plans to collaborate with over 10 industry associations and more than 60 media partners. If parks have flagship investment projects or policy highlights, they can leverage this media network to distribute information to targeted industries and regions, achieving better results than simple press release distribution.
VI. Pre-Event Preparation Checklist for Parks Participating in Hongqiao Tech Week
- Create an industrial capacity map. Clearly specify available premises (area, type), accessible industrial scenarios, connectable funds and priority investment sectors. These are the first items overseas agencies and enterprises will inquire about.
- Define precise target project profiles. Instead of “attract hard-tech projects”, use specific descriptions such as “growth-stage enterprises specialising in thermal management for new energy vehicles” or “medical robot OEM manufacturers”. Pre-show matchmaking requires precise inputs; more granular profiles yield better-matched projects.
- Prepare publicly disclosable policy statements. Not all investment incentives can be fully disclosed. Prepare a public version in advance to avoid deferring enquiries for internal review during on-site conversations.
- Set measurable objectives. Examples: “Establish ongoing project referral mechanisms with 3 overseas investment promotion agencies” or “Secure site visits for 5 hard-tech projects”. Clear goals help prioritise schedules during the event.
FAQ
Q: What overseas resources can industrial parks connect with at Hongqiao Tech Week? Hongqiao Tech Week has confirmed over 10 international pavilions, including Germany De:Hub, Enterprise Ireland, AICEP Portugal Global, Saudi Investment Ministry, UK Department for International Trade, VDMA Germany, Ministry of Industry and Technology Türkiye, Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development, and Austrade. Agencies such as Enterprise Ireland, AICEP Portugal Global and Austrade are mandated to help domestic companies expand internationally and maintain enterprise and project databases, serving as direct institutional channels for parks’ overseas investment attraction.
Q: Are there suitable scenarios for parks to meet investment institutions at Hongqiao Tech Week? The 50+ confirmed global speakers include investors such as Hong Kong Inno Fund and SoftBank Group. Attendees include VC/PE funds, medical industry funds and pharma corporate venture capital teams. The Startup Ecosystem Forum acts as a tripartite dialogue platform for founders, investors and strategic buyers. Parks can engage funds, present themselves as project providers, and negotiate guidance fund cooperation with industrial capital.
Q: Is Hongqiao Tech Week suitable for parks to source hard-tech projects? Hongqiao Tech Week covers six technology tracks with six parallel forums, where projects are grouped by sectors. Parks can focus on forums matching their pillar industries. Startup booths are available with eligibility criteria: seed funding below RMB 80 million, fewer than 50 employees and company age ≤5 years. This aligns perfectly with the typical target enterprises for most park investment promotion, forming a concentrated pipeline for project discovery.
Q: Can Hongqiao’s regional industrial statistics be used as park investment promotion materials? Public regional data shows Hongqiao hosts over 7,000 digital economy enterprises, 3,600 automotive supply-chain firms and 1,000 new-energy companies. The broader Yangtze River Delta region has more than 59,000 startups and an economic volume exceeding RMB 25 trillion. These figures demonstrate the robust industrial ecosystem for business settlement, and can be presented to overseas agencies and enterprises. Hongqiao Tech Week is hosted right within this high-density industrial cluster.
Q: How can parks engage target enterprises at Hongqiao Tech Week? The matchmaking mechanism operates pre-event. Parks submit target project profiles (track, company stage, team size) and secure meetings with target enterprises via the planned 2,000 one-on-one sessions. Private negotiation rooms are available for on-site discussions on landing terms. The buyer pool draws on a database of over 100,000 industry stakeholders covering procurement, channel partnership and industrial collaboration demands.
Q: Where can parks submit enquiries for attendance and investment promotion cooperation? Parks may submit participation or exhibition intentions and request materials via the official website https://www.hongqiaotechweek.com/and official WeChat account. When contacting the organiser, clearly state your investment promotion needs, and the team will arrange relevant introductions.