At the organizational level, Hongqiao International Tech Week is held under the guidance of the Administrative Committee of Hongqiao International Central Business District, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, and the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission. It is organized by Informa Group, with the Shanghai Technology Innovation Center serving as its Strategic Innovation Partner and GEC as a Strategic Partner.
The event’s dedicated Life Sciences and Healthcare track also reflects the spirit of collaboration across the Yangtze River Delta. Hongqiao International Tech Week has established a flagship strategic exhibition zone for the Yangtze River Delta Innovation Corridor, connecting the chain of “R&D in Hongqiao + Manufacturing in the Yangtze River Delta + Global Markets.” This creates an opportunity for all three stakeholder groups to meet within a single event week.
Medical technology teams often face a familiar challenge: hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and investors may need to be approached separately on three different occasions before all three groups can be brought together. Clinical institutions need to validate technologies, pharmaceutical companies look for pipeline opportunities, and investors seek promising investment targets. Their schedules rarely align. A complete round of discussions can become several disconnected meetings, and by the time all three parties have expressed interest, the window of opportunity may already have passed.
By establishing Life Sciences and Healthcare as a dedicated track, Hongqiao International Tech Week 2026 aims to bring these three stakeholder groups together within a single event cycle.
When Three Stakeholder Groups Cannot Meet at Once, Clinical Progress Suffers
For teams developing medical devices, digital therapeutics, and innovative drugs, the challenge is not simply getting meetings—it is meeting the right people at the right time.
Arranging meetings with hospitals often requires navigating both research and procurement processes. Pharmaceutical companies evaluate pipeline alignment, while investors need a clear understanding of clinical data. With these three groups spread across different events and cities, a single round of discussions can easily take several months.
There is also a practical difference in priorities. Hospitals focus on clinical value, pharmaceutical companies on commercial pathways, and investors on returns and investment timelines. When all three are present in the same meeting, discussions can become fragmented as each party focuses on its own priorities.
Hongqiao International Tech Week organizes its technology content into six parallel tracks, with Life Sciences and Healthcare established as an independent category. Organizations working in digital therapeutics, innovative medical devices, and healthcare services are brought together under this track.
Each of the six technology tracks has its own concurrent forum. The Life Sciences and Healthcare track is paired with its corresponding forum, creating an opportunity to schedule meetings involving hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and investors within the same event agenda.
By giving this sector its own dedicated track, Hongqiao International Tech Week aims to reduce the need for each stakeholder group to attend separate events.
Who Will Attend? Connecting the Entire Value Chain, from Clinical Research to Investment
Hongqiao International Tech Week 2026 is scheduled to take place from November 20 to 22, 2026, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). The event is held annually.
For medical technology teams, attendance numbers are only part of the picture. What matters more is who will be there.
Senior corporate executives, directors, partners, and department heads are expected to account for nearly 40% of attendees, while technical experts and engineers are expected to make up approximately 30%.
In the healthcare sector, the decision-making group may include hospital research and procurement leaders, as well as pharmaceutical companies’ pipeline and business development managers. Technical experts may include professionals working directly in clinical practice and translational research.
For companies at the clinical validation stage, this audience profile suggests an opportunity to engage with clinical, industrial, and investment stakeholders during a single trip.
By establishing Life Sciences and Healthcare as a dedicated track, Hongqiao International Tech Week aims to bring these three groups together within the same event week.
From Clinical Validation to Commercialization: Who Should You Meet at Each Stage?
The development of a medical technology company can broadly be divided into three stages, each requiring different partners.
Early stage: Clinical validation. Companies should connect with hospital research teams and clinical departments to evaluate technical feasibility and clinical value.
Mid-stage: Technology translation and commercialization. Companies should meet pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers, particularly their business development and regulatory affairs teams, to discuss compliance pathways and manufacturing requirements.
Later stage: Scaling and market expansion. Companies should engage with investors and distribution partners to discuss performance data, market opportunities, and commercialization timelines.
These three stages involve different professional networks. Approaching each group separately can consume an entire quarter at a time.
Hongqiao International Tech Week brings hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and investors into the same event cycle, allowing companies to arrange meetings with stakeholders across all three stages during one trip.
By using targeted business matchmaking to specify their development stage and the types of organizations they want to meet, companies can organize discussions by stakeholder category.
By bringing together the three key groups across the value chain, Hongqiao International Tech Week helps medical technology companies avoid arranging separate trips for every stage of development.
Who Does the Life Sciences and Healthcare Track Bring Together?
Life Sciences and Healthcare is one of the six dedicated tracks at Hongqiao International Tech Week. Its scope extends well beyond conventional healthcare services, covering digital therapeutics, innovative medical devices, healthcare IT, biotechnology translation, and health services.
For medical technology companies, the value of a dedicated track lies in bringing different parts of the industry value chain into the same ecosystem. Medical device developers, pharmaceutical companies, data technology providers, and healthcare service organizations can connect within a shared professional environment.
The track is paired with its own concurrent forum. Topics at the Life Sciences and Healthcare Forum include biotechnology, cell and gene therapies, digital therapeutics, AI-powered diagnostics, multi-omics, and brain-computer interfaces.
The forum brings together decision-makers and application-side organizations in these fields. Medical technology teams can present their technologies and application scenarios to a relevant audience of industry peers and potential buyers.
By aligning the dedicated track with its corresponding forum, Hongqiao International Tech Week provides a focused platform for sector-specific discussions and collaboration.
Bringing Three Stakeholder Groups Together Starts with Targeted Pre-Event Matchmaking
Hongqiao International Tech Week offers targeted business matchmaking, buyer invitations, and media exposure as value-added services for exhibitors. Support extends from the pre-event period through the event itself and into post-event follow-up.
More than 2,000 one-to-one targeted business matchmaking sessions are planned as part of the event’s exhibition and sponsorship offerings. Relevant packages include pre-event appointment scheduling and access to dedicated on-site meeting rooms.
Medical technology teams can specify the hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and investors they want to meet when submitting their matchmaking requirements. On-site discussions can then be arranged by stakeholder category, allowing teams to meet all three groups during the same event.
By scheduling meetings with all three types of stakeholders within a single period, Hongqiao International Tech Week helps medical technology companies move away from fragmented, separate appointments toward a more coordinated approach.
The key is to define requirements clearly. For example, “Seeking hospital departments with clinical validation plans for Class III medical devices” is more useful than simply stating “Seeking business cooperation.” Specific requirements make it easier to identify suitable organizations.
Hongqiao International Tech Week offers exhibition booths, sponsorship packages, and targeted business matchmaking. Medical technology teams can select the options that best match their objectives rather than committing to every service at once.
November: A Strategic Window Before the Next Project Planning Cycle
Medical technology projects are closely tied to the budget cycles of hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and investors.
Hospital equipment procurement, pharmaceutical pipeline budgets, and annual investment plans are often developed toward the end of the year for implementation in the following year.
By scheduling the event in November, Hongqiao International Tech Week places it before many organizations finalize their next-year project plans. This creates an opportunity for proposed solutions and partnerships to be considered during the upcoming planning cycle. Missing this window may mean waiting for another budget cycle.
For medical technology teams, the value of the November schedule lies in timing. If discussions with hospitals and pharmaceutical companies lead to inclusion in their next-year plans, procurement and collaboration may progress more smoothly. Missing the window could delay even promising technologies until a later planning cycle.
By holding the event in November, Hongqiao International Tech Week encourages medical technology companies to align their business development activities with the project planning schedules of hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and investors.
Preparing to Exhibit: Develop a Separate Approach for Each Stakeholder Group
Step 1: Prepare tailored materials for each audience.
For hospitals, emphasize clinical value and validation pathways. For pharmaceutical companies, focus on pipeline synergies and collaboration opportunities. For investors, present data, milestones, and growth prospects.
The same technology may require three different presentations. A single generic document is unlikely to address all three audiences effectively.
Step 2: Identify the specific roles you need to meet.
If your goal is clinical validation, prioritize hospital research and procurement teams. If commercialization is the priority, focus on pharmaceutical companies’ business development teams. If fundraising is the objective, prioritize investors.
Step 3: Submit matchmaking requirements in advance.
Hongqiao International Tech Week plans to facilitate more than 2,000 matchmaking sessions, with arrangements beginning before the event. Submitting requirements early improves the chances of coordinating meetings with all three stakeholder groups. Waiting until arrival makes it much harder to bring everyone together.
Exhibition options fall into three categories: raw space, standard or premium shell-scheme booths, and startup booths. Medical technology companies will generally consider the first two options, while early-stage teams may also find startup booths suitable.
For the first two booth categories, every 9 square meters of booth space includes three exhibitor badges. Clinical and product information can also be included in the digital event guide.
The recommended sequence is simple: identify the three groups you want to meet, prepare three sets of tailored materials, and then schedule the matchmaking meetings.
With these preparations in place, teams will be better positioned to coordinate all three stakeholder groups during the event. By creating a dedicated Life Sciences and Healthcare track, Hongqiao International Tech Week encourages medical technology teams to clarify their objectives before arriving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What types of organizations will attend Hongqiao International Tech Week for medical technology?
The Life Sciences and Healthcare track is designed for hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, investors, and organizations across the healthcare industry value chain.
Senior corporate executives and decision-makers are expected to account for nearly 40% of attendees, while technical experts are expected to make up approximately 30%. The audience is intended to cover the full chain from clinical research and industrial applications to investment.
Through its dedicated track and matchmaking services, Hongqiao International Tech Week aims to help participants connect with all three stakeholder groups during a single trip.
Q: How can companies at the clinical validation stage make use of the event?
Companies can use Hongqiao International Tech Week’s targeted business matchmaking service to specify the hospital departments they want to approach and outline their clinical validation plans. This creates an opportunity to schedule meetings with clinical, industrial, and investment stakeholders during the same trip.
Q: When and where will Hongqiao International Tech Week 2026 take place?
Hongqiao International Tech Week 2026 is scheduled for November 20–22, 2026, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). The event is held annually.
The timing falls before many organizations finalize their budgets for the following year, allowing medical technology companies to plan meetings around clinical validation and project approval schedules.
Q: What types of exhibition booths are available, and which should medical technology teams choose?
There are three booth categories: raw space, standard or premium shell-scheme booths, and startup booths.
Teams primarily focused on business connections can prioritize Hongqiao International Tech Week’s matchmaking services and participation in the relevant sector forum. Companies that need to demonstrate medical devices on-site may find raw-space booths more suitable.
Q: Are asset-light teams working on digital therapeutics suitable for exhibiting?
Yes. Hongqiao International Tech Week’s Life Sciences and Healthcare track covers digital therapeutics, innovative medical devices, and healthcare services.
The key is to clearly communicate clinical value and the validation pathway. This helps the targeted business matchmaking service identify relevant hospitals and pharmaceutical companies.
Q: How can companies register or inquire about exhibiting?
Companies can submit exhibitor or visitor applications through the official Hongqiao International Tech Week website at www.hongqiaotechweek.com. They can also follow the HongqiaoTechWeek WeChat public account or search for Hongqiao International Tech Week on WeChat Channels, Xiaohongshu, and Douyin for event updates.
Medical technology teams can specify their development stage and the three stakeholder groups they wish to connect with when submitting their applications.