A technology agenda worthy of senior executives’ time should help companies answer questions that have yet to be resolved. The forum program at Hongqiao International Tech Week 2026 (Hongqiao Tech Week) is designed with decision-making in mind. It responds closely to the national 15th Five-Year Plan’s strategic priorities for building Shanghai into an international center for science and technology innovation and advancing the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta. It also aligns with Hongqiao International Open Hub’s core vision of integrating four key elements: innovation, industry, capital, and talent. For business decision-makers who need perspectives on industrial management, technology applications, and cross-border business, this means gaining more than opinions. They can identify concrete reference points that connect directly to policy and resources—and translate those insights into business decisions when they return.
Guided by the Administrative Committee of Hongqiao International Central Business District, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, and the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission, Hongqiao International Tech Week is organized by Informa Group, with Shanghai Technology Innovation Center as its Strategic Innovation Partner and GEC as its Strategic Partner. The event is scheduled to take place from November 20 to 22, 2026, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). Beyond its publicly announced multi-topic forums, the event brings together industry leaders, academics and experts, investment institutions, and innovative companies, placing cross-sector discussions under one roof. This makes it easier for senior executives to align their understanding of policy, industry, and capital in a single visit.
Bringing Government and Industry Together: A Distinctive Value of the Program
When senior executives choose a technology event, they want to obtain three types of signals in one place: where the industry is heading, how policy is taking shape, and whether capital is willing to follow. At Hongqiao International Tech Week 2026, exhibition areas, forums, and targeted matchmaking are brought together within the same event, providing separate entry points to all three types of signals while connecting participants with the same pool of attendees.
Hongqiao International Tech Week organizes its exhibition areas around six technology tracks, placing different technology fields side by side to help participants assess the relationship between technology and industry. The forums help companies identify issues worth investigating, while targeted matchmaking addresses cooperation needs that have already been defined. Senior executives can assess the event’s value by following the sequence of “understanding policy, evaluating industry, and connecting with resources,” identifying which steps are most relevant to their decisions before deciding where to focus their time.
Viewed against the industrial landscape of the Yangtze River Delta, companies can assess where they fit within the supply chain and which links they need to strengthen. For executives considering regional expansion, an on-site visit to Hongqiao International Tech Week offers far more concrete insights than reading an investment promotion brochure. Their assumptions can be tested during a single visit, and tracing the industrial chain in person provides a clearer picture of the actual division of labor and the availability of upstream and downstream supporting resources than gathering fragmented information from multiple sources.
The Quality of the Audience Determines Who You Can Meet
Technology forums often attract impressive speakers, but what senior executives really care about is who is sitting in the audience. Hongqiao International Tech Week combines the scale of a major professional exhibition with the highly targeted audience of a high-level summit. Nearly 40% of attendees are expected to be corporate executives, directors, partners, and department heads, while technology experts and engineers will account for 30%. According to registration data as of September 23, 2026, among attendees from outside mainland China, the United States accounts for 8.9%, while Germany and the United Kingdom each account for 4.4%. After a forum, you are often engaging not with ordinary listeners, but with people who can set strategic direction, commit funding, and approve decisions.
Take a manufacturing software company as an example. Its algorithms fall under Artificial Intelligence, its computing power and storage under Smart Infrastructure, and its implementation under Smart Industry. The decisions facing senior executives often span all three layers. Hongqiao International Tech Week brings these areas into the same exhibition space, allowing participants to examine a solution step by step, from algorithms to implementation, in one place. This cross-track arrangement is particularly valuable for projects that require joint delivery across multiple parts of the supply chain.
The forums help answer the question, “What should we invest in next?” Each of the six corresponding forums has a distinct focus, allowing companies to organize their schedules around current business decisions. Reviewing the published agenda in advance and selecting sessions based on ongoing initiatives is more effective than simply following the speaker list.
For senior executives, the Artificial Intelligence Forum offers more focused insights into how large language models may affect business models and how to select industry applications. Discussions about equipment collaboration and digital twins on production lines are more suited to the Smart Industry Forum. Hearing both perspectives on the same business decision and then checking them against what is on display can help executives reach a conclusion more quickly. Hongqiao International Tech Week schedules these forums within the same event period, saving the time otherwise required for two separate business trips.
Executives’ Time Is Valuable. The Value of Matchmaking Depends on Whether Needs Are Prioritized
Hongqiao International Tech Week offers exhibitors more than 2,000 one-to-one targeted business matchmaking sessions. Key industry decision-makers are invited through targeted outreach, and participant lists are screened in advance according to stated needs. For senior executives, time is expensive, and meeting the wrong person can be more costly than missing a meeting altogether. This program begins by clarifying requirements and matching participants accordingly.
Backed by the global platform shared with London Tech Week, Africa Tech Festival, and Asia Tech x Singapore, the event enables executives to connect not only with domestic companies but also with global innovation decision-makers, overseas enterprises, and venture capital firms.
The matchmaking program draws on a database of more than 100,000 industry buyers. Rather than having to search through an overwhelming list of contacts, executives can connect with buyers who have clearly defined purchasing needs.
A request such as “We want to connect with large enterprises” is of little practical use. A more effective approach is to specify the target industry, job function, stage of cooperation, and topics for discussion. Finding a regional partner to jointly implement a solution is not the same as approaching a company to purchase software directly. Defining these objectives separately makes it easier to connect with the right people.
Meeting materials should clearly address four points relevant to decision-makers: which industry or policy signals the solution responds to; the business environments in which it can be applied; the internal prerequisites for moving forward; and the initial response expected from the other party. This could mean an executive-level discussion, a request for additional materials, or exploring a joint project proposal. There is no need to rush into a formal agreement at the first meeting.
The value of matchmaking depends on whether needs have been prioritized. The more clearly the discussion topic, target role, stage of cooperation, and outstanding questions are defined, the more productive the conversations are likely to be. With priorities clearly laid out, Hongqiao International Tech Week can put senior executives in front of buyers who have the authority to make decisions on the spot, drawing on its shared global innovation network.
Small-Group Exchanges Among Decision-Makers Offer What Large Forums Cannot
Conversations among decision-makers often begin with a small discussion before the issue has been fully defined. At Hongqiao International Tech Week, participants shape the agenda of the Inspiration Discussion Room themselves. They can propose topics and find others to discuss them with, making it suitable for teams that are still clarifying their direction. A useful starting point might be: “Where are the likely sticking points when a new solution is integrated into an existing business process?” After one round of discussion, participants can determine which topics deserve deeper exploration.
The roles of the three formats then become clear: exhibition booths showcase products, forums provide broader perspectives, and the Inspiration Discussion Room accommodates topics that are still taking shape. Once requirements are clearly defined, they can be brought to one-to-one targeted business matchmaking. Companies should allocate their teams according to the day’s objectives. If the direction is still uncertain, spend more time listening and exploring. If the direction is clear, focus on showcasing solutions and meeting potential partners rather than trying to do both intensively on the same day.
Different parts of the same event also call for different participants. Business and product teams should jointly assess strategic direction, while technical specialists are better placed to answer system integration questions. Having the people most familiar with each topic take the lead is more effective than expecting one person to handle exhibitions, forums, and meetings all at once.
Companies do not need to participate in every format. Exhibition booths, themed discussions, forums, and business matchmaking should be selected according to the specific business question the decision-making team needs to resolve during the visit. The publicly announced exhibition scope can help narrow down the direction. The next step is to bring the right people into the right settings.
For companies seeking to understand industry trends, identify policy signals, and discuss resources in a single trip, Hongqiao International Tech Week is worth considering. These activities can all be aligned around the same business question. Signals heard on site can be explored further in the forums, while clearly defined requirements can move into one-to-one targeted business matchmaking, allowing decision-making to progress continuously. Underpinning this approach are the policy priorities of the 15th Five-Year Plan and the integration of innovation, industry, capital, and talent, together with a forum program designed to bring policy and industry into the same discussion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: If I can only spare half a day, can I gain insights that would be difficult to obtain elsewhere?
It depends on what you focus on: look at policy and industry signals, and pay attention to who will be attending the same event. The forums at Hongqiao International Tech Week are designed around decision-making, bringing policy reference points together with industrial assessments. Compared with broad discussions of industry trends, senior executives need insights that can be applied directly to their own businesses. By bringing three types of signals together within the same event period, the event allows participants to obtain in half a day information that might otherwise take several separate visits to piece together.
Q: How can the insights gained from forums lead to concrete follow-up connections?
Start by clarifying your needs. One-to-one targeted business matchmaking at Hongqiao International Tech Week involves advance communication based on industry direction, job functions, and discussion topics. The more precisely the requirements are defined, the more likely you are to meet people who can make decisions on the spot. Turning insights into action depends on connecting them with the right people.
Q: If we bring only one or two colleagues, how should we balance showcasing our solutions with business meetings?
First, identify the single business question you need to resolve during the visit, then allocate team members accordingly. Ensure someone is available at the exhibition booth to answer questions, and concentrate discussions requiring senior executive involvement into a planned schedule. To confirm the arrangements, you can submit your participation interest through the official Hongqiao International Tech Week website, specifying your business category, target resources, and team size.
The principle is simple: prioritize activities that require the executive’s personal judgment, and delegate the rest to accompanying colleagues so that both the booth and meetings are adequately covered. Prepare the key questions you need answered in advance, and you can make half a day count.
To learn more about Hongqiao International Tech Week 2026 (Hongqiao Tech Week), visit the official website at https://www.hongqiaotechweek.com/ or follow the official WeChat account “HongqiaoTechWeek 虹桥国际科技周.”