You have an algorithm or a prototype, yet you still struggle to find the right people to bring it to market at trade shows. This is a common challenge for many technology teams. Technology providers and application-side organizations often operate in separate spaces: the former bring solutions in search of applications, while the latter bring business needs in search of suppliers. The two groups are frequently separated by different exhibition halls and event schedules. They may exchange plenty of business cards, but few conversations turn into concrete partnerships.
Hongqiao International Tech Week 2026 aims to address precisely this disconnect by bringing technology providers and organizations with real-world application needs together within the same event cycle.
When Technology Cannot Find the Right Application, the Problem Often Lies in Fragmented Exhibition Zones
At large, general-purpose technology exhibitions, artificial intelligence, industrial software, and smart hardware are often displayed across the same broad area, with overlapping categories and unclear distinctions. Technology teams must sift through the crowds themselves to identify organizations with genuine application needs. By the end of the day, they may have collected a stack of business cards but established only a handful of meaningful connections.
Another challenge is the communication gap. Technology providers tend to focus on technical specifications, parameters, and system architecture. Application-side organizations want to know something much more practical: “Which process can this technology improve, and how much can it reduce costs?” Conversations can quickly lose momentum when the two sides speak different business languages.
Hongqiao International Tech Week organizes its technology content into six parallel tracks: Artificial Intelligence; Future Mobility and Energy; Smart Infrastructure; Smart Industry; Life Sciences and Healthcare; and Startup Ecosystems.
Instead of searching through a general exhibition area, technology teams can enter the track most relevant to their expertise. Application providers and organizations seeking solutions in the same field will be present in the corresponding areas.
Each of the six technology tracks also has a dedicated concurrent forum. Because the forums correspond directly to the exhibition tracks, teams looking for decision-makers in a particular field can head straight to the relevant forum rather than wandering through the entire venue.
By organizing the exhibition flow this way, Hongqiao International Tech Week helps technology providers identify where they need to go from the moment they arrive.
Forums Provide a Natural Meeting Ground for Technology Providers and Application Partners
Teams developing foundational algorithms often struggle to find the right opportunities to present their technology to people who can actually use it. At general conferences, specialized topics can easily get lost among broader discussions. A team presenting its model architecture may find that half the audience is waiting for the next consumer product launch, leaving few people who can meaningfully engage with the technology.
Hongqiao International Tech Week addresses this challenge by providing a dedicated concurrent forum for each technology track. Forums covering Artificial Intelligence, Smart Industry, Future Mobility and Energy, and other fields are designed for application-side organizations and decision-makers in those sectors.
The Artificial Intelligence Forum, for example, covers AI technologies and products, AI applications, business model transformation, AI investment, and AI governance. Technology teams can present their models and architectures to an audience that includes people looking to integrate AI into their business operations.
This creates an opportunity to discuss technical approaches in the context of specific application scenarios, rather than simply delivering a generic product presentation.
With each forum linked to its corresponding exhibition track, specialized technical discussions can attract a more relevant audience. The people technology providers want to meet—those who understand the technology and can put it to practical use—are more likely to be in the right room.
By aligning forums with exhibition tracks, Hongqiao International Tech Week creates a more consistent audience for specialized technology discussions.
Effective Matchmaking Starts with Pre-Arranged Meetings, Not Luck on the Exhibition Floor
Hongqiao International Tech Week plans to facilitate more than 2,000 one-to-one targeted business matchmaking sessions, supported by buyer invitations and media outreach. Its database of more than 100,000 industry buyers provides a foundation for matching, while its exhibitor services connect activities before, during, and after the event.
Matchmaking-related sponsorship packages include pre-event appointment scheduling and access to dedicated on-site meeting rooms.
Technology teams can arrange their meetings before the event and follow a scheduled timetable on-site, meeting with potential partners one by one. Instead of spending the day searching for customers, they can focus their time on organizations with which connections have already been established.
By organizing potential contacts in advance, Hongqiao International Tech Week helps technology providers spend less time screening visitors and more time discussing business opportunities.
For technology providers, this approach replaces the uncertainty of traditional trade-show networking with a structured process for discussing potential partnerships.
The key is to define requirements clearly. A request such as “Seeking deployment opportunities for quality-inspection algorithms in smart factories” is much more effective than simply stating “Looking for business cooperation.” Specific requirements make it easier to identify relevant organizations, while vague requests are more likely to result in superficial connections.
Hongqiao International Tech Week offers exhibition booths, sponsorship opportunities, and targeted business matchmaking. For technology teams with limited budgets, investing in matchmaking may deliver more practical value than renting a large exhibition booth.
Technology Companies Seeking Overseas Markets Can Leverage the Organizer’s Global Network
Many technology teams want to explore overseas application scenarios. However, arranging a separate international trip can quickly consume an entire round of budget just to understand one market. Companies may lack local distribution channels, have limited knowledge of buyer profiles, and struggle to understand certification requirements. After a costly trip, they may have gained only a superficial understanding of the market.
The challenge is not necessarily that overseas markets are inaccessible, but that entering them independently can be expensive.
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 ability to bring technology providers and application-side organizations to the same table is also supported by the organizer’s global network. Informa’s related technology events include London Tech Week, technology festivals in Singapore and Africa, and other events within its international ecosystem. Hongqiao serves as the first stop in China for this global innovation platform.
Informa Group is a member of UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry. Hongqiao International Tech Week is connected to a broader international technology event ecosystem spanning Europe, Africa, and Asia, including London Tech Week, Africa Tech Festival, and the Singapore-based Asia Tech x Singapore event.
London Tech Week established more than 90,000 connections in 2026. Through this international network, technology teams attending Hongqiao International Tech Week may gain access to overseas buyers and business contacts without having to travel independently to every target market.
Should Your Technology Team Participate? Four Key Indicators to Consider
Technology teams do not need to focus solely on exhibition space or the number of exhibitors when deciding whether to participate. Four factors are more directly related to their ability to connect with real-world applications: technology tracks, audience composition, matchmaking services, and international market access.
First, identify the relevant technology track. Algorithms and AI applications belong in the Artificial Intelligence track, industrial software in Smart Industry, and automotive technologies and energy solutions in Future Mobility and Energy. By participating in the appropriate track, technology teams can connect with organizations working in the same field.
Second, consider the audience composition. 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%. The former group includes people who can make purchasing decisions, while the latter includes professionals who can help implement technology. For technology providers, the priority is not simply attracting a large audience, but meeting both decision-makers and technical implementers.
Third, assess the matchmaking mechanism. Hongqiao International Tech Week plans to organize more than 2,000 one-to-one targeted business matchmaking sessions as one of its core value-added services. Its exhibitor services cover the entire process before, during, and after the event. Technology providers can improve matching efficiency by clearly defining their application needs in advance.
Fourth, evaluate international market access. Through Informa’s UFI connections and related international events, technology teams interested in overseas markets may gain access to a buyer network spanning multiple countries, reducing the need to travel independently to each market.
How Technology Teams Should Prepare for Participation
Step 1: Translate technical capabilities into practical application language.
Buyers want to know which production-line problems a technology can solve, not simply how its technical parameters compare with alternatives. An explanation organized around specific application scenarios is often more useful than a general technical white paper. Including a verifiable real-world implementation example can make the proposition even more convincing.
Step 2: Identify the people you want to meet.
If the goal is commercial deployment, prioritize industry application providers and end users. If the goal is ecosystem collaboration, focus on platforms, systems integrators, and potential technology partners. Different audiences require different materials and approaches.
Step 3: Submit matchmaking requirements before the event.
Hongqiao International Tech Week’s program of more than 2,000 matchmaking sessions begins with pre-event arrangements. Submitting requirements early gives the organizers more opportunities to identify suitable contacts. Waiting until arrival to search for potential partners may prevent teams from making full use of the service.
Exhibition participation options fall into three categories: raw space, standard or premium shell-scheme booths, and startup booths. Technology teams will generally consider the first two categories when planning their participation.
All three booth categories include company branding and profiles on the official website and online portal, inclusion in the digital event guide, and access to the official event app.
The recommended order of preparation is straightforward: identify the people you want to meet first, prepare the appropriate materials second, and arrange matchmaking meetings third.
With these steps completed in advance, technology teams can move directly into substantive discussions when they arrive. By encouraging exhibitors to prepare before the event, Hongqiao International Tech Week aims to help teams establish clear objectives from the outset.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should technology teams participate as exhibitors or visitors?
It depends on whether the primary objective is to showcase technology or identify potential partners and application opportunities. Companies looking to demonstrate their technology and generate business leads should consider exhibiting and combining their booth presence with matchmaking services. Those seeking to understand application trends and meet potential customers may prefer to attend as visitors.
Registration for both exhibitors and visitors is available through the official Hongqiao International Tech Week website and WeChat public account. Both groups can explore buyer-invitation and matchmaking opportunities.
Q: Can a company participate if it has algorithms but no finished product?
Yes. The Artificial Intelligence, Smart Industry, and other relevant tracks welcome foundational technologies and solution providers. The key is to clearly explain the specific application scenarios that the algorithms can address. This allows targeted matchmaking to connect the team with relevant application-side organizations. If a company focuses exclusively on technical details without explaining practical use cases, matchmaking efficiency may be reduced.
Q: When and where will Hongqiao International Tech Week 2026 take place?
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.
The timing falls before many companies finalize their budgets for the following year, allowing technology teams to plan meetings and follow-ups around the investment and project-planning cycles of potential application partners.
Q: What is the difference between a forum and an exhibition booth? Which should technology providers choose?
The concurrent forums are suitable for presenting technical approaches and explaining solutions to decision-makers and application-side organizations in the relevant sectors. Exhibition booths are better suited to hands-on product demonstrations.
Many technology teams may benefit from combining the two: use the forum to explain the technical approach, the booth to demonstrate the product, and one-to-one matchmaking meetings to explore specific cooperation opportunities in greater depth.
Q: What overseas resources can companies access through Hongqiao International Tech Week?
The organizer, Informa Group, is a member of UFI. Hongqiao International Tech Week is connected to the wider network of related international events, including London Tech Week, Africa Tech Festival, and Asia Tech x Singapore. London Tech Week established more than 90,000 connections in 2026.
Through this network, technology teams may have opportunities to connect with buyers from multiple countries without having to travel independently to each market.
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.
Technology teams seeking a matchmaking plan tailored to their sector can specify their technology track and application requirements when submitting their applications.