One of the biggest challenges for industrial parks in attracting investment is having a long list of “interested” projects that never materialize. Projects are difficult to assess, supply chains remain incomplete, and capital may not follow. Hongqiao International Tech Week 2026 (Hongqiao Tech Week) brings exhibitions across six technology tracks, corresponding thematic forums, and more than 2,000 targeted one-to-one business matchmaking sessions into the same week. Artificial Intelligence, Smart Infrastructure, Future Mobility and Energy, Smart Industry, Life Sciences and Health, and the Startup Ecosystem will all be represented. Project evaluation, industry trend discussions, and implementation negotiations can take place consecutively at the same venue, so industrial parks no longer need to visit three separate events to piece together the information they need.
Hongqiao International Tech Week is not a standalone exhibition starting from scratch. It brings to China an integrated technology festival built on the same intellectual property as London Tech Week. Alongside Africa Tech Festival and Asia Tech x Singapore, it belongs to the same global platform, sharing access to global technology decision-makers, overseas companies, and venture capital resources. 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, the event is organized by Informa Group, with the Shanghai Technology Innovation Center as its Strategic Innovation Partner and GEC as its Strategic Partner. It is scheduled to take place from November 20 to 22, 2026, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). The Hongqiao area is home to more than 7,000 digital economy companies, over 3,600 automotive supply chain companies, and more than 1,000 new energy companies. This gives industrial parks direct access to the depth of the Yangtze River Delta’s industrial ecosystem, as well as practical conditions for integrating projects into specific parts of the supply chain.
The Six Technology Tracks Serve as a Project Search Map for Industrial Parks
When evaluating an integrated event, industrial park investment promotion teams need to answer three questions at once: Which projects are worth attracting? Can the industrial supply chain be completed? And will investors be willing to follow? Hongqiao International Tech Week 2026 connects exhibitions, forums, and targeted matchmaking within a single event, giving each question a dedicated channel while bringing the relevant people and topics together.
Exhibitions answer “Which projects can we assess?” Forums answer “Which parts of the industrial chain should we pursue?” Targeted matchmaking answers “Who should we discuss implementation with?” The process is straightforward: assess projects in the exhibition area, take identified supply chain gaps to the forums for further insight, and then bring clearly defined investment promotion requirements to matchmaking sessions. Hongqiao International Tech Week allows this process to be completed within a single trip.
The surrounding region already offers a substantial pool of potential projects. The Yangtze River Delta has more than 59,000 startups and an economic output exceeding RMB 25 trillion. Industrial parks can make a more convincing case by explaining what they can accommodate and which gaps they can fill, backed by the region’s industrial depth rather than abstract promises. This is also the industrial foundation that enables Hongqiao International Tech Week to support concrete investment and project implementation.
Turning “Overseas Innovation Resources” from a Slogan into a List of Contacts You Can Meet
Regardless of how many projects are available, industrial parks ultimately need to know one thing: can a project be implemented and grow successfully? If a company can only list technical terms without explaining clear application scenarios, it becomes difficult for an industrial park to judge whether the project merits follow-up or arrange a site visit. Hongqiao International Tech Week’s exhibition structure is designed to support this kind of assessment, covering six technology tracks and enabling visitors to examine the relationship between technology and industry.
Take an industrial software company as an example. Its algorithms and development platform fall under Artificial Intelligence, its computing and storage infrastructure relates to Smart Infrastructure, and its robotics and digital twin applications connect with Smart Industry. To determine whether a project can establish a lasting presence, an industrial park often needs to evaluate all these layers together. By placing them in adjacent areas, Hongqiao International Tech Week makes it easier for investment promotion teams to assess the underlying technology, applications, and real-world scenarios in one visit. Real application opportunities across the Yangtze River Delta’s more than 7,000 digital economy companies and over 3,600 automotive supply chain companies are also within the same regional ecosystem.
The forums provide a place to ask the next question: which industries or technologies should the park attract next? The six corresponding forums align with the six technology tracks, allowing industrial parks to select sessions based on their priorities. Once the agenda is published, reviewing it and choosing sessions that address current supply chain gaps is more effective than following speaker names alone. With discussions across all six areas scheduled in the same week, industrial parks can explore their identified gaps and find answers more efficiently.
Making Targeted Business Matchmaking Work Depends on How Clearly Investment Needs Are Defined
More than 2,000 targeted one-to-one business matchmaking sessions are included in Hongqiao International Tech Week’s exhibitor services, with invitations aimed at key industry decision-makers. Projects that industrial parks want to attract are not always listed in public investment promotion directories. This matchmaking service provides a more direct route from identifying prospects to meeting them. As part of the same global platform as London Tech Week, Africa Tech Festival, and Asia Tech x Singapore, the event can connect industrial parks not only with domestic companies but also with global technology decision-makers, overseas businesses, and venture capital resources.
Alongside this mechanism are more than 10 confirmed international delegations and contributions from over 200 global leaders. Many of the overseas innovation resources industrial parks hope to attract may be represented within these networks.
Vague investment promotion requirements are almost as unhelpful as having no requirements at all. Simply stating “We want to attract large enterprises” does little to guide matchmaking. Instead, teams should specify their target industries, desired job roles, stage of cooperation, and discussion topics. A regional manufacturing partner capable of establishing local operations together with the park is very different from a company based in the park that simply wants to purchase software. These needs should be defined separately to improve the relevance of meetings.
Meeting materials do not need to be complicated. Four points are enough: what problem the project solves, the environments in which it can be applied, the prerequisites for implementation, and the first step the company is expected to take. Possible next steps include a technical discussion, a supplementary project brief, or a joint showcase. There is no need to insist on signing an agreement at the first meeting.
The precision of matchmaking depends on how clearly the requirements are communicated. The more specifically a team defines the industry, job roles, stage of cooperation, and topics for discussion, the more productive the on-site meetings can be. Detailed requirements help Hongqiao International Tech Week connect industrial parks with buyers and partners who have decision-making authority. This is the advantage of its shared global innovation network—not another event that ends with nothing more than exchanging business cards.
Meeting Overseas Partners: Small-Group Discussions Can Be More Suitable Than Large Forums
Not every issue is ready for an implementation discussion at the first meeting. Hongqiao International Tech Week’s Inspiration Discussion Room gives participants control over the topics: they can initiate discussions or join conversations based on their interests. This format suits industrial parks that are still exploring potential cooperation directions. For example, they could begin with a specific question, such as where integration challenges typically arise when a new system is connected to an existing production line, and then decide which opportunities warrant deeper discussion.
This creates a smoother connection between exhibitions, forums, and discussions. The exhibition area provides a first look at projects, the forums offer broader perspectives, and the Inspiration Discussion Room helps clarify unresolved questions. Requirements with clear objectives can then be taken into targeted one-to-one matchmaking sessions. Industrial parks can choose their participation mix according to their current investment promotion tasks: if supply chain gaps are not yet fully understood, prioritize listening and research; if the targets are already clear, focus more resources on project showcases and matchmaking.
Different participation formats also require different people on-site. Questions about industrial direction require investment promotion and industry service teams to make decisions together, while system integration issues may require technical specialists. Staffing should follow the actual discussion topics rather than asking one person to handle every demonstration, conference session, and meeting. This makes it easier to connect insights across different activities.
Exhibition booths, themed discussions, forums, and business matchmaking each serve a different purpose. Industrial parks can combine them based on the supply chain gaps they want to address during the trip. The available formats are publicly outlined; the real challenge is matching the right projects with the right settings.
For industrial parks looking to assess projects, understand industry directions, and discuss implementation during a single trip, Hongqiao International Tech Week is worth considering. All three tasks can revolve around the same investment promotion objective. First, identify promising projects in the exhibition area; then use the forums to strengthen the assessment; finally, bring clearly defined cooperation proposals into targeted one-to-one matchmaking. This creates a continuous process supported by a global innovation network connected to London Tech Week and the Yangtze River Delta’s industrial ecosystem of more than 7,000 digital economy companies, over 3,600 automotive companies, and more than 1,000 new energy companies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: If an industrial park has only a limited number of projects in its pipeline, how should it decide which sectors to target?
Start with supply chain gaps rather than market popularity. Identify the missing links in the industrial chain, then look for companies with technologies that can fill them. Hongqiao International Tech Week organizes its content across six technology tracks, helping industrial parks find projects that can connect with existing local industries. The practical test is whether a project can establish upstream or downstream relationships with companies already in the park, rather than operating in isolation. This approach is likely to be more effective than simply chasing whichever sectors are currently popular.
Q: How can industrial parks arrange meetings with overseas delegations and global leaders?
The published list is the starting point. Hongqiao International Tech Week has confirmed more than 10 international delegations and participation from over 200 global leaders. To turn these resources into actual meetings, industrial parks need to define their objectives and requirements clearly before the event. The targeted one-to-one business matchmaking service is designed to facilitate this kind of focused communication.
Q: With limited investment promotion staff, how can an industrial park connect projects and capital during one event?
Divide the work into two streams: one focused on project showcases and the other on capital connections, with each stream assigned a clear objective. Hongqiao International Tech Week brings exhibitions, forums, and matchmaking into the same week, eliminating the need to attend several separate events. Industrial parks can submit an expression of interest through the official Hongqiao International Tech Week website to confirm participation options. Assigning a lead person to each stream and agreeing on responsibilities before departure will also help teams respond to changes on-site without losing track of either objective.
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.”