TL;DR Chengdu is a credible tech-event city — not Shanghai-scale but with genuine depth in cybersecurity (C3 Security, annual 8-year run), AI/streaming content (China Network Audio-Visual Conference, permanent host since 2016), and B2B electronics. April is the peak conference month; July brings two major electronics expos at Century City. Industry events are Chinese-language; IEEE academic conferences are English-friendly.
2026 Event Calendar
| Date | Event | Type | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 11–13 | Chengdu Intl Industrial Expo (CDIIF) | Expo | Robotics, humanoid bots, smart mfg, next-gen IT |
| Apr 14–16 | 13th China Network Audio-Visual Conference | Industry conf | AI content, virtual production, streaming, micro-drama |
| Apr 17–18 | C3 Security Conference 2026 | Industry summit | AI security, cybersecurity, Internet of Agents |
| Apr 24–26 | IEEE ICCCBDA 2026 | Academic | Cloud computing, big data analytics |
| Jun 12–14 | IEEE ICAICI 2026 | Academic | AI, cyber-physical systems, intelligent computing |
| Jul 8–10 | China (Western) Electronic Information Expo | Expo (B2B) | 5G/6G, AI chips, semiconductors, IoT, cloud |
| Jul 15–17 | Chengdu Consumer Electronics Exhibition | Expo (B2C) | AI gadgets, robotics, smart home, new displays |
| Ongoing | CCF YOCSEF Chengdu Forums | Community | AI agents, cybersecurity, low-altitude economy |
Anchor Events
C3 Security Conference (8th edition, Apr 17–18)
C3 is AsiaInfo Security’s flagship annual conference, now in its 8th year in Chengdu [5]. The 2026 theme “Thriving with AI” centred on the transition from AI-as-tool to AI-as-agent; seven specialised tracks covered telecom security, financial AI, energy, manufacturing, and data governance [5]. Venue: Tianfu International Convention Center, Tianfu New District. Sponsors: Huawei, Alibaba Cloud, Baidu [5]. Primarily Chinese-language; industry practitioners rather than researchers.
China Network Audio-Visual Conference (13th edition, Apr 14–16)
Chengdu has been the permanent host city since 2016 [4]. The 13th edition drew 12,000+ attendees from 4,000+ institutions — organised by China’s National Radio and Television Administration [3]. 2026 focus: AI content generation, virtual shooting, micro-drama economics, cross-border distribution, and AI-agent-driven production (“one-person companies”) [3]. Venue: Century City International Conference Center, Wuhou District. Relevant for streaming, video AI, or digital entertainment professionals.
Chengdu International Industrial Expo (CDIIF, Mar 11–13)
The CDIIF is positioned as the “opening industrial event of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle” [1]. Scale: 60,000 m², 800 exhibitors, 60,000 expected visitors [2]. 2026 highlights included humanoid robots, cloud-integrated control systems, and a parallel “Eastern Data-Western Computing” summit on green-intelligent industrial transition [1]. Venue: Western China International Expo City, Tianfu New District. B2B manufacturing focus; relevant for industrial IT and edge computing.
Academic Conferences
Both IEEE events are English-friendly with proceedings published to IEEE Xplore:
- IEEE ICCCBDA 2026 (Apr 24–26) — 11th edition, cloud computing and big data. Co-sponsored by the Sichuan Institute of Electronics and IEEE; hosted at Tibet Hotel, Chengdu [6]. Papers indexed in EI Compendex and Scopus.
- IEEE ICAICI 2026 (Jun 12–14) — AI, cyber-physical systems, intelligent computing [7]. Venue TBD in Chengdu.
See dev.events for a live index of international conferences in China [13].
Electronics Expos (July, Century City)
Two large shows in July at Chengdu Century City New International Convention Center, Wuhou District:
- China (Western) Electronic Information Expo (Jul 8–10) — B2B; 14th/15th edition; 30,000 m²; exhibitors include Huawei, BOE, DJI, Intel, AMD [8][9]. Focus: integrated circuits, 5G/6G, AI models, low-altitude economy. ⚠ Two organiser listings show conflicting dates (Jul 8–10 vs Jul 15–17); confirm before booking.
- Chengdu Consumer Electronics Exhibition (Jul 15–17) — B2C; 60,000 m², 80,000 visitors, 50+ concurrent forums [10]. Theme: “Intelligent Connected Everything: AI Empowers the Future.” Focus: AI gadgets, new displays, health tech, smart home.
Community & Recurring Forums
CCF YOCSEF Chengdu runs monthly technical forums year-round for the local CS/engineering community [11]. The 2025–2026 programme targets AI agents, cybersecurity, low-altitude economy, and AI in education [12]. Brand series: “Qingcheng Wendao” (青城问道) and “Emei Lunjian” (峨眉论剑) [12]. Typically free, primarily Chinese; useful for connecting with local academia.
Cursor runs Meetups, Hackathons, and Workshops in Chengdu as part of its China city-tour programme [14].
Context: Why Chengdu Punches Above Its Size
Tianfu Long Island digital creative park already hosts Tencent New Creative HQ, NetEase Thunder Fire Studio, DJI, and 70+ other firms with ~6,000 employees [15]. Sichuan targets 1.7 trillion yuan in core AI industry output by 2026. This industrial base — plus Chengdu’s low cost of living for talent — explains why events like C3 and the Audio-Visual Conference have made the city their permanent home rather than rotating through Beijing or Shanghai.