IT Conferences & Tech Events in Guangzhou — 2026

TL;DR Guangzhou’s 2026 tech calendar is trade-expo-heavy, peaking March–June at the Canton Fair Complex. Best standalone bets for IT professionals: VR/AR/XR Expo (May 10–12) for immersive tech depth, or Asia AI Conference (June 27–29) for AI industry breadth. Smart-manufacturing teams: GIT/SPS (March 4–6) or EAI Show (October 21–23) for embodied robotics. Add a 30-min train ride to Shenzhen for the national CITE IT mega-expo in April — it’s worth it. [4] [8] [14] [21]

Year at a Glance

Major Expos

Guangzhou Industrial Technology Fair (GIT) + SPS — March 4–6

Co-located at Canton Fair Complex Area B, the Guangzhou Industrial Technology Fair and SPS Smart Production Solutions Guangzhou run over three days. GIT 2026 debuts an International Robot and Intelligent Equipment Zone covering industrial robots, service robots, specialised robotics, and industrial AI [1]. Scale: 500+ exhibitors, 30,000 sqm [2]. Technical sessions, business matchmaking, and industry forums run alongside the floor [3]. Regional context: Guangdong Province’s intelligent robotics sector generated RMB 99.2 billion in 2024, making this a genuine supply-chain hub event, not just a showcase [1].

→ Best for: automation engineers, robotics procurement, industrial IoT professionals.

139th Canton Fair — April 15 – May 5 (3 phases)

The world’s largest trade fair [4] spans three phases at the Canton Fair Complex [6]. Phase 1 (Apr 15–19) is the relevant window for IT professionals: it covers Electronics & Appliances, Industrial Automation, New Energy Vehicles, and Smart Mobility. Four new zones debut — Smart Wearables, Display Technologies, Consumer Drones, and Agricultural Drones (~670 companies, 1,300+ booths) [5]. A dedicated Service Robots Zone displays AI/humanoid robot advances. Over 60% of the fair’s 32,000+ exhibitors have adopted AI, 5G, or industrial internet technologies [4]. The Canton Fair app now integrates 14 AI application scenarios for buyer matching [4]. Scale: 1.55M sqm, 75,700 booths, 4.65M products [4].

→ Best for: hardware sourcing, emerging consumer tech, supply-chain intelligence.

World VR/AR/XR/MR Industry & Smart Glasses Expo — May 10–12

The 10th edition at the Canton Fair Complex is 40% larger than its predecessor — 50,000 sqm, 800+ exhibitors from 30+ countries [8]. Named participants include Meta, Pico, Huawei, and Thunderbird Innovation alongside ~100 specialised startups [8]. Scope: XR headsets and optics, smart glasses (hearing assistance, sports recording, translation), motion capture, metaverse platforms, digital twins, spatial computing for medicine and education [10]. A “Trade Bridge” matchmaking program targets ~20 billion RMB in commercial deals [8]. Attendance: ~25,000 trade visitors [7]. China’s XR market is projected at 350 billion RMB by end of 2026 [8].

→ Best for: XR/VR/AR hardware developers, metaverse product teams, enterprise spatial computing.

PAGC 2026 — Global Product & Growth Expo + Global AI Growth Conference — May 27–28

Held at Canton Fair Complex Area C (Halls 14.2–15.2), PAGC 2026 is in its 6th edition and now co-branded as the 1st Global AI Growth Conference (AGC) [13]. Theme: “AI for Growth × Monetisation” [11]. Scale: 200 exhibitors, 20,000 visitors, ~20,000 sqm [12]. Programming: 1 AI global growth summit, 8 thematic forums, 3 networking sessions, 100+ international speakers [13]. Coverage: AI applications, game globalisation, short-drama platforms, fintech, e-commerce, ad tech, and payment solutions — oriented toward Chinese tech companies expanding internationally [11].

→ Best for: app/game publishers, ad-tech teams, founders scaling China-made AI products globally.

Asia AI Conference + Asia Robot Conference (AICE + ARCE) — June 27–29

Held at Guangzhou International Procurement Center, AICE 2026 pairs an AI industry exhibition with 30+ concurrent forums [14]. Scale: 4 hectares, ~490 exhibitors, 20 countries/regions, ~60,000 visitors [14]. Technology coverage spans foundational AI (chips, algorithms, sensors, cloud computing), integrated applications (smart manufacturing, smart cities, autonomous vehicles), and emerging platforms (VR/AR, metaverse) [14]. The co-located ARCE 2026 (Asia Robot Conference and Exhibition) adds dedicated robotics industry coverage [15]. Booth pricing: standard 3×3 m at 16,800 RMB; open space at 1,500 RMB/m² (36 m² minimum) [14].

→ Best for: AI engineers, ML practitioners, robotics investors, enterprise AI buyers.

EAI Show 2026 — GBA Embodied Intelligent Robot Expo — October 21–23

Held at Guangzhou Aerotropolis Expo Center (airport area), the GBA International Embodied Intelligent Robot Industry Conference and Exhibition is South China’s dedicated showcase for embodied AI [16]. Scale: 30,000 sqm, 200+ exhibitors, 30,000 professional visitors, 20+ purchasing groups [16]. The event covers the full supply chain — raw materials, components, simulation, testing, through to finished humanoid robots — under the theme “Innovation-Driven Smart Manufacturing for the Future” [16]. International partners include the International Federation of Robotics, European Robotics Association, and Japan Robot Association [17].

→ Best for: robotics engineers, embodied AI researchers, hardware investors.

Academic & Smaller Conferences

Sources: [18] [20] [19]

These are smaller academic gatherings (100–500 attendees), primarily oriented toward paper presentations and researcher networking rather than industry product showcases.

Nearby: CITE 2026 in Shenzhen (April 9–11)

⚠ Not Guangzhou — but 30 minutes by high-speed rail. CITE 2026 (14th China Information Technology Expo) is organised by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Shenzhen municipal government, making it the highest-profile national IT expo of the year [21]. Scale: 1,800+ exhibitors, 150,000 visitors, 110,000 sqm [22]. Coverage: new-generation information technology, AI computing and data centres, advanced semiconductors, intelligent terminals, wearables, and robotics. Worth adding as a same-trip day if visiting Guangzhou in April; the Canton Fair also starts April 15, creating a natural two-event window.

Practical Notes