FAIR plus 2026 Shenzhen: What the Robot Industry Expo Means for Visitors (April 22-24)

FAIR plus 2026 (Fair of AI and Robotics, plus) runs April 22-24, 2026 at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center (No. 111 Fuhua 3rd Road, Futian District). It is billed as the world's first professional exhibition covering the entire robot industry chain — from control systems, servos, and integrated joints through to finished embodied-intelligence products — with 500+ upstream suppliers, 50+ application-sector forums, and live hardware demos across medical, industrial, marine, agricultural, and bionic robotics. If you are already in Shenzhen this week, it is the most concentrated way to see where Chinese humanoid-robot companies actually are today. If you miss it, Shenzhen's robot ecosystem is accessible year-round — see the end of this guide.

10 Facts About FAIR plus 2026 (Quick Reference)

• Full name: FAIR plus 2026 — Fair of AI and Robotics, plus (also indexed as "深圳机器人全产业链接会")
• Dates: April 22-24, 2026 (Wednesday to Friday)
• Venue: Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center (深圳会展中心), No. 111 Fuhua 3rd Road, Futian District
• Metro: Line 1 to Convention & Exhibition Center Station (会展中心站), Exit A
• Registration: https://fairplus.cn/ (pre-registration recommended for badge pickup)
• Scope: 500+ exhibitors spanning 50+ sectors of embodied intelligence
• Forums: 50+ parallel forums on medical, marine, industrial, agricultural, and bionic robotics
• Core focus: Entire industry chain — components (servos, sensors, joints, control systems) plus integrators plus AI algorithms
• Language: Primarily Mandarin; major exhibitors have English-speaking staff; forum simultaneous interpretation varies by session
• Position: First expo in China positioning itself as a full-chain robot industry match-making event (not consumer-focused like CES)

What Makes FAIR plus Different From Other Robot Expos

Three things set it apart from CES, Hannover Messe, or the Shanghai robot fairs:

1. Upstream emphasis. Most robot expos show finished products. FAIR plus deliberately features component suppliers — harmonic drives, brushless motors, force sensors, RV reducers — because the China-based supply chain is where the cost advantage actually comes from. If you want to understand how Unitree sells a quadruped for a fifth of Boston Dynamics' price, the upstream hall is the answer.
2. Embodied intelligence positioning. The event is explicitly positioned around embodied AI — the wave of foundation models trained to control physical robots. Exhibitors span simulation platforms, training datasets, and the hardware that runs them. You will see companies you do not yet know, alongside Unitree, UBTECH, and DJI robotics divisions.
3. Matchmaking over sales. FAIR plus is structured as a B2B industry linkage event. Booths are built for procurement conversations rather than consumer demos. For a tourist this means less spectacle, more actual product.

What Happens Across the Three Days

• Exhibition halls — Roughly 500 booths split between components, finished robots, software/simulation, and integration services.
• Live demos — Humanoid and quadruped robots performing scripted tasks on the show floor. Past FAIR plus editions and Shenzhen precedents indicate daily scheduled demo windows rather than continuous operation — check the on-site schedule.
• Forum tracks — 50+ forums across industrial applications, medical robotics, marine and underwater systems, agricultural automation, and human-computer interaction. Some sessions are free with visitor registration; premium tracks require separate tickets.
• Matchmaking sessions — Pre-booked B2B meetings between component suppliers and integrators. If you are a founder sourcing parts, this is why you fly in; if you are a tourist, you will not attend these.

Who Actually Shows Up

Shenzhen's own robotics scene is the core — Unitree (humanoid + quadruped), UBTECH (humanoid + service robots), DJI (through its robotics-adjacent divisions), plus a long tail of Nanshan and Longgang startups you see in the Robot Valley street district. Add:

• Component suppliers from Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu — harmonic drive makers, servo motor manufacturers, sensor vendors.
• Research institutions — universities and CAS labs with commercialized projects.
• International buyers — procurement teams from Japan, Korea, Germany, and increasingly Southeast Asia, sourcing Chinese components.

For a tourist the useful signal is: this is where you see the depth of Shenzhen's robot industry, not just the surface.

Should a Tourist Actually Go?

Honest answer: it depends on why you are in Shenzhen.

| You are... | Worth going? | Why | |---|---|---| | A hardware engineer or robot-company founder | Strongly yes | Upstream supplier access you cannot easily replicate at CES | | A tech journalist or creator | Yes | Visual material plus interview access to founders on the floor | | A technology-curious tourist | Maybe — try day 1 | One day is enough; pair with our Inside Shenzhen Technology tour the next day | | A general tourist in town for a weekend | No | The permanent ecosystem (see below) is more accessible and more photogenic | | Traveling with kids under 12 | No | Trade-show floors are loud and not kid-friendly; see Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum instead |

If you are unsure, pick the one day the schedule suggests is heaviest on public-facing content (check the fairplus.cn agenda when it publishes) and walk the floor for three hours.

How to Register and Visit

1. Pre-register at https://fairplus.cn/ with your passport number and arrival date. Trade-visitor registration has historically been free; on-site walk-ins may be possible but slower.
2. Get to the venue via Shenzhen Metro Line 1, Convention & Exhibition Center Station (会展中心站), Exit A. This is the same venue that hosts the International Low-Altitude Economy Expo in May — it is one of the most metro-accessible large expo halls in China.
3. Bring your passport — Chinese expo check-ins require government ID, and your hotel Chinese ID card number will not substitute.
4. Allow three hours minimum for a first-visit floor walk. If you plan to attend forums, budget a full day.
5. No photography restrictions on the main floor in past editions, but individual exhibitors may block lens access to unreleased hardware — ask first.

You Do Not Need FAIR plus to See Shenzhen's Robots

The expo runs three days per year. Shenzhen's robot ecosystem operates every day. If you miss April 22-24, these are open the rest of the year:

Longgang Robot Valley and "All-Nation First Robot Street"

Longgang District, around Xinghe Double Towers at Yaxing Road and Yali Road, is the first officially-designated robot street district in China. It hosts the world's first "Robot 6S Store" (a reference to automotive dealership-style showrooms — Sales, Service, Spare parts, Survey, Social media, System). You can see Chinese consumer-grade humanoids and service robots in a curated retail environment. Advance reservation required. Read our Shenzhen Robot Valley visit guide for the full access details.

DJI Sky City, Xiaomi EV Space, and Huawei Flagship

The standard tech flagship cluster in Nanshan covers robots-adjacent tech: drones at DJI Sky City, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra engine cutaway at Xiaomi EV Space, and the Huawei flagship store. All are free, walk-in accessible, and within a 15-minute radius of Houhai Metro.

Robot Restaurants and Robot Baristas

Several restaurants in Shenzhen use robots for cooking, serving, or drink prep — see our Shenzhen robot restaurants guide. Orbit One and the unmanned noodle shop are the most consistently visitable.

Meituan Drone Delivery at Talent Park

Order food on the Meituan app and watch an autonomous drone land at the pickup point. The whole pickup takes 10-15 minutes and costs about the same as a normal delivery. See how drone delivery works for tourists.

Why Shenzhen Hosts China's First Full-Chain Robot Expo

Shenzhen's claim on the robot industry is structural, not marketing:

• Manufacturing supply chain. The Pearl River Delta houses roughly 60% of China's precision-component production relevant to robotics — servos, harmonic drives, bearings, sensors. You can prototype a joint assembly in a week and ship it to a customer in Europe within a month.
• Resident giants. Unitree is Hangzhou-based but sources heavily in Shenzhen; UBTECH is Shenzhen-headquartered. DJI's robotics divisions are all here. Around 400 robot-related companies are registered in the Longgang and Nanshan districts alone.
• Government policy. Shenzhen's 14th Five-Year Plan designated robotics and embodied intelligence as pillar industries, with dedicated industrial parks, tax incentives, and the Robot Valley designation that birthed the street district.

For a tourist this means something simple: Shenzhen is the city where you can see robots being designed, manufactured, sold, and used in public spaces, in the same week.

Experience Shenzhen's Robot Ecosystem on a Guided Tour

If the expo week does not fit your schedule, our guided tours cover the permanent robot ecosystem. The Inside Shenzhen Technology tour includes Unitree showroom access, a Pony.ai robotaxi ride, Meituan drone delivery, and the Xiaomi EV Space and DJI Sky City cluster — 2.5 hours, from ¥375/person in a group of 6 or ¥720/person for 1-2 people. Use code LAROJA10 at checkout for 10% off.

For a full-day option combining robots with Huaqiangbei's electronics market, see the Shenzhen Tech Day Trip (8 hours, from ¥640/person in a group of 6).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is FAIR plus 2026 free to attend?

Trade-visitor registration has historically been free for past editions of the event; confirm current admission policy at https://fairplus.cn/ before traveling. Forum tracks and premium sessions may require separate tickets.

What is the difference between FAIR plus and the Canton Fair?

Canton Fair (广交会) is a general export-import trade fair covering everything from textiles to machinery, held in Guangzhou. FAIR plus is specifically focused on the robotics and embodied-intelligence industry chain and is held at Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center in Futian. The two events are unrelated beyond both being held in Guangdong.

Can I buy a humanoid robot at FAIR plus?

Probably not as a walk-in consumer. The event is B2B-oriented — exhibitors quote bulk prices to integrators and institutional buyers. Consumer-grade humanoids (Unitree G1 at ~¥99,000) can be ordered online directly from the manufacturer; the expo is where procurement teams meet suppliers.

Is there a way to visit Shenzhen's robot companies outside of expo week?

Yes. Longgang Robot Valley at Xinghe Double Towers hosts the Robot 6S Store with advance reservation (opening hours 10:00-18:00, entrance fee ¥49-¥568 depending on the experience tier). See our Robot Valley guide for booking details. Several flagship showrooms in Nanshan are walk-in accessible.

Does FAIR plus have English-language forums or tours?

Individual major exhibitors staff their booths with English speakers. Some forums provide simultaneous interpretation — check the session-by-session agenda. A dedicated English-guided tour of the floor is not a standard offering; if you need one, our Inside Shenzhen Technology tour covers the permanent robot ecosystem with English narration.

Can I combine FAIR plus with Hong Kong in one trip?

Yes — this is a common itinerary. Take high-speed rail from Hong Kong West Kowloon to Futian Station (14 minutes), walk or take a 5-minute taxi to Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center for the expo, and return the same day. Our Shenzhen Technology Day Tour from Hong Kong handles the border crossing and can be scheduled the day before or after the expo.

What is "embodied intelligence" and why is it a theme?

Embodied intelligence (具身智能) is AI that operates through a physical body — robots, autonomous vehicles, drones. It contrasts with chatbot-style AI that exists only in text. Shenzhen's claim is that it manufactures most of the world's embodied-intelligence hardware and is now positioning itself to host the software layer as well. FAIR plus is the industry's first full-chain expo built around that thesis.

Related Posts

• Shenzhen Drone Conference 2026: What It Means for Tourists (May 21-23) — the other major Shenzhen tech expo two months later at the same venue
• Shenzhen Robot Valley Longgang Guide — the year-round robot retail street
• Visiting Shenzhen's Tech Giants — DJI, Huawei, Unitree, Xiaomi, NIO
• Shenzhen Tech Experiences 2026 — the 5 must-see tech experiences year-round
• Shenzhen Robot Restaurants Guide — Orbit One and the unmanned noodle shop