With policy support and market explosion, the global XR industry focus will once again converge on Guangzhou. The 2026 World VR/AR/XR/MR Industry and Smart Glasses Expo, upgraded from the 10th Asia VRAR Expo, is scheduled to be held from May 10 to 12 at the Guangzhou Canton Fair Complex. The exhibition, themed 'Virtual and Real Coexistence·Intelligent Innovation for the Future,' will rely on the dual policy advantages of the national level and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, becoming a key platform to leverage the domestic XR industry blue ocean valued at 350 billion RMB (including upstream and downstream supporting industries, based on industry research data).
 
Intensive policy initiatives have laid a solid foundation for the development of the XR industry. The "Action Plan for the Integrated Development of Virtual Reality and Industrial Applications (2022–2026)", jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and four other departments, clearly states that by 2026, virtual reality should be applied on a large scale in key sectors of the economy and society, forming internationally competitive industrial clusters. At the local level, Guangdong Province has increased R&D investment through the "Guangdong Province Action Plan for the Cultivation and Development of Future Electronic Information Industry Clusters", with 19 supporting policies already implemented and a list of application scenarios released to accelerate technology deployment. In Guangzhou's Baiyun District, the metaverse special policy implemented in December 2025 provides up to RMB 10 million in incentives to core XR enterprises, while end-device manufacturers receive a 10% subsidy based on the contract amount, up to a maximum of RMB 5 million.
 
Policy benefits are accelerating the transformation into market momentum. IDC forecasts show that by 2026, the global investment in the core AR/VR industry will reach 74.73 billion USD, with the Chinese market at 13.08 billion USD (approximately 95 billion RMB). Including upstream and downstream support, this could form an industry ecosystem worth 350 billion RMB. Segmented areas show structural growth trends: from the device end, AR has become the core engine. According to Runto Technology, China's consumer AR device sales are expected to reach 267,000 units in 2024 and surge to 452,000 units in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 72%. VR devices are stabilising and rebounding, with consumer sales projected at 320,000 units in 2025 and expected to exceed 380,000 units in 2026. The smart glasses sector is performing well; industry forecasts suggest that domestic shipments will reach 2.907 million units in 2025, including 742,000 AR/VR smart glasses, a year-on-year increase of 38.1%.
 
From the perspective of core components and application scenarios, AR display panel shipments are expected to increase by 38% year-on-year, and MicroLED technology will drive the supporting market to grow by over 60% annually; in terms of applications, the industrial sector has the highest share, and 'Virtual Reality + Industrial Empowerment' is a key focus of the 'Action Plan'. By 2026, the market scale is expected to exceed 80 billion yuan, while the cultural tourism and healthcare sectors are projected to reach 52 billion yuan and 48 billion yuan respectively, both maintaining growth rates of over 45%.
 
As a professional exhibition that has been deeply engaged in the XR field for ten years, this edition will expand its exhibition area to 50,000 square metres with 2,500 booths, attracting over 800 companies from more than 30 countries and regions. Leading companies such as Meta, Pico, and Huawei are expected to participate, nearly 100 specialised and innovative enterprises will exhibit their core technologies, and it is estimated that over 80,000 professional visitors will be received, an increase of 45% compared to the previous edition.
 
The exhibition will create a two-way platform for policy interpretation and technology demonstration. A "Policy Empowerment Pavilion" will be set up on-site, with plans to invite relevant government leaders to explain the special projects of the "Action Plan" and local support policies, helping enterprises accurately access policy benefits. The technology demonstration area will focus on showcasing achievements in key areas encouraged by policy, including hardcore products such as VR training headsets with a single-eye resolution of 3840×3840 and Micro-LED AR glasses with a volume of only 0.36 cubic centimetres, as well as application cases in industrial simulation and disability assistance, which are key areas supported by policy. Among them, AR equipment for hearing assistance, with a speech-to-text technology accuracy of 95%, has become a typical demonstration of "virtual reality + people's livelihood", responding to the policy requirement of "meeting the people's needs for a better life".
 
The industry docking segment will focus on the intersection of policy orientation and market demand. The concurrently held 'XR+AI Global Industry Summit' will explore the integration paths of AI and XR around the 'Action Plan' task of 'Key Technology Fusion and Innovation'. The 'Bridge of Trade' event targets a 350 billion yuan industrial ecosystem, focusing on policy-priority areas such as industry, culture and tourism, and healthcare, and is expected to facilitate over 20 billion yuan in cooperative orders, with 'Virtual Reality + Industrial Empowerment' projects accounting for 40%.
 
The head of the organising committee stated that this exhibition is not only a new starting point for a decade of brand accumulation, but also a "connector" for policy implementation and market expansion, which will help Guangzhou leverage the industrial chain advantages of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to build a national-level XR industrial cluster and promote the industry's high-quality development in line with policy guidance.
 
Behind these detailed data is the deep extension of the XR industry from consumer entertainment to industrial applications. This exhibition has set up a dedicated 'Industrial XR Solutions Zone' and 'Innovative Smart Glasses Zone' to focus on showcasing cutting-edge achievements in these growing areas, building a precise connection bridge for the upstream and downstream of the industry chain.