Shenzhen takes center stage at Macao expo

Videos and photos by Lin Jianping

Shenzhen’s presence is impossible to overlook at the BEYOND Expo 2026, which opened in Macao yesterday.

Although the event brought together nearly 800 tech companies from around the world under the theme “AI: Digital to Physical,” stepping inside The Venetian Macao makes it clear: Shenzhen truly steals the show.

Visitors interact with a humanoid robot at the Shenzhen exhibition area during BEYOND Expo 2026 in Macao today. Shenzhen startups and tech firms are showcasing advances in artificial intelligence, robotics and smart manufacturing at the four-day event.

From AI design tools to gamified plant sensors, a wave of Shenzhen-based startups and homegrown brands are using the four-day expo as a launchpad — not just to showcase their products, but to unlock global doors.

Visitors explore exhibits in the Shenzhen exhibition area at BEYOND Expo 2026 in Macao today.

A prime example is AIRI Lab., a company specializing in AI solutions for architects, landscape designers, and urban planners. Founded just two years ago, it is a spinoff from one of Shenzhen’s major design firms.

Leading the firm is Xavier Travert, a French architect who spent 10 years in Shenzhen working on landmark projects like the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center.

“We help designers produce more options, faster,” Travert told the Shenzhen Daily. “AI makes communication with decision-makers much easier when architects are presenting their ideas.”

Incubated at the AI Model Camp in Nanshan District, AIRI Lab. already works with more than 150 firms, including domestic industry leaders such as MAD, MENG Architects, and CCDI, as well as prominent international players like LSHP and CPG.

Luke Tan (L), whose team developped the world's first gamified plant sensor, interacts with a visitor at his company's booth during the expo. 

Also drawing significant attention at the expo is a plant sensor equipped with a built-in video game.

Luke Tan, a former product manager at Shenzhen-based tech giant Huawei Technologies, founded the company less than a year ago. His team developed the world’s first gamified plant sensor, a device that tracks moisture, light, temperature, and nutrients, then translates the data into pixel-style game missions.

“We are the translator for the plants,” Tan said. “We make them talk, and we make our users feel what the plants feel.”

According to Tan, the startup launched the plant sensor on the U.S. crowdfunding platform Kickstarter six months after the project started, with its first batch of products expected this September. Although it is a young firm, it harbors global ambitions, targeting the U.S. market first before expanding into France, Mexico, Japan, and beyond.

“We started as a global company from day one,” Tan said. Just days ago, he added, the company’s website was flooded with visitors from Thailand who love the idea.

Visitors interact with exhibitors and explore robotics, AI and smart technology displays at BEYOND Expo 2026 in Macao. Shenzhen companies and startups are showcasing innovations in artificial intelligence, smart manufacturing and consumer technology at the four-day event.

This year’s expo, which will run until Saturday, brings together well-known companies, startups, entrepreneurs, investors, and family offices, from more than 100 countries for dialogue and inspiration about the future of technology across more than 220 sessions.