BEYOND Rebrands From Expo to Six-Pillar Innovation Platform as Macao Event Targets 35,000+ Participants in 2027

The former BEYOND Expo is expanding its remit across technology, entrepreneurship, investment, media and culture, with the 2027 edition expected to bring together more than 35,000 participants, 1,200 exhibitors and 900 investors in Macao.

BEYOND, formerly known as BEYOND Expo, is restructuring its flagship technology event into a broader international innovation platform, a shift from an annual exhibition model toward an ecosystem designed to connect technology, entrepreneurship, capital, media, policymakers and culture. The organization announced that its next flagship gathering will return to The Venetian Macao Cotai Expo from May 26-29, 2027, with expectations of more than 35,000 participants, 1,200 exhibiting companies, 900 investors, 700 media representatives and content creators, 400 speakers, and 200 sessions and activities.

The rebrand follows five years of expansion since the event launched in 2021. BEYOND says its platform has now attracted more than 160,000 participants from over 120 countries and regions, bringing together founders and technology companies, investors and family offices, policymakers and government leaders, developers and builders, media organizations and storytellers, as well as figures from business, sports, entertainment and culture.

The scale of the previous editions provides some context for the expansion. BEYOND Expo 2025 attracted more than 25,000 visitors, 800 exhibitors, 800 investors and 300 media representatives from over 120 countries, according to the organizer. More than 300 family offices and LPs were among the investors attending. The 2026 edition subsequently attracted more than 30,000 visitors from over 120 countries and nearly 800 companies, with 400 speakers participating in its program.

The upgraded BEYOND brand is organizing them into six connected pillars: BEYOND Expo, BEYOND Summit, BEYOND Awards, BEYOND Ventures, BEYOND Spotlight and BEYOND Connect.

From Technology Exhibition to Innovation Ecosystem

The change in identity reflects a broader evolution in the role of major technology events. Traditional exhibitions have largely focused on bringing companies together to demonstrate products and technologies. Increasingly, however, startup ecosystems also require mechanisms for raising capital, finding customers, gaining media visibility, recruiting partners, accessing policymakers and building developer communities.

BEYOND’s new structure attempts to bring those functions together under a single platform. At the center remains BEYOND Expo, which will continue to serve as a global showcase for frontier technologies and immersive innovation. Startups and technology companies will use the exhibition to unveil new products, breakthrough technologies and business ideas. For 2027, BEYOND will also introduce a Debut Floor, a dedicated showcase for startups and emerging companies to launch new products, technologies and innovative business models.

The exhibition component is therefore not disappearing with the removal of “Expo” from the overall brand. Instead, it becomes one part of a larger structure. That distinction is important. BEYOND’s 2026 edition already demonstrated an increasing emphasis on technologies moving from digital concepts into practical applications, with the event focusing on embodied intelligence, robotics, spatial computing, AI agents and open ecosystems. The new architecture formalizes that expansion while creating additional pathways around the exhibition itself.

Six Pillars Cover the Full Innovation Cycle

The six pillars divide BEYOND’s activities across different stages of the innovation and commercialization process.

BEYOND Summit will bring together global leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators to examine developments across artificial intelligence, robotics, new energy, healthcare, Web3, investment, regional innovation, SheTech and other frontier areas. The summit is intended to provide the discussion and thought-leadership layer around the technologies displayed on the exhibition floor.

BEYOND Awards will focus on recognition, celebrating breakthrough technologies, visionary companies and innovations that create meaningful impact and contribute to shaping future industries.

BEYOND Ventures addresses the capital side of the ecosystem. Its programming includes Fund at First Pitch, startup demonstrations, pitching opportunities, the Global Investment Summit and Wealth Summit, connecting emerging companies with venture capital firms, family offices, corporate venture capital investors and other global capital providers.

Investment has already become one of BEYOND’s defining components. In 2025, the event reported more than 800 investors, including over 300 family offices and LPs. Fund at First Pitch has also become a recurring mechanism for connecting startups with investors and investment opportunities.

BEYOND Spotlight focuses on visibility. Through Product Launches, Media Day and breakthrough stories, the pillar will connect innovators with international media and KOLs, as well as investors, buyers and industry partners. The objective is not only to generate coverage, but to give companies opportunities to reach potential customers, partners and new markets.

BEYOND Connect addresses the relationship-building layer of the platform. Its activities will include BEYOND Fun Continues, featuring parties, invite-only dinners, meetups and partner events outside the exhibition floor, alongside private gatherings connecting founders, investors, family offices, LPs, GPs, policymakers, developers, builders, media and storytellers with global leaders and cultural figures.

Together, the six pillars create a structure that moves from technology discovery to discussion, recognition, financing, visibility and relationships.

Why Capital Is Becoming Central to the Model

For startups, the distinction between exhibiting technology and building a company is increasingly important. A product demonstration can generate attention, but commercialization requires capital, customers, partnerships and access to new markets. BEYOND Ventures is intended to connect those elements more directly by placing startup pitching and investor engagement alongside the event’s technology showcase. The approach also reflects how BEYOND has developed over recent editions. The 2025 event included Fund at First Pitch, Founder Stage and Founders Club initiatives alongside its exhibition and investor programming. In 2026, the investment focus continued alongside a broader program covering AI, robotics and emerging technology applications.

For investors, the proposition works in the opposite direction. Instead of encountering startups only through formal pitch sessions, investors can access founders through exhibitions, summits, demonstrations, networking programs and private gatherings. That combination could make the platform particularly relevant for family offices and corporate investors that evaluate emerging technologies alongside potential commercial partnerships.

BEYOND’s expansion also gives media and international visibility a formal role within its ecosystem. Through BEYOND Spotlight, companies will have access to Product Launch and Media Day programming, with international journalists, media organizations, KOLs, investors, buyers and industry partners brought into the same environment. This builds on a media strategy that BEYOND has already developed around its flagship event. In 2025, the organizer promoted Media Day as a dedicated opportunity for exhibitors to connect with journalists, editors and industry influencers before the main exhibition opened.

The rationale extends beyond publicity. For an early-stage company entering an unfamiliar market, media attention can help establish credibility, while exposure to buyers and industry partners can create commercial opportunities. BEYOND is therefore treating visibility as part of the broader infrastructure required to take innovation from demonstration to market.

Another component of the restructured platform is its emphasis on developers and builders. BEYOND says hackathons, developer programs and open innovation activities will bring together engineers, developers, designers, AI builders and open-source communities to experiment, collaborate and develop working solutions. That gives the event another function beyond product showcasing. Developers and technical communities become participants in the innovation process rather than simply an audience for finished products.

The direction is consistent with programming introduced in recent editions. BEYOND 2026 included developer-focused activities such as Hack Demo Day and programs connecting builders with the broader technology and investment ecosystem.

For BEYOND, this builder layer also creates a bridge between startups, corporations, investors and technical communities.

Technology Meets Culture and Community

The broader BEYOND identity also deliberately extends beyond conventional technology and investment programming. The organization says technology increasingly affects entertainment, sports, communication, work and culture, creating opportunities for interactions between technology companies and audiences outside the traditional technology sector. BEYOND Connect will therefore combine business networking with parties, dinners, meetups and partner events, while the broader platform will continue bringing together entrepreneurs, athletes, entertainers, cultural icons, scientists, investors and policymakers.

This is part of what BEYOND means by moving beyond a conventional technology conference or exhibition. Its proposition is based on the idea that innovation ecosystems are shaped not only by products and capital, but also by the communities and cultural networks surrounding them.

Speaking to AsiaTechDaily, Dr. Gang Lu, Co-founder of BEYOND, said the expanded identity reflects that evolution:

“Technology has become more than products and exhibitions, it’s about people, ideas, communities, and experiences. BEYOND reflects what our event has become: a place where founders launch companies, investors discover the next generation of innovators, global media tell the stories shaping our future, and the world’s technology community comes together. It’s not simply an expo, it’s a celebration of innovation.”

Macao’s Position in the Regional Innovation Economy

The choice of Macao as BEYOND’s base is also relevant to the platform’s international positioning. BEYOND describes the city as a meeting point between Asian innovation and global capital, media, markets and partnerships. That proposition sits within a broader regional push to strengthen Macao’s connections to technology and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Macao’s 2026 policy agenda includes efforts to deepen technological innovation and financial cooperation within the Greater Bay Area, support technology enterprises and research institutions, and strengthen international economic, trade and technological exchanges. The city’s emerging technology infrastructure is also expanding. Macao’s government has identified digital technology, biomedicine, integrated circuits and aerospace technology as priority areas for the Macao Technology Research Industrial Park, alongside areas such as artificial intelligence and RISC-V open-source architecture.

Against that backdrop, BEYOND’s cross-border positioning gives the event a regional function beyond hosting an exhibition. For Asian startups, the platform aims to provide access to international investors, media, buyers and partners. For international participants, it positions Macao as a gateway for discovering companies, technologies and talent emerging across Asia.

BEYOND 2027 Targets Further Expansion

The scale projected for BEYOND 2027 reflects the platform’s attempt to expand not only the size of its flagship gathering, but also the depth of its startup, investment and media ecosystem. The organizer expects the four-day event to bring together:

• 35,000+ participants
• 1,200+ exhibiting companies
• 900+ investors
• 700+ media representatives and KOLs
• 400+ speakers
• 200+ sessions and activities

The targets point to growth across several dimensions of the event. The expected increase to 1,200+ exhibiting companies would expand the technology showcase, while 900+ investors would reinforce BEYOND’s focus on connecting startups with global capital. The projected 700+ media representatives and KOLs also reflects the growing importance of international visibility within the platform, particularly as BEYOND positions product launches and media engagement as pathways to new markets and partnerships.

The programming is expanding alongside participation, with more than 400 speakers expected across 200+ sessions and activities covering technology, investment, entrepreneurship and emerging industries. For context, the 2025 edition attracted more than 25,000 visitors and 800 exhibitors, while the 2026 edition surpassed 30,000 visitors and featured nearly 800 companies. The 2027 targets therefore represent continued growth, but the more significant test will be whether BEYOND can translate that larger network into meaningful connections among startups, investors, buyers, media and industry partners.

From Event to Year-Round Platform

The six-pillar structure links an exhibition floor with summits, awards, startup financing, media exposure, product launches, developer activities and private community gatherings. It also brings together stakeholders who typically interact at different points in the innovation cycle: founders and investors, corporations and startups, policymakers and developers, media and creators, and technology companies and cultural communities.

Jason Ho, Co-founder of BEYOND, said that the broader identity is intended to reflect that ambition:

“From the very beginning, our vision has been to build more than an event, we wanted to create a global platform that connects people, ideas, and opportunities. The upgraded BEYOND identity represents that ambition. It brings together technology and capital, but also governments, communities, creators, and culture. Macao gives us a unique international stage to create those connections, and we look forward to welcoming the world back in May 2027 for the next chapter of BEYOND.”

Partnership opportunities for BEYOND 2027 are now open to technology companies, brands and industry organizations seeking to participate in the Macao event and connect with investors, innovators and industry leaders. The 2027 edition will ultimately test whether BEYOND can turn its expanded architecture into a functioning international innovation network. Its success will not be determined solely by the number of exhibitors or attendees, but by whether the connections among technology, capital, visibility, market access, talent and community result in new investments, partnerships, products and cross-border opportunities. That is the significance of the transition from BEYOND Expo to BEYOND: the exhibition remains the foundation, but the organization is now attempting to build an ecosystem around it.

Quick Takeaways

• BEYOND Expo is becoming BEYOND, reflecting its evolution from an annual technology exhibition into a broader innovation platform.
• The new platform is built around six pillars: BEYOND Expo, Summit, Awards, Ventures, Spotlight and Connect.
• BEYOND 2027 will take place May 26–29, 2027, at The Venetian Macao Cotai Expo.
• The event is expected to attract 35,000+ participants, 1,200+ exhibitors, 900+ investors, 700+ media/KOLs, 400+ speakers and 200+ sessions and activities.
• Since 2021, BEYOND says it has reached 160,000+ participants from 120+ countries and regions.
• The Debut Floor will give startups and emerging companies a dedicated space to launch products, technologies and business models.
• BEYOND Ventures will connect startups with VCs, family offices, CVCs and other investors through pitching, Fund at First Pitch, the Global Investment Summit and Wealth Summit.
• BEYOND Spotlight expands the event’s focus on media exposure, product launches, buyers and industry partnerships.
• BEYOND Connect will extend networking beyond the exhibition through dinners, meetups, partner events and private gatherings.
• The platform is also expanding into hackathons, developer programs and open innovation, bringing technical communities into the ecosystem.
• The broader model connects technology, capital, media, entrepreneurship and culture, positioning Macao as a bridge between Asian innovators and international markets.
• The key development to watch is whether BEYOND can turn its expanded six-pillar structure into tangible investment, partnerships, market access and cross-border innovation, rather than functioning primarily as a large annual event.