The “Guangdong Goods Go Global” summer campaign featuring a dedicated eyewear segment kicked off at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian District yesterday (June 16). The event is a sideline activity of the fourth Shenzhen International Optics Fair (SZIOF) and the first 2026 AI Glasses Expo.

Visitors look at optical products at the Shenzhen International Opital Fair held at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian District on June 16. Photos courtesy of the event organizers

Leveraging the eyewear industrial strength of Longgang District, the campaign aims to empower Guangdong-made glasses to expand into broader markets. It opened with a core “new product debut” showcase, focusing on optical precision and AI smart eyewear.

More than 50 well-known brands from across China and overseas took part, unveiling benchmark Guangdong eyewear releases to a global audience. Products ranged from luxury-inclined optical frames and eye-care function glasses to fully interactive AI smart eyewear across multiple categories, combining innovation with strong fashion appeal. Participating brands included Lipo, Lucyd (U.S.), Arts Optical, EmdoorVR, and Conant Optical, which showcased the latest national and global first releases. New offerings from from Longgang-based industry leaders such as Arts Optical drew wide attention, highlighting the district’s precision manufacturing strength and reinforcing Guangdong eyewear’s “fashion + technology” dual-drive profile. The new product zone also broke category boundaries, bringing traditional optical pioneers and AI eyewear innovators together on the same stage.

People attend the New Product Launch Show at the sideline of the optical fair on June 16.

The showcase drew strong crowds throughout the exhibition halls. A purchasing manager from a chain store in Dongguan City told reporters, “I came all the way from Dongguan for the first AI eyewear show of the year. People in the industry group have been discussing the event since yesterday, and everyone wants to see the new products first.”

In Hall 8, booths of leading brands such as Arts Optics, Lipo, Conant, plus RayNeo Innovations, INMO Technology, EmdoorVR, and BCDTEK drew dense foot traffic. Dozens of new offerings, including lightweight audio-enabled AI glasses and waveguide AR glasses, were unveiled, and many experience zones saw long waiting lines. After trying on an AI eyewear device on-site, one overseas visitor remarked that the pace of change in the industry is astonishing. “The capabilities are almost unimaginable,” he said.

A view of the demand-and-supply area.

“We didn’t expect so many people. We can’t add everyone on WeChat,” said an optical frame supplier at the event. International buyers also fueled the deal-making. In the supply-and-demand matching area in Hall 9, buyers from India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East moved between tables for face-to-face negotiations. After testing a product, an Indian buyer placed an immediate order worth 2 million yuan (US$296,006), requesting on-the-spot stock procurement. A Middle Eastern client said, “China’s AI eyewear technology has advanced so fast that we must come and see it ourselves.”

International buyers sign up for business negotiations in demand-and-supply matching area.

Organizers said they expected sales at this year’s fair to rise significantly from the previous edition. Last year, transaction volume reached 23 million yuan, while intended orders exceeded 130 million yuan.

The expo covers a total exhibition area of 22,500 square meters, and brings together more than 300 optical and artificial intelligence enterprises from home and abroad, as well as more than 50,000 professional buyers.

Tan Jiebin, a representative of the organizers, emphasized that the campaign is a proactive measure supporting Shenzhen’s efforts to become the "World's First City for AI Eyewear." "This initiative is not just about promoting products; it is about accelerating the digital transformation of the traditional eyewear industry," Tan said.