The XR calendar is now a buying guide, not a tour of novelties.
In 2026, the best events test claims with real deployments – linking devices to engines, and AI to results.
This list focuses on proof, not promises. You will find case studies, toolchains, and straight answers on security and cost. Teams can compare options and move with confidence – less show, more scale.
CES 2026
January 6–9, 2026 | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
CES opens the year and sets XR’s tone. It’s powerful because you can compare vendors side by side. Mixed reality headsets sit next to optics, sensors, and silicon. Those parts decide fleet costs and service life. Expect updates on passthrough, spatial audio, haptics, and retail demos. It is not a deep technical show. However, it is ideal for testing claims against rivals in the same week. If you run multi‑platform estates, CES helps you choose what to integrate now.
Find out more here: https://www.ces.tech/
AWE Asia
February 2–4, 2026 | Singapore EXPO, Singapore
AWE Asia brings APAC buyers and suppliers together at budget time. That timing matters. Expect mobile MR, spatial anchors, and enterprise‑ready integrations. Identity, device management, and safety tools take centre stage. Case studies from the public sector and industry add detail on ergonomics and ROI. Vendors are concrete. Buyers are committing. Therefore, it is a good place to pick partners who can actually deliver. Hands‑on demos make it easy to see what lasts beyond the booth.
Find out more here: https://www.aweasia.com/
SXSW 2026 — XR & Immersive
March 12–18, 2026 | Austin, Texas, USA
SXSW shows what audiences genuinely enjoy. It is a reality check for brands and culture projects. Expect curated installations and strong storytelling. Panels explore comfort, agency, accessibility, and ethics. These ideas shape product design choices. This is not an industrial workflow event. Instead, it measures resonance. If your XR strategy must persuade, SXSW gives fast feedback. You will also meet studios and creators who can deliver the next wave.
Find out more here: https://sxsw.com/
GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 — XR Tracks
March 9–13, 2026 | Moscone Center, San Francisco, USA
GDC makes real‑time 3D production‑ready. Its XR tracks go deep on what works at scale. Expect sessions on performance for standalone headsets. You will see guidance on input, comfort, and asset workflows. Build and release systems are covered too. Developers are candid, which is the point. If you are building training, simulation, or twins, GDC saves time. You can benchmark Unity and Unreal, hire talent, and align practices with 2026 toolchains.
Find out more here: https://gdconf.com/
Laval Virtual
April 8–10, 2026 | Laval, France
Laval Virtual focuses on industrial results. It centres on deployments, not demos. Expect clear talks on ergonomics, safety, device fleets, and content upkeep. ROI is discussed with numbers, not adjectives. Integrators and platforms share wins and failures. Use cases cover remote assistance, simulation, and training at scale. The event is compact, which helps. You can test devices, check roadmaps, and meet reference customers. If you must move beyond pilots, start here.
Find out more here: https://laval-virtual.com/en/
XR EXPO 2026
April 28–29, 2026 | Messe Stuttgart, Germany
XR EXPO is small, focused, and B2B‑first. It sits in Germany’s manufacturing belt. Expect PLM and MES integrations, CAD fidelity, and safety rules. Content maintenance is addressed head‑on. Demos are hands‑on and honest about latency and lighting. You will meet engineers and operations leads, not only marketers. Rollout, retraining, and support contracts are discussed in detail. If you run factory, field service, or training projects, this is an efficient filter.
Find out more here: https://www.messe-stuttgart.de/xrexpo/en/
AWE USA
June 15–18, 2026 | Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California, USA
AWE USA is XR’s main marketplace. It gathers devices, engines, optics, input, mapping, and collaboration platforms. It also brings strong case studies. Keynotes set the mood. The floor shows the truth. You will hear about lifecycles, security, admin controls, and total cost. Tracks span MR, computer vision, LBE, health, and industry. Mid‑year timing is useful. You can align 2026–27 bets with robust choices. It compresses months of vendor work into days.
Find out more here: https://www.awexr.com/usa-2026/
SIGGRAPH 2026
July 19–23, 2026 | Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
SIGGRAPH is not an XR show. It powers XR’s future. Expect advances in rendering, reconstruction, volumetrics, and neural methods. These set the next cycle’s targets for fidelity and speed. Film and VFX sessions now overlap with real‑time and twin pipelines. Toolmakers preview features that later define limits and options. If you fund high‑end visualisation or complex training, calibrate here. Decide which techniques deserve R&D spend before procurement asks tough questions.
Find out more here: https://s2026.siggraph.org/
Augmented Enterprise Summit
October 13–15, 2026 | Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
This event focuses on XR at work. It favours post‑mortems over hype. Expect Fortune‑scale case studies in energy, aviation, logistics, and manufacturing. Sessions cover safety, ergonomics, identity, and governance. Numbers matter: scale, support loads, and content upkeep. Integrations with PLM, EAM, and EHS are central. Procurement teams attend because the talks are specific and testable. If productivity is your KPI, refine your model here. Learn from teams that have shipped and sustained.
Find out more here: https://augmentedenterprisesummit.com/
UnitedXR Europe
December 7–9, 2026 | Maison de la Poste, Brussels, Belgium
UnitedXR blends AWE and Stereopsia into one hub. It mixes industry use cases, creative work, and EU policy. Expect a curated expo and hands‑on workshops. An “EU Village” links projects to funding and standards. This helps cross‑border deployments. The tone is constructive and policy‑aware. That matters for teams handling data, safety, and access rules. If you work across the single market, align choices here. You will also find partners who can execute across borders.
Find out more here: https://unitedxr.eu/
