HCM CITY — The 2026 International Innovation Forum and Exhibition to be held in HCM City on August 19–20 with the theme "The Inflection Point – Where Global Shifts Fuel Business Reinvention" will bring together more than 4,000 business leaders and experts, 300 exhibitors, and 70 investment funds from nearly 60 countries and territories.

Organised by the HCM City Young Businesspeople Association, the InnoEx International Innovation Alliance, and Investment and Business Promotion Corporation (IBP), the annual forum held since 2023 is a platform connecting Vietnamese businesses with the global innovation ecosystem.

Organisers said this year's theme reflects a pivotal moment for businesses as traditional sources of competitive advantage, including low-cost labour, economies of scale, and linear growth, give way to new drivers such as artificial intelligence, automation, data, green growth, and supply chain restructuring.

The concept of an "inflection point", popularised by former Intel CEO Andrew Grove, describes a stage at which external forces become significant enough to compel organisations to reinvent themselves or risk falling behind.

Organisers said companies' future competitiveness will increasingly depend on their ability to integrate AI into core operations, harness data to boost productivity, and respond quickly to market shifts.

"This is no longer the time for businesses to simply observe trends or conduct small-scale experiments," an organising committee representative said.

"The growth gap over the next five years will be determined by how quickly companies rebuild their competitive advantage."

Speaking at the launch ceremony in HCM City, Lê Trí Thông, chairman of the HCM City Young Businesspeople Association, said InnoEx was established to help Vietnamese businesses identify new growth drivers in the post-pandemic economy.

He said the event had evolved beyond an annual conference into a regional forum bringing together businesses, investors, experts, and international organisations, while fostering dialogue on business strategy, investment, and policy.

Unlike many technology exhibitions centred on product demonstrations, InnoEx is designed to bring together businesses, start-ups, investors, technology partners, and policymakers to explore new business models and practical solutions for growth.

The conference programme will focus on AI-driven economic development, enterprise productivity, real-time data, supply chain restructuring, green growth, and next-generation operating models.

Alongside a series of strategic forums, the event will also feature a 7,000-square-metre exhibition showcasing digital and technology solutions across multiple industries, investment matching, international trade promotion activities, and partnership programmes.

One of this year's highlights is the Green Innovation Fellowship, an initiative aimed at connecting businesses, start-ups, and international organisations to accelerate green growth.

Trương Lý Hoàng Phi, chairwoman of InnoEx and CEO of IBP, said: "The greatest risk facing businesses today often lies not in what we don't know, but in believing that what has worked in the past will continue to deliver results."

She said AI, productivity, data, supply chains, and sustainability had become immediate management priorities rather than long-term ambitions, adding that InnoEx was designed to connect business leaders with technologies, business models, and partners capable of delivering measurable competitive advantages.

Nguyễn Thanh Thảo, staff manager for business development at Qualcomm Vietnam, said technology could only deliver meaningful impacts when developed within an open ecosystem of collaboration.

She said Qualcomm remained committed to long-term investment in talent development and research and development, while helping Vietnamese businesses and start-ups access advanced technologies to strengthen their global competitiveness.

The event will also mark the first participation of the Rabo Foundation, the impact investment arm of Dutch lender Rabobank.

Through the Green Innovation Accelerator, it will work with InnoEx to help Vietnamese agricultural businesses adopt international sustainability standards and gain access to green finance. — VNS