Entertainment industry shifts to immersive tech

The recent Guangzhou Entertainment Technology Show highlighted a major economic and technological transformation in South China's performing arts supply chain, as regional manufacturers pivot from low-margin hardware manufacturing toward integrated, high-end experiential services.

The scale of the sector is massive: Guangdong province currently houses more than 85 percent of China's performance equipment companies, generating 80 percent of the country's total industry output value, according to data from the China Association of Performing Arts.

Once a regional trade fair, the GET Show has expanded over 15 years into a global industry benchmark. This year's exhibition covered more than 150,000 square meters across 14 specialized halls, showcasing advanced audio, professional lighting, LED displays and computerized stage machinery.

The shift away from traditional equipment-only sales models was best demonstrated by the exhibition's centerpiece, the "Ultimate Show". Co-created by Guangzhou-based cultural services firm Ruifeng Culture, the performance integrated robotics, automated lighting, CNC (computer numerical control) staging, and LED screens inside a 2,000-sq-m capsule-shaped immersive hall.

Rather than standard product demonstrations, the presentation utilized high-precision audio and electrical systems to synchronize street dance, tai chi martial arts, and automated intelligent robots into a single cohesive narrative.

"We do not intend to create the show just as a lighting and audio performance," said Huang Peiling, general manager of Ruifeng Culture and president of the Guangzhou Cultural and Tourism Equipment Industry Association. "The show aimed to break away from the traditional equipment-only sales model. We want to promote a market approach integrating products, content, and service."

Industry insiders said that this integrated market model — which packages hardware together with software, artistic content, and live engineering services — is increasingly being used to anchor the opening and closing ceremonies of major international sporting and cultural events.

The technical architecture and artistic staging displayed at the show are already being deployed at large-scale venues, including the 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, Hainan province.

According to Wei Lai, vice-president of the regional association, presenting these technologies in a fully realized performance format allows South China's manufacturing cluster to showcase its total supply-chain integration rather than just individual components.

Liu Kezhi, president of the China Association of Performing Arts, emphasized that the domestic live entertainment market is seeing surging demand for both higher event volume and superior technical quality.

"The ongoing prosperity of the performance market relies heavily on the local development of these cutting-edge, system-wide technologies," Liu said.

qiuquanlin@chinadaily.com.cn