The Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum 2026 attracted more than 4,000 participants during its three-day programme at Hong Kong Cyberport from August 28 to 30.
Organized by Cyberport under the theme “The Dreamatic Circus,” DELF 2026 examined how artificial intelligence, immersive technologies and intellectual property development are changing digital entertainment and the cultural and creative industries.
More than 60 speakers and industry professionals participated in the forum, while the public programme included over 35 technology showcases and interactive experiences and 27 workshops.
Four experience zones covered Digital Entertainment, Culture and Arts, Smart Living and Business, and Robotics and Drones. Together, they presented applications spanning AI-assisted content production, immersive storytelling, digital fashion, robotics, esports and advanced air mobility.
AI and immersive technology shape the DELF 2026 programme
The DELF 2026 conference agenda focused on the relationship between human creativity and new technology.
Sessions examined how AI is affecting film, games, music, live entertainment and cultural content. Speakers also discussed the transition from individual content production towards developing original intellectual property that can support licensing, commercial partnerships and international expansion.
The event’s experience zones allowed visitors to test technologies rather than only hear about them in conference sessions.
Featured projects included an immersive exhibition based on the Hong Kong animation IP Another World, Nikopicto’s interactive physical-digital experience, combat robots developed by Jin Technology and an AI- and 3D-supported fashion platform from Genesis ONE.
The complete DELF experience programme also covered virtual reality, digitized Chinese brushwork, AI-assisted animation, interactive music systems and smart-living products.
Workshops connect AI tools with practical content creation
The event included 27 workshops designed for creators, students, families and industry participants.
The Hong Kong AI Game Jam 2026 and Creator Workshop gave participants opportunities to use AI tools in game development. Cyberport’s AI Creative Micro-Academy introduced generative AI and other technologies for audiovisual production, concept development, interactive storytelling and game design.
An Art-Tech Concert explored the use of digital technology in live music and performance. Film and animation activities included a masterclass on adapting Another World for international webtoon audiences and screenings of projects from Hong Kong’s AI-assisted animation and film initiatives.
The official workshop programme also included AI and XR game-development classes, creative-media sessions and practical demonstrations of emerging production tools.
These activities gave creators and creative businesses a closer look at how AI can shorten production processes, support experimentation and create new formats. The commercial challenge discussed throughout the event was how to convert these tools into original content and intellectual property with lasting market value.
DELF produces new industry and academic agreements
The first day of DELF 2026 produced three memoranda of understanding involving Cyberport, Alibaba Cloud, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and Hong Kong Shue Yan University.
The agreements cover start-up incubation, AI applications, art-tech research and development, and talent training. They are intended to strengthen cooperation between technology companies, universities, creative institutions and entrepreneurs.
For Hong Kong’s digital entertainment sector, these partnerships could help connect technical infrastructure and commercial support with creative education and content production.
Speaking at the opening, Hong Kong Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong described AI as a collaborator that can extend human creativity rather than replace it. His official DELF 2026 remarks also outlined Hong Kong’s wider investment in AI infrastructure, application development and skills training.
eVTOL demonstration brings advanced air mobility to the forum
An eVTOL trial flight at Cyberport Waterfront Park expanded the programme beyond digital content and entertainment.
The demonstration attracted close to 1,000 visits and presented electric vertical take-off and landing technology as part of Hong Kong’s developing low-altitude economy and smart-mobility sector.
Robotics and drones also appeared throughout the experience programme, including combat robots, interactive vehicles and synchronized mini-drone performances.
While these technologies sit outside DELF’s traditional focus on games and digital media, their inclusion showed how the event is expanding into physical entertainment, mobility, live experiences and consumer robotics.
Community events broaden participation in digital entertainment
The final two days placed greater emphasis on public participation and inclusive technology.
An accessible gaming and esports experience was organized with the Hong Kong Blind Union. The Elderly Esports Tournament and Experience Day brought senior participants into gaming and interactive activities, presenting digital entertainment as a tool for social participation, intergenerational exchange and lifelong learning.
The forum also hosted a generative AI student challenge, an AI and cultural-IP discussion, a creator-focused doujin exchange and screenings of locally produced animation and AI-assisted films.
These activities widened the event beyond technology companies and investors, connecting developers and creators with students, educators, cultural organizations and different age groups.
By combining an industry conference with workshops, demonstrations and public activities, DELF 2026 provided a broad test environment for technologies moving from creative experimentation towards practical entertainment and business applications.
Source: Cyberport’s official DELF 2026 closing report and the Media OutReach Newswire release. Programme details verified through the official DELF 2026 website.
