Alibaba's Accio launches AI 'Exhibition Agent' across leading trade shows in the UK and Europe

New partnerships with Hyve Group, Business Show Media and Raccoon Media Group will integrate intelligent sourcing and navigation into flagship events including Autumn Fair & Glee, ISPO, White & Private Label Expo and The London Business Show

LONDON, Sept. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Accio, Alibaba.com's agentic AI platform for businesses, today announced it has been appointed as the Official Agentic AI Partner for three premier exhibition organisers: Hyve Group, Business Show Media and Raccoon Media Group. The collaboration will deploy Accio's 'Exhibition Agent' across six flagship European trade shows spanning retail, home & gift, garden, business services, private label and sporting goods.

Accio is Alibaba.com's agentic AI platform for SMEs and solo founders providing a pre-configured agentic business team that manages the entire SME lifecycle end to end, from market analysis, design and sourcing to store optimisation and inventory monitoring. Globally, more than 10+ million SMEs already use Accio to run their businesses. It requires no code or setup and automates complex tasks such as sourcing, supplier research, procurement and marketing that would otherwise consume hours of manual effort. By embedding this capability directly into official exhibitor directories and floor plans, the Exhibition Agent transforms raw supplier lists into actionable visit plans, ranked matches and post-event procurement workflows, all within a single conversation thread.

This expansion follows the successful pilot of Accio as the Official Agentic AI Partner of Smart Manufacturing Week in June 2026, where the technology supported over 13,000 visitors and 430+ exhibitors at the NEC Birmingham in the UK.

From Navigation to Negotiation
Unlike traditional trade show apps that offer static maps, the Exhibition Agent acts as an active sourcing partner. Using natural language, buyers can find booths, compare suppliers against their criteria, then hand off to negotiation or logistics agents to draft RFQs and calculate landed costs.

Jackson Szabo, Portfolio Director at Hyve Group said: "Our role as an organiser is to make it as easy as possible for buyers to discover the right products, brands and opportunities, and to make every moment they spend at our shows count. As our events continue to grow in scale and international reach, we need to evolve the way we help visitors navigate that wealth of choice. Partnering with Accio brings a new generation of AI-powered sourcing and planning technology directly into the Autumn Fair, Spring Fair and Glee experience. It will give buyers a more intuitive way to discover relevant exhibitors, plan their time and build smarter routes around the show, while helping our exhibitors become more visible to buyers actively looking for what they offer. We're excited to be bringing this next-generation technology to our community and to see how it transforms the way people experience our shows."

"Partnering with Alibaba.com's Accio on the Exhibition Agent marks a genuinely new chapter for ISPO in Amsterdam", said Soraya Gadelrab, Joint MD, ISPO. "Bringing this kind of AI-powered navigation and real-time supplier matching to the show floor is exactly the kind of innovation our exhibitors and buyers need as sourcing gets more complex. We believe this sets a new benchmark for what a modern trade fair experience can look like."

The solution addresses the cognitive overload faced by buyers at major events. With thousands of SKUs and hundreds of exhibitors, the Agent compresses weeks of pre-event research into minutes, ensuring every booth visit is pre-validated and relevant.

Seamless Integration for Exhibitors and Buyers

The partnership leverages Accio's newly launched native mobile app. Designed for on-the-go utility, it allows buyers to invoke the Exhibition Agent via voice or image search directly from the show floor.

Key capabilities include:

• Exhibitor-First Sourcing: Searches official directories first, returning ranked matches with booth locations and relevance explanations
• Intelligent Route Planning: Groups matched exhibitors by zone to optimise walking routes and maximise time on the floor
• Visual Sourcing: Allows buyers to upload product photos on the spot to find exact matches among exhibiting suppliers
• End-to-End Workflow: Seamlessly hands off from discovery to negotiation, compliance checks and logistics coordination without leaving the app
• Master Agenda at a Glance: Lets visitors preview all key forums and events ahead of the show, and lock in must-attend sessions so they never miss a key industry insight or networking opportunity

For exhibitors, the integration offers enhanced discoverability, surfacing their profiles to qualified buyers who are actively searching for their specific product categories.

The Exhibition Agent is scheduled for full on-site deployment at Hyve Group's Autumn Fair, Spring Fair and Glee in Birmingham, Business Show Media's London Business Show and White & Private Label Expo in London, and Raccoon Media Group's ISPO in Amsterdam. 

The Accio app is available for free download on the iOS App Store and Google Play. Attendees of partner trade shows can access the Exhibition Agent features immediately upon registration or via on-site QR codes.

Notes to Editors

The partnership portfolio

About Alibaba.com
Launched in 1999, Alibaba.com is a leading platform for global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce that serves buyers and suppliers from over 200 countries and regions around the world. It is engaged in services covering various aspects of commerce, including providing businesses with tools that help them reach a global audience for their products and helping buyers discover products, find suppliers and place orders online fast and efficiently. Alibaba.com is part of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group.

About Accio
Accio is Alibaba.com's plug-and-play enterprise AI agent designed to support the operational needs of SMEs worldwide. It deploys specialised agents to execute complex tasks - from product design and sourcing to negotiation and CRM - handled in one continuous conversation.

About Hyve Group
Hyve Group is a leading international owner and operator of B2B events, connecting buyers and suppliers across key industries including retail, food, and manufacturing.

About Business Show Media
Business Show Media is a global exhibition organiser delivering industry-leading business events across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Its portfolio includes The Business Show World Series, White & Private Label Expo, The International Franchise Show and B2B Marketing Expo US. Business Show Media connects entrepreneurs, business leaders and suppliers across multiple sectors, creating platforms for growth, innovation and international trade.

About Raccoon Media Group
Raccoon Media Group specialises in niche B2B exhibitions and media platforms, serving sectors such as sporting goods, leisure, and specialized retail.