Laval Virtual · 2027

Agoris analysis · updated May 2026

Key takeaways

• Laval Virtual is Europe's benchmark trade fair for immersive technologies (VR, AR, MR, XR), created in 1999 by the town of Laval and the Mayenne département (source: laval-virtual.com).
• Next edition (29th): 7 to 9 April 2027 at the Espace Mayenne, Laval (source: laval-virtual.com).
• A rare hybrid format in Europe: 3 strictly professional days in April, complemented by general-public days and by the Recto VRso digital art festival in November.
• Post-Covid volumes: around 5,000 to 6,000 professional visitors (a third of them international, from 37 nationalities) and 160 to 180 exhibitors. The historical figure of 18,000 visitors dates back to the 2018 edition and no longer reflects the event's current size (sources: 3dvf.com, planeterobots.com).
• Strong academic roots: the permanent Laval Virtual Center third place hosts Clarté (a VR/AR/AI resource centre), the Arts et Métiers Laval Institute and the School of Design (source: agglo-laval.fr).

Who exhibits

Typical profile

VR/XR hardware, development platforms, industrial integrators, content studios, academic research centres and R&D laboratories, XR startups. A strongly B2B profile with a notable share of institutional exhibitors (CEA, Inria, engineering schools).

Notable exhibitors

List of exhibitors on the official website: laval-virtual.com. Regular presence of HTC VIVE, Varjo, Pico, SenseGlove, Manus (hardware); Unity Technologies, Unreal Engine, Innoactive (platforms); Dassault Systèmes, Sopra Steria, SKYREAL, CEA List, Immersion (industrial integrators); OptiTrack, Clarté, Gracia AI (tracking and research) (source: 3dvf.com).

Quality of the visitor base

• A strictly professional audience over the 3 trade days, complemented by separate general-public days - Around a third international: 37 nationalities represented in 2024 (source: planeterobots.com)
• A technical and decision-making audience: R&D, innovation, training, XR procurement
• OJS-audited figures not published to date (R2)

Activities & community

Conference programme

B2B conferences organised over 3 days around 5 themes: XR and AI / LBE, Media & Museums, Industry & Defence, Training & Education, Health & Wellbeing. Sessions of 45 minutes to 1 hour 30, mainly in English with simultaneous translation (source: laval-virtual.com/conferences-en).

Awards and accolades

Laval Virtual Awards: ceremony on the Thursday, with around 300 entries reviewed each year. 6 official categories: XR Devices and Interactions Products, Developer & Authoring Tools, XR for a Cause (positive impact), Enterprise & Productivity Solution, Education & Training, Consumer Experience & Entertainment. Special competitions: #Experiences, #StartUps, #Students, #ReVolution (source: laval-virtual.com/general-categories).

#ReVolution: a competition dedicated to research laboratories and R&D departments experimenting with XR. The winner is invited to exhibit at SIGGRAPH the following year. International jury including Inria, Meta, École des Mines Paris (source: laval-virtual.com/revolution).

Satellite events

Recto VRso: an associated digital art festival, with its 9th edition in November 2026 at the Le Quarante venue in Laval, free admission (source: recto-vrso.com). LBE Area (Location-Based Entertainment) extended to 500 m² in 2026 for collective immersive experiences (source: techniques-ingenieur.fr).

On site: what you need to know

Access, parking and accommodation: see the Espace Mayenne listing.

Specific to the trade fair:

• Opening hours (2026 edition, to be confirmed for 2027): 3 trade days with morning and afternoon sessions, plus the Laval Virtual Party on the Wednesday evening.
• Professional visitor badge: paid (see pricing below), a named badge is required for the 3 trade days.
• App: programme and floor plans available from the website and the official app.

What it costs to exhibit

Exhibitor rates not published: quote on request from Maxime Leroy, sales manager (mleroy@laval-virtual.org). This figure is not publicly available.

Published visitor rates (2026 edition, to be confirmed for 2027):

• Full Pass: €390 excl. VAT, full access to the halls (Mayenne, Pégase, LBVR Area), conferences, tech-talks, doctoral consortium, LV Party evening, Awards ceremony
• Discovery Pass: €145 excl. VAT, access to the exhibition with conference and evening options
• Student Pass: €30 incl. VAT, access to the exhibition with conference options
• General public: €4.90 full rate, €3.50 reduced, free for under-12s

(Source: laval-virtual.com/ticketing, grandpublic.laval-virtual.com)

Planning your visit

For the exhibitor

• 12 months out: make contact at mleroy@laval-virtual.org and request a stand quote.
• 9 months out: enter the Laval Virtual Awards via laval-virtual.awardsplatform.com to boost visibility.
• 6 months out: prepare hands-on demos (the format is very much product-trial oriented, with little room for "showcase" stands).
• 3 months out: brief the team, prepare 5 to 10-minute demo scripts, recruit translators if needed.
• 6 weeks out: push your invitations to international contacts (a third of the visitor base).

For the decision-making visitor

• Distinguish between the 3 trade days (7-9 April 2027) and any general-public days (2027 programme to be confirmed on grandpublic.laval-virtual.com).
• Full Pass recommended to make the most of the B2B conferences, the Laval Virtual Awards and the LV Party.
• Schedule a detour via the Laval Virtual Center, a permanent third place in Laval, if the trip warrants an extended visit (source: agglo-laval.fr).
• TGV access from Paris: 1 hour 10 to Laval, then 15 minutes to reach the Espace Mayenne.

Policy & CSR initiatives

Information not available: as at the date of this listing, the Laval Virtual Association does not publish a dedicated CSR commitments page or any identifiable "eco-responsible event" label. The association's profile on the Zei platform mentions no formalised commitments (source: zei-world.com/pro/2429).

How the trade fair has evolved

Trajectory analysis

Laval Virtual has undergone a deliberate post-Covid repositioning: dropping the mass-event format (18,000 visitors in 2018) in favour of a tighter, more B2B and more international event (a third from abroad, 37 nationalities). The 2024-2026 editions stabilise a size of 5,000-6,000 professionals and 160-180 exhibitors. A notable feature: the 2026 edition sharpened its focus on the "industrialisation of XR" and immersive AI, which matches the expectations of major integrators (Dassault Systèmes, Sopra Steria, CEA) and aligns the trade fair with the R&D budgets of large accounts rather than the general-public market (sources: itsocial.fr, techniques-ingenieur.fr).

Unless otherwise stated, all factual data in this listing comes from the organiser's official website (laval-virtual.com).