MECSPE 2026 confirmed as the leading hub for the manufacturing industry and technological innovation, with over 2,000 companies and more than 60,000 visitors.
60,581 visitors and more than 2,000 companies
The 24th edition of MECSPE, the leading international trade fair for the manufacturing industry, organized by Senaf and held at BolognaFiere from 4 to 6 March 2026, has concluded with 60,581 visitors and more than 2,000 companies. Over three days, the exhibition halls brought together businesses, technologies, and expertise from across the entire industrial supply chain, becoming a dynamic and engaging space where meetings, networking, and direct exchange created new business opportunities and collaborations for the sector.
13 thematic halls and 18 special initiatives
With its 13 thematic halls and 18 special initiatives, MECSPE once again offered a comprehensive overview of the main production supply chains, bringing together companies, technology providers, research centers, and industry professionals in a single space. The event thus confirms its role as a platform for dialogue and exchange, fostering connections between companies and encouraging the creation of new collaborations throughout the manufacturing value chain. Across the stands and aisles, the energy of a sector that continues to invest, engage, and plan for the future was clearly evident: a community driven by entrepreneurship, vision, and expertise, which finds in the trade fair its natural environment to strengthen professional relationships, build synergies, and develop new projects. In this context, data from the MECSPE Observatory, developed in collaboration with Nomisma, provide a snapshot of a sector that continues to demonstrate solidity: nearly 8 out of 10 companies closed 2025 with revenue growth or results in line with 2024, a sign of a sector looking to 2026 with renewed confidence, continuing to focus on innovation, skills, and production efficiency to strengthen competitiveness.
The 2026 edition also confirmed the growing international dimension of the event. The presence of 340 exhibiting companies from more than 20 countries and the participation of buyers and operators from various foreign markets highlight MECSPE’s increasingly important role in the European industrial landscape. This international dimension has further expanded opportunities for exchange and business, making the event a concrete meeting point between companies, technologies, and markets. The trade fair is thus strengthened as an international hub for manufacturing and as a platform capable of fostering dialogue between companies, technologies, and markets on a global scale.
Training: one of MECSPE’s core pillars
Alongside technological innovation and business networking, training represents one of MECSPE’s core pillars. In a context where the difficulty of finding qualified resources and adequate skills represents a cross-cutting challenge for the entire manufacturing sector, the event has developed over the years various initiatives and dedicated spaces, involving schools, training institutions, public bodies, and companies, with the aim of strengthening the dialogue between industry and new talent. In this respect as well, the fair has confirmed itself not only as an exhibition space, but as an ecosystem for growth, guidance, and exchange between generations, experiences, and different professional backgrounds.
In this direction, the MECSPE Young & Career project played a key role, an area designed to enhance talent and foster connections between companies and new generations of Industry 5.0 professionals. Within it, the Innovation Tour for Skills, promoted by ART-ER – Attrattività Ricerca Territorio, offered young participants the opportunity to engage directly with companies from Emilia-Romagna through guided tours across exhibition stands, discovering technologies and production processes. The Piazza della Formazione 5.0, created in collaboration with the ITS A. Cuccovillo Foundation, also provided space for students and educational sector companies through demonstration and career guidance activities. Among the most appreciated initiatives was the Demonstration Unit “From Plastic to Shape,” where students from CNOS-FAP guided visitors through the entire production process of a ruler, from design to finished product, offering a concrete example of how collaboration between schools and companies is essential for developing the technical skills required by the market.
«MECSPE is confirmed every year as the place where Italian manufacturing measures its ability to evolve and look ahead,» said Ivo Alfonso Nardella, President of Senaf and of the Tecniche Nuove Group. «In a complex international context, what stands out strongly is the resilient entrepreneurship of our companies: businesses that continue to invest in technology, skills, and innovation not only to respond to current challenges, but to build new growth opportunities. MECSPE represents exactly this: a platform for meeting and vision where industry can connect, network, and transform change into tangible development for manufacturing.»
The next appointment is with the 25th edition of MECSPE, scheduled from 3 to 5 March 2027 at BolognaFiere, ready to further strengthen its role as a strategic platform for the manufacturing industry, fostering connections between companies, technologies, and skills, and supporting the sector in facing future challenges.
For more information: www.mecspe.com/en
