IVS 2026: Unveiling the Sixth Edition of the Industrial Valve Summit

The press conference for the sixth edition of IVS – Industrial Valve Summit, the leading international event dedicated to industrial valve technologies and flow control solutions, took place in Milan. Promoted by Confindustria Bergamo and Promoberg, the event will be held at the Bergamo Exhibition Centre from 19 to 21 May 2026.

Less than a year ahead of the new edition, the organisers celebrated IVS’s tenth anniversary: a milestone that offers a chance to look to the future while reflecting on a journey built on vision and dialogue, successfully connecting companies, institutions, research bodies, international buyers, experts, and professionals from around the world.

Established in 2015 as a specialist event, IVS is now internationally recognised as the platform for the industrial valve supply chain.
The 2026 edition marks a further step forward in the event’s development. The exhibition layout will expand to include two additional halls, and the programme will span three full days open to the public, evolving from a two-day exhibition into a true “Valve Week”. From the morning of Tuesday, 19 May, the scientific programme will begin, and the halls will open their doors to the international valve community. This evolution reflects the organisers’ intention to meet the growing demand for high-level content, networking opportunities, and expert dialogue. Early registrations confirm the positive trend, with the sixth edition set to break previous attendance records.

The Scientific Programme

Thanks to the scientific contribution of VALVEcampus – the Association for the training of Italian industrial valve manufacturers and long-standing partner of the Industrial Valve

Summit – IVS 2026 will offer a cutting-edge technical programme tailored to the industry’s latest challenges. Special attention will be given to emerging technologies and opportunities in new application markets such as hydrogen, water resources, and liquefied natural gas – strategic growth areas for the industry.
The programme will revolve around six main themes: standardisation and standards development; digital technologies applied to valves, actuators, and control; valve design and materials for severe services; advanced sealing solutions for industrial valves; AI applied to mechanical design, procurement and manufacturing; and additive manufacturing.
Four highly specialised round tables will address complex issues, including the deployment of subsea valves in deepwater environments, the use of choke valves in high-pressure systems, the performance and safety of control valves in critical applications, and surface treatment technologies to enhance erosion and corrosion resistance. A final round table, titled “The Future of Energy”, will bring together experts from across the valve supply chain for a high-level discussion on key industry trends and future scenarios.

Partnerships

Strategic partnerships are driving the growth of high-level international participation. These include collaborations with ICE (Italian Trade Agency), AVR ANIMA (the industrial association representing Italian valve and tap manufacturers), Confindustria Assafrica & Mediterraneo (Confindustria’s international branch supporting Italian companies in Africa and the Middle East), and UNIDO ITPO Italy (the Italian Investment and Technology Promotion Office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization). IVS has also signed agreements with BVAA (the Organisation tha represents manufacturers, distributors, repairers and suppliers in the UK valve industry) and Fluidex (the Spanish Association of exporters of fluid handling equipment, solutions and process technologies) with more partnerships in the pipeline, including country-pavilions.
These collaborations will bring selected international delegations to the event, including institutional representatives, entrepreneurs, decision-makers, speakers and specialised professionals. The organisers have invited top-tier buyers from leading end users and EPCs, offering opportunities for valuable exchange with players across the entire energy sector.

The IVS-Prometeia Observatory “The Oil & Gas Valve Industry in Italy”

The 2025 update of the IVS-Prometeia Observatory “The Oil & Gas Valve Industry in Italy,”
produced with the support of Confindustria Bergamo’s Research Department, was also presented.
The new report provides a snapshot of Italy’s industrial valve sector, which remains a strategic segment of national manufacturing and a European benchmark. The industry includes 139 companies, around 10,000 employees, and generates annual revenues of €3.4 billion. With 36.6% of total European production, Italy maintains its leadership in the Oil & Gas valve market, with strong specialisation in ball and plug valves, butterfly valves, and spare parts. Lombardy stands as the industry’s productive core, accounting for nearly two-thirds of national output, with Bergamo as the leading industrial hub. Within 100 km of Bergamo, more than 100 specialised companies generate over 90% of national turnover in the sector, with €1.9 billion in revenue (55% of the industry total) and over 6,000 employees.

Claudia Persico, Vice President of Confindustria Bergamo for Internationalisation, stated:

“We are extremely proud of IVS’s tenth anniversary, a project strongly supported by entrepreneurs in the sector and by Confindustria Bergamo, which immediately recognised its key role in promoting a high-level supply chain internationally. The steady growth in numbers for the 2026 edition confirms the project’s success in attracting global attention to a forward-looking sector, generating new business opportunities and unique scientific and technological insights. It is also a healthy industry, as shown by the Prometeia study, resilient to the threat of potential US tariffs and deeply rooted in Bergamo’s broader manufacturing ecosystem, which also includes heat exchangers, pressure vessels, pumps, pipes, and fittings—making it of cross-sectoral interest.”

Luciano Patelli, President of Promoberg, commented:

“IVS is the flagship of Bergamo Exhibition Centre’s internationalisation journey, attracting hundreds of companies and over 15,000 top-tier professionals from around the world. We are honoured to be part of this important event and to contribute to the local economy and the promotion of our city, not only industrially and in manufacturing, but also in tourism and culture. The province of Bergamo, which hosts the Summit, is the heart of the Italian industrial valve sector and an excellence at both national and international levels. IVS is a strategic event, especially when considered as a support initiative for the region’s high-performing industrial supply chains, and in particular, its SMEs.”

Francesco Apuzzo, President of VALVEcampus, said:

“Ahead of IVS 2026, the Scientific Committee aims to connect skills, technologies, and
perspectives, consolidating an offering already regarded as the benchmark for technical dialogue among industry professionals. The programme will deliver strategic and relevant content aligned with the transformations underway in the industry and open to new application scenarios. Special focus will be given to emerging technologies and opportunities in evolving markets such as hydrogen and LNG. The six thematic areas will range from regulatory updates to artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing. Finally, the round tables will provide highly specialised spaces for exchange, designed to meet the knowledge needs of an increasingly expert and demanding technical community.”

IVS 2026: Unveiling the Sixth Edition of the Industrial Valve Summit published on The HeavyQuip Magazine.