Sustainability, safety, and Smart Roads at the heart of four days of discussion, featuring a highly qualified attendance.
Next stop in Rome with Asphaltica World in 2027.
Bologna, October 13, 2026 – Asphaltica 2026, the international exhibition of the road supply chain organized by BolognaFiere in collaboration with SITEB – Italian Roads and Bitumen Association, closed with a very positive outcome. With over 8,000 attendees, showing a sharp increase compared to 2024, the event confirms its role as a benchmark for an industry committed to the development of safer, more sustainable, and intelligent infrastructures.
This edition was characterized by the participation of a highly qualified audience and an increasingly international vocation, as evidenced by the numerous foreign operators invited by the exhibitors. Four days that fostered business relations, the exchange of expertise, and dialogue among companies, network managers, professionals, research bodies, and institutions.
Hosted in the new Hall 37 of BolognaFiere, one of the exhibition district’s most modern spaces, Asphaltica brought together 140 exhibitors – including 18 foreign ones from 7 countries – across a net exhibition area of 9,800 square meters. Compared to 2024, the number of exhibitors grew by 18% and the area by 34%.
„We are particularly satisfied with the results of this edition of Asphaltica, which confirms the value of the event for a sector called upon to guarantee efficient, safe, and sustainable infrastructures,” stated Gianpiero Calzolari, President of BolognaFiere. „Together with SITEB, we have created an appointment capable of bringing together companies, institutions, professionals, and the research world around the themes that will guide the evolution of the sector in the coming years. BolognaFiere confirms its role as an ideal place to foster relationships and discussions at the service of production chains, bringing together expertise, investments, and innovation. The growth of Asphaltica and the wide international participation testify to the strength of a sector looking to the future and reinforce the event’s value as a benchmark for the development of the entire supply chain.”
„Asphaltica 2026 has confirmed itself as the home of the entire road supply chain. At the fair, we showcased the best that our sector can express. Companies, material producers, machinery and plant manufacturers, laboratories, companies involved in road safety and signage, experts, universities, and institutions have found a place to discuss and present concrete solutions for the infrastructures of the future, which are increasingly intelligent, sustainable, and durable,” stated Raffaella Donghi, President of SITEB. „The continuous growth of the event demonstrates that the road represents a strategic theme for our country and that the sector has the skills, technologies, and vision to face the challenges that await us. The Sustainable Construction Site (Il Cantiere Sostenibile), the over 40 conferences and workshops, and our Agorà sessions on the most topical issues for the sector have conveyed the image of a supply chain that invests in safety, innovation, circular economy, and low environmental impact technologies, with a special focus on youth and generational turnover in a sector called to play an increasingly central role.”
The SITEB Agorà focused the debate on the most topical issues for the sector, starting with the General States of Road Construction (Stati Generali delle Costruzioni Stradali), dedicated to the sector’s prospects, investments, and network maintenance, with the participation, among others, of ANAS Chief Executive Officer Claudio Andrea Gemme. The discussions continued in meetings on safety (also thanks to the use of robot dogs) and the evolution towards Smart Roads, with the contribution of top management from Autostrade dello Stato, as well as on sustainability and ESG criteria, ranging from material innovation to the enhancement of skills.
These appointments were complemented by over 40 conferences and workshops that animated the days at the fair, offering opportunities for technical in-depth study, updates, and training, with attention also given to the life cycle assessment of pavements, the durability of works, and the application of CAM Strade (Minimum Environmental Criteria for Roads).
Emphasizing the European dimension of the event, EAPA (the European Asphalt Pavement Association) chose Asphaltica for its autumn Technical Committee for the first time, bringing together experts from all over Europe.
Great success was achieved by the Sustainable Construction Site (Cantiere Sostenibile), created with InFrastrade, which showcased live the various phases of road regeneration using latest-generation machinery. From subgrade stabilization to the simulation of asphalt laying with a high content of recycled milled material, the demonstrations made the application of circular economy principles and Minimum Environmental Criteria concrete, illustrating solutions to recover materials, contain environmental impacts, and improve the efficiency of interventions.
The public was also able to appreciate the exhibition of historical ANAS vehicles and equipment, set up on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of its foundation. A journey through the evolution of Italian road construction and maintenance, which paired the vision of the future with the technical memory of the sector.
Asphaltica 2026 outlines the profile of a supply chain that invests in innovation, sustainability, and skills, leveraging the opportunities of digitalization and smart infrastructure to improve safety and the management of the road heritage. The recorded growth consolidates the positioning of the event, strengthening its identity in the panorama of international trade fairs dedicated to infrastructural systems.
The journey continues with Asphaltica World, scheduled for October 20 and 21, 2027, at the Salone delle Fontane in Rome. The exhibition-conference formula will offer an appointment dedicated to the major challenges of the sector and dialogue with the political and institutional world, fostering interaction between industry and central institutions.
In 2028, Asphaltica will return to Bologna in its full trade fair formula.
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MATEK Build Smart