The leading event for the industrial valve and flow control industry will offer exhibitors and visitors two additional pavilions and an additional day of exhibition space.
The press conference introducing the sixth edition of IVS - Industrial Valve Summit, the most important international event dedicated to industrial valve technologies and flow control solutions, took place on July 10th in Milan, at the Sala Pirelli of Palazzo delle Stelline. The event, sponsored by Confindustria Bergamo and Promoberg, will take place at the Bergamo Exhibition Center from May 19th to 21st, 2026.
Less than a year after the Summit's next edition, the organizers celebrated the milestone of IVS's first decade: an opportunity to look to the future, retracing a journey of vision and dialogue, connecting businesses, institutions, research organizations, international buyers, experts, and professionals from around the world. Launched in 2015 as a specialized event, the event is now internationally recognized as a reference platform for the industrial valve industry. Over the past ten years, the Summit has grown in size, quality, and strategic impact, helping strengthen the competitiveness of the national manufacturing district and the role of Italian manufacturing in global markets.
The 2026 edition marks a further step forward in the event's development. The exhibition layout at the Bergamo Fair will expand to include two additional pavilions, and the program will extend over three full days open to the public, expanding from a two-day exhibition to a full-fledged valve week. The scientific conferences will begin on the morning of Tuesday, May 19th, and the pavilions will open their doors to the international valve audience. This evolution reflects the organizers' desire to meet the growing demand for content, networking opportunities, and qualified discussions.
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," was also presented. This report, produced with the contribution of the Confindustria Bergamo research department, provides a snapshot of the state of the Italian industrial valve sector, which remains a strategic segment of national manufacturing and a leader in the European competitive landscape. The industry comprises 139 companies, approximately 10,000 employees, and an annual turnover of €3.4 billion. With 36.6% of total European production, Italy remains the market leader in valves for the Oil & Gas industry, specializing in ball and plug valves, butterfly valves, and components and spare parts. Lombardy has established itself as the productive heart of the sector, contributing nearly two-thirds of national output, with Bergamo as its key industrial hub. Over 100 specialized companies operate within a 100 km radius of the city, generating more than 90% of the Italian turnover in the sector, recording €1.9 billion in revenue (55% of the total) and employing over 6,000 people.
In 2024, Italian oil and gas valve exports grew by 16.9%, well above the global average (+8.5%), cementing Italy's position as the world's third-largest exporter. Growth was concentrated in Western Europe and the Middle East, where Italy outperformed the market average, particularly in the MENA region (+60%). In Saudi Arabia, the leading market, exports grew at twice the rate of competitors, with peaks in the ball and plug valve segment. This country accounted for nearly half of the overall increase in Italian exports in the sector in 2024.
In the first quarter of 2025, a physiological normalization was observed (-6.8% compared to the previous quarter), while maintaining levels 10% higher than in the same period of 2024. The decline is concentrated in the Gulf countries, particularly in Saudi Arabia (-29% on a quarterly basis), which nevertheless remains in strong growth year-on-year (+30%).
Globally, oil demand grew by only 0.7% in 2024, while natural gas rose by 1.8%, driven by demand in Asia. The start of 2025 is marked by falling energy prices and strong investment in the Middle East, but a slowdown in North America. At the same time, renewable energy continues to grow, with global investment double that of fossil fuels. Global O&G sector revenues fell by 5% in 2024, but remain 23% above pre-pandemic levels. Operating margins are holding up, as are capital expenditure (CapEx), albeit slowing. Forecasts indicate a 15% decline in core investment in 2025–2026.
The Italian valve sector remains competitive thanks to its focus on markets with growing investments (Europe, Asia, MENA), while the United States - in decline - accounts for only 11% of national exports.
Claudia Persico, Vice President of Confindustria Bergamo for Internationalization, stated: "We are very proud of the tenth anniversary of IVS, an event strongly supported by industry entrepreneurs and supported by Confindustria Bergamo, which immediately recognized its fundamental importance for promoting a supply chain of excellence internationally. The constantly growing numbers for the 2026 edition also confirm the effectiveness of the project, drawing attention to a cutting-edge sector, developing business opportunities and unique opportunities for scientific and technological exploration. Furthermore, it is a sector in excellent health, as confirmed by the Prometeia study, which is not suffering from the prospect of US tariffs and which encompasses many productions in Bergamo—in addition to valves, from heat exchangers to boilers, pumps, pipes, and fittings—and therefore takes on a cross-sectoral appeal."
Luciano Patelli, President of Promoberg, commented: "IVS is the flagship event in the internationalization process of the Bergamo Fair, thanks to the presence of hundreds of companies and over 15,000 high-profile operators from around the world. We are honored to be part of this important event, to be able to do our part in supporting the economy and promoting our city in the industrial and manufacturing sectors, as well as in tourism and culture. The Summit will, as always, be hosted in Bergamo, whose province represents the Italian hub of the sector, a center of excellence both nationally and internationally. IVS is a strategic event, especially as an initiative to support the region's excellent industrial supply chains, and especially the SMEs that represent the vast majority of them."
Francesco Apuzzo, President of Valve Campus, stated: "In anticipation of IVS 2026, the Scientific Committee aims to connect skills, technologies, and perspectives, consolidating a program already recognized as a benchmark for technical discussion among industry professionals. The program will offer relevant and strategic content, aligned with the transformations underway in the industry and open to new application scenarios. Special attention will be paid to emerging technologies and the opportunities offered by evolving markets such as hydrogen and LNG. The six thematic areas will range from regulatory updates to artificial intelligence to additive manufacturing. Finally, the round tables will offer highly specialized discussion opportunities, designed to meet the demand for knowledge from an increasingly knowledgeable and demanding technical community."
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