JEC World 2026 draws over 45,000 professional visits

Held in Paris, JEC World 2026 brought together the global composites industry for three days of business and technical exchange. The event hosted more than 1,400 exhibitors, including over 150 first-time participants, covering the full value chain from materials to end-use applications.

Attendance reached over 45,000 professional visits, a level comparable to 2025, despite the situation in the Middle East and challenging travel conditions, including airline disruptions affecting attendees travelling via major transit hubs in the Gulf.

Participants came from 94 countries, reflecting the event’s continued international reach. Commenting on this, JEC President Eric Pierrejean stated: “The strong international turnout at JEC World 2026 once again demonstrated the need for in-person collaboration across the global composites industry to foster business, partnerships, and knowledge sharing.”

“JEC World is not only the annual global meeting of the composites industry, bringing together materials, machines, equipment, manufacturing technologies, and services. It is also a unique “Festival of Composites,” a place where professionals from diverse industries can discover how composites address their key challenges, particularly in terms of sustainability, decarbonization, and durability“, he added.

Business activity also remained significant, with more than 20,300 pre-arranged meetings, marking a 49% increase compared to 2025. According to Thomas Lepretre, Vice President, Events, Sales and Operations at JEC: “This year’s numbers confirms that the event continues to strengthen its role as a global marketplace for composites.”

Highlight sector developments

Alongside the exhibition, JEC World 2026 featured an extensive conference programme, with over 100 sessions and more than 200 speakers addressing industrial and scientific developments. Topics included circular materials, advanced manufacturing processes and digitalisation.

Dedicated sessions focused on sectors such as aerospace, construction and marine, while the programme also included the Sampe Technical Sessions and a masterclass led by Professor Steve Tsai.

Several competitions and awards formed part of the event. The JEC Composites Startup Booster selected three winners from 20 finalists, while the SMC BMC Design Award recognised student projects centred on sustainability and modular design.

The Sampe Global Emerging Engineers Challenge provided a platform for early-career engineers to present their work, with the 2026 edition won by a team from the University of Calgary for a project on lightweight spacecraft structures.

On the exhibition floor, attendees could view a selection of more than 80 components at the Innovation Planets, alongside live manufacturing demonstrations in the Live Demo Area. A dedicated exhibition on the history of composites in aeronautics was also presented.

To extend access to content beyond the event, sessions and interviews have been made available via the JEC Web TV platform.