IEG and Acimac announce a successful edition of Tecna

The show was attended by visitors from more than 100 countries and reaffirmed its status as a world-leading event featuring energy-saving technologies, thematic trails and business meetings with top buyers. The Decortech Conference also attracted great interest.

The 28th Tecna, the recently concluded International Exhibition of Technologies and Supplies for Surfaces organised by IEG (Italian Exhibition Group) and Acimac (Italian Ceramic Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers’ Association) and held in the Rimini Expo Centre, was a resounding success.

Tecna once again confirmed its status as the international trade fair with the highest degree of innovation in the sector, while also recording a similar level of visitor turnout to the previous edition. The show’s success was reflected in the satisfaction of the 350 exhibiting brands, who welcomed high-quality operators and buyers from over 100 countries including Spain, Turkey, India, Brazil, Algeria, Egypt, Mexico, Poland, Iran, Indonesia, Argentina, Russia, Morocco and Vietnam to discuss future projects incorporating their latest innovations and the very best of Italian manufacturing expertise. The African continent was also strongly represented, with operators coming from countries such as Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Sudan, Rwanda, Angola and Cameroon.

The R&D departments of the exhibiting companies focused on key areas such as artificial intelligence, digitalisation, energy saving and sustainability, and presented forward-looking solutions for the industry’s future. Kilns powered by alternative energy sources, more advanced, automated production lines with optimised emissions, and applications for digital decoration were all solutions that captured the attention of visitors.

The strong interest shown by international players in the exhibited technologies was also evidenced by the 1,600 business meetings organised in cooperation with the Italian Trade Agency ITA to explore the best investment opportunities. These meetings involved 150 top hosted buyers from 36 countries.

The four-day exhibition also featured a packed programme of events, including the inaugural conference and the TecnAwards. The inaugural conference provided valuable insights into the geopolitical dynamics affecting the exports of Italian companies in the sector, with analyses and potential international scenarios presented by experts Paolo Magri and Marco Taisch. The second edition of the TecnAwards brought leading global ceramic players to Rimini to collect the prizes awarded by Italian machinery manufacturers for the best investments made by national and international customers over the past two years.

The Decortech Conference, also now in its second edition, hosted leading producers of technologies capable of achieving the highest levels of aesthetic quality for surfaces, an added value that boosts the competitiveness of finished products. In the Decortech Arena, sponsoring companies provided a comprehensive overview of the latest innovations in surface decoration and finishing for architecture and design, attracting significant interest amongst attendees.

Finally, the Innovation Arena hosted numerous technical conferences dedicated to strategic topics such as raw material management, servitization, cybersecurity and Industry 5.0. The Innovation District also served as the hub for start-ups, where the Lorenzo Cagnoni Award was presented to the three most innovative business ideas.

Tecna also focused on the future of the sector through educational initiatives involving numerous technical institutes from the Emilia-Romagna region. Students from these institutes were invited to the exhibition centre for a dedicated day of activities on Friday to discover the opportunities offered by this thriving Italian sector. The event was attended by more than 350 students.

The next edition of Tecna will be held in September 2026.