IVS 2024 Ends With Record Numbers 15 Thousand Visitors From Over 69 Countries

Energy Business Review | Tuesday, May 28, 2024

The fifth edition of the Industrial Valve Summit closed with a new record number of visitors, exhibitors, and number of scientific conferences

Giovanna Ricuperati, President of Confindustria Bergamo: "IVS has fully achieved its objective of drawing more and more attention to a cutting-edge sector that is experiencing great change"

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Luciano Patelli, Promoberg President: “Having drawn so many visitors has allowed us to better promote our territory also in a tourism perspective”

The date is set for the sixth edition of the Summit at Fiera di Bergamo from May 19 to 21, 2026

Bergamo, - The fifth edition of IVS Industrial Valve Summit, the most important international event dedicated to industrial valve technologies and flow control solutions, closed with record numbers. The event, promoted by Confindustria Bergamo and Promoberg, was held at the Bergamo Exhibition Centre from 14th to 16th May 2024.

The fifth edition of the Summit closed with a final influx of 15,000 visitors from 69 countries. Attendance, representing all five continents, was 25% higher than during the Summit's fourth edition, when the city of Bergamo attracted 12,000 guests. The protagonists of IVS 2024 were the 325 exhibitors (+13% compared to the 2022 edition) from 14 countries: besides Italy, the companies represented the sectors of Germany, Great Britain, the United States of America, France, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Turkey, Niger, and the Czech Republic. The international element proved to be in great turmoil, with foreign companies doubling in number compared to the fourth edition and reaching 20% of the total number of exhibitors.

The extensive IVS scientific programme is also undergoing great development. A space that has proved over the years to be an agora where to interpret change and delve into the latest technological innovations, identifying and analysing the challenges of the industry. IVS 2024 offered 52 events including conferences, roundtables, workshops, case studies and laboratories, constituting a plan more than 50% larger than the 34 in-depth technical events of IVS 2022. To support the increased schedule, the Summit organisers built two additional conference rooms in Pavilion C.

The event also consolidated the exhibition areas, covering more than 15,000 square metres in three pavilions. These numbers tell how IVS has established itself as an essential showcase for the entire global supply chain connected to industrial valves and flow control.

On the occasion of the 2024 edition, the organisers boosted the qualitative growth of the event, increased the number of appointments in the exhibition programme and enriched the side events, leading the Industrial Valve Summit to grow from a two-day exhibition to a full-fledged valve week.

The Summit kicked off on 14th May with the opening conference, during which the IVS-Prometeia Observatory “The Oil&Gas Valve Industry in Italy” 2024 was presented, providing a snapshot of the current state of the Italian sector of reference, a sector of excellence of Made in Italy and a leader in Europe. In parallel, the organisers opened the doors of the pavilions to IVS exhibitors: a première introduced to generate a valuable opportunity for dialogue between the protagonists of the Summit.

The IVS-Prometeia Observatory “The Oil&Gas Valve Industry in Italy” 2024 has confirmed the supremacy of the Italian industrial valve sector in the European competitive context. In 2022, almost 4 out of every 10 oil & gas valves produced in Europe were manufactured in Italy, where the sector's production value was close to EUR 3 billion. The 2022 turnover of the domestic industry rose by 12% compared to 2021 but has not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels. The numbers are achieved within an ecosystem of 139 companies (more than 90% of the turnover is generated within a 100 km radius of the province of Bergamo), employing over 10,000 people (up from 9,300 in 2021). In 2023, exports of Italian valves for the Oil&Gas industry started to grow again at a fast pace (+5.7% in value over 2022), driven by the Middle Eastern and Asian markets. Investments in the energy sector, upstream, downstream and transportation services are growing. A positive trend that, along with the development of 'green' investments, offers positive effects that may also be evident beyond 2023. There are opportunities for growth in traditional as well as renewable and innovative sectors, such as Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) and hydrogen.

The exhibition got into full swing on 15th and 16th May, and the pavilions welcomed the international valve audience. On Friday 17th May, a further opportunity was available to the foreign delegations attending the exhibition to meet the players in the extended oil and gas supply chain, thanks to targeted matchmaking operations.

The synergies with ICE (the Agency for the promotion abroad and internationalisation of Italian companies), AVR ANIMA (the industrial trade association representing Italian companies in the valves and fittings sector) are of great stimulus to the increase in high-level international attendance, Confindustria Assafrica & Mediterraneo (the international representation of Confindustria that supports Italian companies in their growth path in Africa and the Middle East) and SACE (an insurance-financial group directly controlled by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, specialised in supporting companies and the national economic fabric).

The partnerships gathered international delegations consisting of institutional representatives, entrepreneurs, decision makers, speakers, and specialised operators at the fair. The organisers invited over 100 qualified end-user buyers of primary standing and international EPCs. A parterre that can interface with operators from the entire energy sector, giving rise to moments of exchange and comparison. Moreover, through the operational collaboration with UNIDO ITPO Italy (the Italian Office for the Promotion of Technology and Investment of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation), IVS confirms the participation of a delegation of entrepreneurs and representatives of Iraqi institutions.

Giovanna Ricuperati, President of Confindustria Bergamo, commented: «The 2024 edition has further highlighted the strategic importance of an event highly desired and supported by the Association, born thanks to the virtuous collaboration of local companies, and that highlights a supply chain of excellence from an international perspective. IVS has fully achieved its objective of drawing more and more attention to a cutting-edge sector, developing major business opportunities and, at the same time, unique opportunities for scientific and technological discussion and in-depth analysis intended to continue beyond the Summit, in relation to the phase of great transformation that the energy sector is currently undergoing».

Luciano Patelli, Promoberg President, commented: «IVS has consolidated its position as a reference summit in the world of industrial valves, in which Bergamo is a centre of excellence. The growth recorded this year, added to the high-quality level of the companies and the more than positive feedback received from buyers and operators, confirms the quality of the project. Having attracted so many operators in Bergamo reaching the city from seventy countries spread across all continents, has allowed us to promote our territory in the best possible way, also from a tourism perspective. The summit is our highlight in the internationalisation path of Promoberg and Fiera di Bergamo. We are consolidating synergies with the territory and with international players, while studying new events, having as a plus the location of the Bergamo Trade Fair, at the centre of one of the most important macro-regions in the world and perfectly inserted in the mobility map, with the neighbouring BGY international airport, a unicum in the trade fair panorama».

Francesco Apuzzo, President of Valve Campus, affirmed: «During IVS 2024, Valve Campus increased both the absolute value and the number of conferences offered to the valve specialist audience. There were over 50 moments of scientific discussion, developed in a series of thematic sessions and interactive workshops that delved into the most topical issues and challenges affecting the sector. Among the novelties of this edition were focuses on the importance of investing in sustainability and the introduction of artificial intelligence to support the future of the industry. The great feedback received from the audience of decision-makers, operators, and visitors from all over the world who came to IVS confirms the quality of the content on offer. This result was also achieved thanks to the internationally renowned speakers and outstanding case studies».

 The organisers of the event announced that the sixth edition of IVS will be held at the Fiera di Bergamo from 19th to 21st May 2026.

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