Two weeks to Porto: ETW 2026 enters its final registration stretch

With just two weeks to go before Afera’s 2nd European Tape Week opens on 21 September, Porto is filling up. The preliminary participant list already runs to almost 240 names, including 190 attending the 69th Annual Conference and 110 the 12th Tape College — and new participants are still registering. The official conference hotel, the Pestana Douro Riverside, is now fully booked.

The numbers mark a substantial step up for European Tape Week. Last year’s inaugural edition brought 185 participants from 20 countries and more than 100 companies to Thessaloniki. This year, the Annual Conference alone is heading for record attendance, while the wider ETW format is bringing technical specialists, manufacturers, suppliers, converters and senior decision-makers together across five days.

A senior room — and a full exhibition

The level of seniority is striking. At least 20 CEOs, presidents, managing directors, general managers, owners and board-level leaders can already be identified on the Annual Conference participant list, before counting the many vice presidents, business unit directors and senior functional leaders attending. The senior cohort includes leaders from Loparex, FABO, Alimac Group and The Adhesive & Sealant Council (ASC), alongside decision-makers responsible for manufacturing strategy, investment, markets, technology and competitiveness across the European and international tape value chain.

Industry backing around them is equally strong. ETW 2026 now has 14 Platinum and Gold sponsors, complemented by branded-material support from Organik Kimya, Bostik and H.B. Fuller. The new Tabletop Exhibition is completely sold out, with 17 companies confirmed: H.B. Fuller, Valco Melton, Loparex, Nowofol, Elite Cameron, Ichemco, Henkel, Hueck Folien, Mondi, Indafor - a Mativ Brand, Uncountable, Bostik, Hoenle, GEW, XJY Silicones, Ahlstrom and Colquímica.

From tape technology to business risk

The final programme gives that audience plenty to work with. The Tape College moves through PSA fundamentals, polymers, adhesives, backings and release systems into production, surface treatment, testing, sustainability and regulation. The Annual Conference then widens the lens to resilience, European manufacturing strength, AI-ready R&D, market intelligence, supply chains, trade, geopolitics and global competition.
Among the business highlights, FABO CEO Maria Sofia Fagni will address resilience and changing customer expectations in packaging tapes; Giovanni Scognamiglio, General Manager of Alimac Group, will examine how an SME can build long-term global competitiveness; and Loparex CEO Richard D. Holder will focus on supply chain, trade and global competition. Andrea Boltho of Oxford University will examine Europe’s economic outlook, before Friday’s Captains of Industry panel asks where risks are rising — and where growth is emerging — in the 2026 operating environment.

Sold out does not mean closed

The Tabletop Exhibition is sold out and the official conference hotel is full, but European Tape Week itself is not. Registration remains open for the Tape College, Annual Conference and full-week programme, and alternative accommodation options are listed on the participation page.

With the industry already assembling in force and 21 September approaching quickly, the remaining registration window is short. There is still room in Porto — but this is the last call.

Further information

• European Tape Week 2026
• Full programme
• Registration and participation details
• Tabletop Exhibition