The 4th edition of the “KEY – The Energy Transition Expo” will take place from March 4 to 6 at the Fiera di Rimini in Italy, announced the organizers in a statement.
As a benchmark event for the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) in Europe, Africa, and the Mediterranean region on energy transition and efficiency, KEY 2026 will focus on efficiency as the driving force behind the green revolution.
This strategically global network aimed at decarbonization returns in 2026 as an independent trade show, with increasingly international ambitions, confirming its role as a relational hub for the global energy community.
The expo will continue its commitment to promoting meetings and exchanges among key players in the energy sector while fostering dialogue with institutions to create collaborations and synergies, aiming to unite efforts to boost energy transition.
KEY aims to serve as a platform for envisioning a green future, responding to signs of change by anticipating future trends and new market needs. It will provide a unique opportunity for companies and professionals to learn about cutting-edge technologies and the latest innovations on the market, helping to streamline consumption and reduce the energy and environmental impact of their operations.
With a rich and varied conference program, it will offer training, information, and professional updates on the most pressing and current topics in the energy sector.
Among the priorities for this edition is strengthening its international profile. The same source noted that KEY 2026 will continue to focus on the African continent, particularly North and Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as Turkey and Europe, with special attention to Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Poland, Serbia, and the Balkan region.
In this context, the event was presented alongside Ecomondo 2025 during a three-step promotional tour on July 8 in Cairo, September 9 in Belgrade, and September 11 in Warsaw, according to the same source.
Furthermore, the organizers indicate that for the first time, KEY will occupy all the pavilions of the Rimini exhibition center, thereby enhancing its integrated and cross-disciplinary vision, which makes it unique in the European landscape of trade shows.
The new layout will maintain the division into seven distinct and recognizable thematic areas while ensuring connectivity among them. In addition to spaces dedicated to photovoltaics, wind energy, energy storage, energy efficiency, electric mobility, and sustainable cities, this edition will feature a hydrogen expo organized by the Italian Exhibition Group and Hannover Fairs International GmbH, the Italian subsidiary of Deutsche Messe AG.
This edition will also emphasize wind energy, focusing on the importance of electrification of port docks for maritime sector sustainability, cold ironing, and ports as logistical hubs for assembling and maintaining floating renewable energy farms, as well as for hydrogen storage and transport.
Additionally, it will host an Innovation District featuring a selection of innovative start-ups and SMEs, chosen through a call for applications. The Green Jobs & Skills initiative will also take place to bridge employment demand and supply in sustainable skills. Moreover, the Lorenzo Cagnoni Innovation Award will be given to the three most innovative start-ups at the KEY expo and to seven exhibitors for the most groundbreaking projects, one for each represented sector.
Significant attention will be paid to energy efficiency in both the industrial and residential sectors, viewed as a vital pillar for enabling the transition. In the thematic area of Energy Efficiency, which has been strengthened and reorganized, spaces dedicated to the Sustainable Building District in partnership with the Green Building Council Italia, and Federcostruzioni, KEY’s new partner grouping major production categories in the construction market, infrastructure, materials, engineering, and installations, will be confirmed.
Driven by the desire to fuel the debate on sustainable global futures while supporting research, the Expo has launched, for the second consecutive year, a Call for Papers targeting universities, companies, research organizations, and associations, including those not participating as exhibitors, to present a project or share a successful experience in the field of energy and climate transition.
The 25 selected abstracts will be published in a special issue of the scientific journal QualEnergia Science, promoted by KEY – The Energy Transition Expo and published by Editoriale La Nuova Ecologia with the support of the Italian Exhibition Group, which will be officially presented during KEY 2026.
In anticipation of this event, KEY CHOICE – Unlock the Future of PPA will also be organized in 2026, alongside the B2B event of KEY – The Energy Transition Expo focused on power purchase agreements, set for March 3, 2026, at the Palacongressi di Rimini.
Alongside KEY, the new edition of DPE – International Electricity Expo will return. This event, organized by IEG in collaboration with the Associazione Generazione Distribuita – Motori, Componenti, Gruppi Elettrogeni, affiliated with ANIMA Confindustria, and the ANIE Federation, is dedicated to the ecosystem of electrical production, transport, distribution, security, and automation.