First Seaquip 2026 Trade Fair in Milan Unveils Eight-Session Conference

An eight-session conference at Seaquip 2026 opens this morning at Fiera Milano Rho, positioning the first edition of the Mediterranean Yacht & Marine Equipment Trade Fair as a practical forum for nautical supply‑chain professionals running 4 to 6 March 2026. Pierpaolo Ponchia, Managing Director of Easyfairs Italy, will deliver the inaugural speech on the morning of March 4 to launch the programme.

Organisers confirmed that, “The conference and professional meeting program will consist of eight distinct sessions covering a variety of topics.” Easyfairs, the Italian arm of Easyfairs Group, manages the show at Fiera Milano Rho; the parent company is described as one of the world’s top 20 trade exhibition organizers and positions Seaquip as a strategic hub for the European marine equipment sector.

The editorial line is explicitly operational. “These will include technical sessions and expert-led panels, forming an agenda focused on practical and operational insights, with valuable opportunities to analyze product and process innovations, exchange views with peers on specific topics, and establish new connections within the nautical supply chain,” organisers said. Themes called out across the programme include composites, additive manufacturing, surface finishing, R&D and product/process innovation in shipbuilding, and a session dedicated to responsible interiors that highlights Italian sustainable interior design solutions. The programme is described as “rich yet deliberately not overcrowded.”

Industry participation includes a headline presentation from Azimut‑Benetti Group’s R&D department led by Alessandro Rossi, Chief Product Officer; Azimut‑Benetti reported revenues of €1.5bn in the last nautical year in coverage accompanying the programme announcement. A technical session roster lists Paolo Licinio Nazzaro, Co‑Founder & Managing Director of Superfici Scrl; Ilaria Ardizzoia, Founder & CFO of 3ntr; Edwin Hendriks, Technical Service Manager / R&D, AOC TBC; Franco Gnessi, Yacht Designer at DYD Yacht Design & Consulting; and Gabriele Defendini of Physis PEB – Politecnico di Milano. Fabio Bignolini, Co‑Founder & CEO of nlcomp®, is named as moderator for that session. A concrete timetable anchor appears on the programme: Wednesday, March 4 at 11:00 AM is listed as “Project presentations and case studies from the R&D Division.”

Organisers have framed Seaquip as an event “designed to offer professionals, companies, and industry operators the opportunity to stay up to date with the latest developments, explore technical topics in depth, and, last but not least, build new professional connections within the nautical supply chain.” Trade and press coverage notes organisers expect the fair to attract hundreds of exhibitors and industry partners from around the world, a claim presented as part of the show’s positioning.

Promotional materials are already circulating: MIN Digital Magazine Issue 16 carries a Seaquip front cover graphic and the announcement pages include a rendering of exhibition centre stands. Separately, Marineindustrynews ran a product announcement for Propspeed’s new FoulFree, described as a “multi-surface protection system” with a waves-in-the-background visual, underscoring the product news that will sit alongside the trade programme.

Seaquip runs through 6 March 2026 at Fiera Milano Rho; the full conference programme is published on the Seaquip website for those seeking the complete session list and speaker timings.