The fifth edition of the event takes place two years after the previous one and continues the path of growth that has marked it since the first edition. To coincide with IVS 2024, the organisers will enrich the offer with side events and moments of interaction, creating a true ‘valve week’. The curtain will be raised on the morning of 14 May with the opening of the Summit and, in the afternoon, with the early opening of the pavilions reserved for exhibitors only, to offer a valuable opportunity for networking between the protagonists of the supply chain participating in IVS. The event will get into full swing on 14 and 15 May and the halls will open their doors to the international valve public, with hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of specialist operators.

At the same time, the extensive calendar of conferences, round tables, workshops, and laboratories that form the IVS scientific programme will continue, proving over the years to be a space where change can be interpreted and the latest technological innovations can be explored, identifying and analysing the challenges the sector is facing. On Friday 17 May, following the two-day exhibition, there will be a further opportunity for foreign delegations attending the fair to meet the players in the extended oil and gas supply chain. As well as being a tool for enhancing the value of Made in Italy, the Industrial Valve Summit proves to be a key showcase for skills, resources, and know-how, while promoting the excellence of the national industrial production and the local entrepreneurial fabric. Despite the travel restrictions in force in some areas of the world and the delicate global scenarios, the Summit welcomed 12,000 visitors (+12% compared to 2019) from more than 60 countries, marking a record attendance at IVS 2022. IVS hosted almost 300 exhibiting companies (+17% on 2019), from 12 countries: Italy, Germany, Great Britain, the United States of America, France, South Korea, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, Turkey, and the Czech Republic. Also record-breaking is the surface area of the Summit, which has developed over a total of 15 thousand square metres, thanks to the creation of a third pavilion. 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.

In view of IVS 2024, international participation is expected to grow, thanks to the partnerships with AVR ANIMA (the industry association representing Italian companies in the valves and fittings sector), ICE (the Agency for foreign promotion and internationalisation of Italian companies), Confindustria Assafrica & Mediterraneo (the international representation of Confindustria supporting Italian companies in the process of growth in Africa and the Middle East) and UNIDO ITPO Italy (the Italian Office for Technology Promotion and Investment of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation).

Synergies will bring to the fair a series of international delegations consisting in institutional representatives and entrepreneurs, who will have the opportunity to interface with the operators of the Oil & Gas supply chain, offering moments of discussion and matchmaking activities. Continuing the theme of international attendance, the IVS organisers confirm the presence of a selection of top- ranking guests among international decision-makers, operators, and speakers. The Oil&Gas Valve Industry in Italy Observatory

The 2023 update of the IVS-Prometeia Observatory “The Oil&Gas Valve Industry in Italy” realised with the support of the Confindustria Bergamo Studies Office was also presented. The new study provides a snapshot of the state of the Italian sector, which has maintained its position among the leading sectors of the national manufacturing industry with over 210 companies, 9,300 employees and 2.7 billion EUR in turnover. Italy is confirmed as the European leader with 34.2% of the market share and is on the global podium of the largest exporters. Two-thirds of Italian valve production (65.5%) is manufactured in Lombardy and, in particular, the area of Bergamo is the hub of this chain of excellence. Within a radius of 100 km from the province there is an industrial district that generates over 90% of national production.

The recovery of energy-related sectors following the pandemic has been long and gradual, and the oil and gas valve supply chain has been no exception. The Italian sector recovered at a moderate pace in 2021, but insufficient to regain pre-pandemic levels: the value of production is 18% lower than in 2019. However, the situation improved considerably in 2022, when exports grew greatly by 16% over 2021. The best results were recorded in geographically close markets, mainly Western Europe, where Italy outperformed its competitors. A positive figure that buffers the decline in exports to Saudi Arabia, triggered mainly by the growth of the Chinese market share in the Arabian Peninsula, driven by the growing ties between Beijing and Riyadh. The positive outlook for the sector is fed by the growth of investments by oil and gas companies, which will continue to rise in 2023. Contributing to this is a favourable commodity price environment, strong cash flows and the increasing strategic importance of energy safety on the agendas of governments and manufacturing.

Dario Tognazzi, Promoberg Councillor representing Confindustria Bergamo, said: IVS – Industrial Valve Summit confirms its strategic role, a winning example of how a production of excellence in the area can be promoted at an international level. Companies will once again be the great protagonists in every aspect of the next edition of an event that represents the meeting point for the entire Oil & Gas supply chain, where objectives and projects can be shared, while offering the opportunity for business development. The scenarios outlined by the data of the Observatory, which we have created with the contribution of Prometeia, show the end of a difficult period and a slower and more gradual recovery compared to some competitors, also due to the consequences of the pandemic on the markets and of competition from Asian production. However, the numbers confirm the importance of the sector and the rise in many strategic markets of an international supply chain increasingly marked by innovation and oriented towards quality.

Davide Lenarduzzi, CEO of Promoberg, said: With the fifth edition of Industrial Valve Summit, Promoberg consolidates further its role as an international trade fair player. Also, thanks to the successful cooperation of Confindustria, IVS is the most significant event of the new way of “holding a trade fair” required by many national and European economic sectors. Promoberg, thanks to the ability of Bergamo to work as a system, offers economic operators a highly effective and efficient meeting and networking experience. Thanks to IVS, Bergamo will once again become the world capital of industrial valves in 2024 with full merit. We are witnessing this from the requests for information and first bookings, and this is leading to important positive effects for the economy and the promotion of our territory in the world, also in terms of tourism. The Fiera di Bergamo is a unique location in Italy, with its strategic position position on the mobility chessboard: the A4 motorway, the railway and the airport are just a few kilometres away. The Milan Bergamo BGY international airport, which connects our city with over 140 destinations in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, is perfect for the thousands of operators arriving from all over the world.

Also growing from year to year is the conference section, which will feature a richer programme of conferences, discussions, and technical content. The scientific section will again be curated by Valvecampus, the event’s technical partner since its start in 2015.

IVS 2024 will analyse key topics in the technical field, ranging as far as strategic management, with the aim of offering the public differentiated content and spaces for reflection that are able to give added value to the players in the sector, in the context of a rapidly evolving and increasingly global market – explains Francesco Apuzzo, President of Valve Campus -. In the run-up to the fifth edition of IVS, we have completely renewed the scientific committee, to globalise it and make it even more representative of all players in the supply chain. The programme will include two panel discussions to analyse the possibilities of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) to implement the value and competitiveness of companies, but also the impact of the energy transition and decarbonisation processes on the component supply chain in the medium term. Great space will be reserved for the challenge of hydrogen – in particular production, storage, and transport technologies -, CO2 capture and storage, materials, and technical standards, as well as innovations in 3D printing and additive manufacturing