The international triennial exhibition of construction machinery opened today. At Veronafiere, all the major global players in the sector: 526 companies from 22 countries, 6 pavilions and three outdoor areas for a total of 52,000 square metres of exhibition space. Focus on innovation, sustainability, digitalisation and training for operators.
The event on the construction supply chain is scheduled from 6 to 9 May
From earthmoving to lifting, from demolition to drilling, through crushing and quarry and construction site vehicles, concrete, road sector, not forgetting equipment, spare parts, logistics and services. The entire construction equipment supply chain returns today as the protagonist at Veronafiere, with the 32nd edition of SaMoTer, the international triennial exhibition of construction machinery, running until Saturday 9 May. Organised in partnership with Unacea and Cece, the event counts 526 exhibitors, of which 124 are foreign, coming from 22 countries. There are 52,000 total square metres of exhibition space, across pavilions 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12, and the three outdoor areas C, E and F. In the spaces dedicated to the Special Shows (Cantiere Digitale, SaMoTer Arena, SaMoTer Forum and International Meeting Point), over 56 technical and training meetings are scheduled, including round tables, workshops, conferences, debates and seminars, designed to offer professionals in the sector a comprehensive update programme.
In Italy, the construction machinery sector is worth 4 billion euros in production, directly employs 6,000 workers and, considering commercialisation, components and related services, activates a total of 85,000 jobs. The vocation towards foreign markets is very strong: approximately 70% of production is exported, for a value of 3.2 billion euros in 2025. On the European continent, the Italian market is the third largest by value, after Germany and the United Kingdom, having overtaken France in 2025. For this reason, SaMoTer 2026 has invested heavily in supporting internationalisation: top buyers from 23 nations in central and eastern Europe, Scandinavian countries, the CIS area, the Middle East, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa have been selected and invited, in addition to operators hosted thanks to collaboration with ICE Agenzia.
“SaMoTer confirms itself as a strategic appointment for a sector undergoing profound transformation, the only one in Italy dedicated to the complete range of construction machinery,” declared today the president of Veronafiere, Federico Bricolo. “Verona thus returns as an international reference point for the sector, with exhibition spaces that have grown by 20% compared to 2023. The claim of this edition, ‘Keep-on Building – Continuiamo a costruire’, tells the spirit of the event and the strength of the supply chain: building infrastructure, but also developing relationships, markets, skills and innovation. For SaMoTer, it means offering companies growth opportunities and concrete tools to accompany the evolution of the sector in the name of digitalisation, sustainability, safety and competitiveness, looking ahead together with confidence, even in a phase marked by geopolitical uncertainties.”
At the inauguration of SaMoTer, the following spoke: Federico Bricolo, president of Veronafiere; Valentino Valentini, Deputy Minister for Enterprises and Made in Italy; Stefano Vallani, president of the Council of the Municipality of Verona; Flavio Massimo Pasini, president of the Province of Verona; Michele Vitulano, president of Unacea; Mauro De Tommasi, head of the Analysis and Studies office of ICE Agenzia and Diego Ruzza, regional councillor for Transport, Mobility and Public Works of the Veneto Region (statements at the bottom of the press release).
At the ribbon cutting, also present for Veronafiere were Barbara Ferro, chief executive officer; Gianni Bruno, deputy director general; Valeria Santolin, exhibition manager of the b2b Area and Matteo Pasinato, event manager of SaMoTer.
At the centre of this 32nd edition of SaMoTer are the major transformation drivers of the sector: digitalisation, sustainability, technological innovation, training, and safety. From low-emission machinery to solutions for automation and remote control, through to artificial intelligence applications and advanced connectivity, SaMoTer 2026 offers a comprehensive overview of the evolutions that are redefining the construction sector.
In line with this evolution, SaMoTer has introduced experiential formats designed to bring innovation out of theory and into the construction site. Among these, SaMoTer Lab stands out as a high-technology-intensity space, where the most advanced solutions take shape. Alongside this offering, Cantiere Digitale returns, developed together with “Quelli del Movimento Terra”: not a simple exhibition area, but a true operational environment that allows one to observe in real time how digitalisation is transforming work on construction sites, impacting efficiency, safety and sustainability.
An absolute novelty of this edition is, instead, SaMoTer Academy, the project realised with Engim Veneto that aims to bridge the skills gap in the sector, placing training and the entry of new qualified professionals at the centre. The initiative was born with the objective of bringing young people closer to the world of construction machinery and strengthening the dialogue between the educational system and companies, fostering training pathways more aligned with the real needs of the labour market. Between today and tomorrow, 200 students are visiting the sponsor companies of SaMoTer Academy to get to know them and discover the job opportunities on offer.
