Paint & Coatings 2026 will take place from 18th to 19th November at Recinto Ferial La Farga, Barcelona (Spain).
Paint & Coatings 2026 will hold its 6th edition in Barcelona on 18th and 19th
November. With the exhibition space fully booked and the conference programme now finalised, the event will once again bring together professionals from the paint and coatings industry.
Paint & Coatings 2026 will hold its largest edition to date this year, with more than 150 exhibiting companies, 5,500 m² of exhibition space and three conference rooms. The event will bring together exhibiting companies supplying raw materials, equipment and technical solutions for the industry, as well as professional visitors from manufacturers of finished products in the paints and coatings industries.
Over two days, Paint & Coatings will once again become a meeting point for discovering new technologies and solutions, building new contacts and discussing some of the main challenges currently facing the industry.
The Scientific Programme
will focus on the main technical and regulatory challenges facing the industry, from reformulation and the substitution of hazardous substances to sustainability, new regulatory requirements and the adoption of new technologies.
One of the highlights of the programme will be the session organised by the IQS Alumni Professional Paints Group, titled “Between crisis and regulation: how to reinvent the paint industry.” The session will bring together different perspectives from across the value chain to analyse the current situation facing the industry and the challenges that will shape its future.
Moderated by Raül Cabré, from Euroquímica Paints and the IQS Alumni Professional Paints Group, the session will feature Joan Tortosa, President of AECQ and Business Development Manager Coatings at Grupo Barcelonesa; Santiago Arias, Strategic Raw Materials Project Coordinator at Pinturas Hempel; Lluís Martínez, Chief Technical Officer at Briolf Group; and Sergi Dominguez, Managing Director and CEO of Cromology. Chemical distribution, regulation, innovation and the business perspective will be among the key themes of a session that will conclude with a debate also open to attendees.
The Scientific Programme will also address topics including high-performance coatings for contact with food, beverages and drinking water, the reduction of hazardous substances in formulations, the development of new catalysts and driers, bio-based PFAS-free acrylic solutions and self-disinfecting coatings activated by visible light.
Regulation will also play a prominent role, with content covering safety data sheets, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the European Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) methodology, and the application of artificial intelligence and automation to managing regulatory complexity.
The Tech Focus Programme
will bring together exhibiting companies to present their latest innovations in raw materials, additives and technical solutions for paint and coatings formulation.
The sessions will cover topics such as new technologies in resins and pigments, the substitution of critical raw materials such as PFAS or TiO₂, the development of more sustainable formulations, the control of functional properties, and advances in digitalisation and production processes.
The Coatings Academy will offer technical sessions within the exhibition area, focusing on some of the industry's main current challenges and applied solutions.
The programme will cover topics such as the durability and performance of coatings in real-world applications, the transition towards PFAS-free solutions, the development of more sustainable and water-based materials, as well as issues related to safety, regulation, sustainability and talent attraction.
Moreover, as a new feature this year, Paint & Coatings will launch an industry Supplier Guide, available in print during the exhibition and in digital format throughout the year, designed to make it easier to identify companies and solutions within the industry.