From 7 to 9 October, the Polo Fiere in Lucca will host the 32nd edition of MIAC. Around 250 international exhibiting companies and thousands of professional visitors from across the world confirm the event’s role as one of the leading meeting points for paper and board production and tissue converting.
MIAC 2026 is just around the corner. The Polo Fiere in Lucca will once again become the meeting point for machinery and plant manufacturers, suppliers of technologies, products and services, paper mills, tissue converting companies and industry professionals from all over the world.
Now in its thirty-second edition, MIAC has built a clear identity over the years, becoming a highly specialised event entirely dedicated to the paper industry. Its growth has been driven by the high quality of exhibitors, the strong professional profile of visitors and its ability, edition after edition, to address the issues shaping the evolution of the sector.
The 2026 edition follows the 2025 event, when MIAC welcomed more than 6,000 professional visitors and sold out all available exhibition space. This result confirmed MIAC’s role as an international reference event for professionals involved in paper and board production and tissue converting.
An entire supply chain in a single event
One of MIAC’s distinguishing features is its high level of specialisation. Inside the exhibition halls, visitors find exclusively companies operating in the paper industry, without any dispersion into other manufacturing sectors.
Around 250 exhibiting companies will present machinery, plants, automation, components, chemicals, energy systems, control instruments, digital technologies, services and solutions covering the entire production cycle: from stock preparation to the paper machine, and from finishing and handling to tissue converting and packaging technologies.
This approach allows industry professionals to compare proposals from leading international suppliers in just a few days, assess new technologies and discuss the technical, production and economic aspects of future investments directly with manufacturers.
“Those who work in paper mills every day can find at MIAC an opportunity that is difficult to replicate elsewhere,” said Gianmaria Pfeiffer, Head of MIAC. “In just three days, it is possible to meet many international companies specialised in technologies, products and services for the paper industry and tissue converting. It is a concrete opportunity to speak directly with those who develop the solutions used every day in production facilities.”
Innovation, efficiency and competitiveness
The paper industry is undergoing a period of profound transformation. Decarbonisation, lower energy consumption, digitalisation, automation, predictive maintenance, safety and sustainability are among the main challenges companies are currently called upon to address.
For this reason, MIAC represents an important opportunity for technical updating. Many companies choose the event to present new products, technological developments and solutions designed to increase production efficiency, improve product quality and reduce the environmental impact of industrial processes.
For managers, technicians and paper mill operators, MIAC provides a specialised opportunity to gather information, compare experiences and directly assess the technologies available on the market.
The value of direct interaction
At a time when many business relationships develop through digital tools, face-to-face interaction continues to represent a fundamental value.
During the three days of the event, technical meetings, operational discussions, presentations of new projects and networking opportunities follow one another, often becoming the starting point for collaborations that develop in the months that follow.
“The strength of MIAC lies in its ability to truly connect supply and demand,” Pfeiffer continued. “Visitors meet directly with those who design and manufacture the technologies, while exhibitors have the opportunity to engage with highly qualified contacts from paper mills and tissue converting companies from many countries. It is precisely this quality of interaction that, year after year, is recognised and appreciated by exhibitors and visitors.”
An atmosphere that makes the difference
In addition to its technical content and business opportunities, MIAC is also appreciated for the atmosphere inside the halls. Over the years, the event has maintained a strong focus on personal relationships, encouraging direct dialogue between exhibitors and visitors that goes far beyond a simple commercial meeting.
It is during technical demonstrations, meetings at the stands or even informal moments throughout the day that professional relationships often begin and continue over time. The hospitality offered by exhibitors to visitors has always been one of MIAC’s most appreciated characteristics and contributes to creating an atmosphere of openness and mutual trust.
“One of the aspects most frequently highlighted to us is precisely the atmosphere experienced during MIAC,” observed Gianmaria Pfeiffer. “Personal relationships still have great value here. Exhibitors dedicate time to their customers, welcome them with great attention and turn every meeting into an opportunity for discussion. Many professional relationships that began at MIAC have developed over the years into genuine relationships of mutual respect and friendship. It is always a pleasure to see exhibitors and visitors meeting again every year at the same stands, almost as if it were a regular appointment. It is also thanks to this atmosphere that, year after year, so many industry professionals choose to return to Lucca.”
Technical conferences
Alongside the exhibition area, MIAC will once again offer an extensive programme of technical conferences in 2026, organised in collaboration with Assocarta and Confindustria Toscana Nord.
The MIAC Energy, MIAC Tissue and MIAC Chemicals conferences will address some of the most strategic topics for the sector today: energy management and decarbonisation, innovation in tissue production, converting technologies and the development of new chemical solutions to improve process efficiency, quality and sustainability.
The conferences will feature leading companies, international experts, technicians and institutional representatives, offering visitors an important opportunity for professional updating on issues expected to influence the future of the paper industry.
Lucca, the heart of the European paper district
The location that hosts MIAC further enhances the significance of the event. Lucca is home to Europe’s leading paper district, where paper and board mills, leading tissue converting companies, machinery and plant manufacturers, component producers, engineering companies and numerous specialised suppliers operate side by side.
This industrial ecosystem makes the Tuscan city the natural location for an event entirely dedicated to the paper industry and allows many international visitors to combine their attendance at the exhibition with technical visits to local companies.
An increasingly international event
Over the years, MIAC has progressively strengthened its international dimension, attracting exhibitors and visitors from all the world’s major paper markets.
The objective of the 2026 edition is to further consolidate this development, offering companies a highly professional environment in which to present innovations, develop new business contacts and strengthen established relationships.
“For more than thirty years, MIAC has accompanied the evolution of the paper industry and continues to grow together with the exhibiting companies that are part of it and that, every year, are pleased to reconfirm their participation in the Lucca event,” concluded Gianmaria Pfeiffer. “Our objective remains to provide exhibiting companies with concrete business opportunities while, at the same time, offering visitors three days rich in technical content, innovation and opportunities for professional updating. The satisfaction of exhibitors and visitors continues to be the main parameter by which we measure the performance of the event. It will be a pleasure to welcome back to Lucca so many exhibitors and visitors from the paper industry who, year after year, choose to take part in MIAC, together with those visiting the event for the first time. For three days, professionals from all over the world will meet in Lucca to share innovation, technical discussion and professional relationships.”
With around 250 international exhibitors and thousands of professional visitors expected, MIAC is preparing to confirm Lucca’s role as an international reference point for the paper industry. From 7 to 9 October 2026, the Polo Fiere in Lucca will once again bring together, in the heart of Europe’s leading paper district, professionals called upon to address the challenges of a constantly evolving sector. For three days, MIAC will once again be the place where technologies, expertise, innovation and professional relationships help shape the future of the paper industry.
Get your free Entrance Ticket: register online at www.miac.info/en/preregister
