First exhibitors of WMF 2026: global innovation in AI, tech and international ecosystems

Leading companies, startups and global delegations join WMF 2026, showcasing AI, robotics and future tech from June 24 to 26 at BolognaFiere.

BOLOGNA, BOLOGNA, ITALY, April 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Expo Area of WMF - We Make Future, a certified International B2B Fair on AI, Tech, and Digital innovation, scheduled from June 24 to 26, 2026, at BolognaFiere, is taking shape. With the announcement of the first exhibitors and sponsors and the first previews of the expo area, the event reveals the multiple business and discovery opportunities it will offer again this year as an international reference B2B platform for the meeting between companies, startups, research centers, and institutions.

The international presence is already significant, with over 20 foreign delegations announced in collaboration with ITA - Italian Trade Agency, coming from various countries including Belgium, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the Netherlands, Estonia, Albania, Guatemala, and Greece, which will join the first exhibitors and sponsors already confirmed. Collaborations with the network of Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad are also active, including those of Thessaloniki, Belgrade, and Zagreb, thanks to which international startups and companies will be present. Among the various international pavilions that will animate the event are also Turkey, with the participation of Invest in Turkey and Boğaziçi Ventures, and the Palestinian territories, represented by Flow Ventures and made possible thanks to the collaboration with AICS – Italian Agency for Development Cooperation of Jerusalem, for the international promotion of startups and companies from the area.

Among the entities already announced are also Dell Technologies and Intel, Qonto, Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, ESA - European Space Agency and CNR - National Research Council, Credem Banca, BNP Paribas, Netval, Invitalia, ITA Agency, AB Innovation Consulting, Kahuna, ALTEN Italia, Cosmofarma, OPENAPI, AVASK, Arsenalia together with entities such as humans.tech, the UNIBO university, Alma Mater Studiorum of Bologna, present with the Startup Day event, and an international network of institutions, research centers such as IIT - Italian Institute of Technology.
Innovative tech and AI solutions applied to different sectors are therefore on display, in consistency with the 14 industries identified by WMF and on which the event develops.

Space is given then to Robotics and AI solutions and services, fintech and space industry, or even agritech and mobility, cleantech, tourism and health, up to e-commerce and retail, digital business and media, outlining the main directions of innovation development in the different productive and industrial sectors.
“The Expo Area of WMF represents a concrete meeting place between companies, startups, SMEs, research centers, and institutions, where innovation becomes an opportunity for development, collaboration, and growth for the different actors involved,” states Cosmano Lombardo, Founder and CEO of Search On Media Group and creator of WMF - We Make Future. “A context that encourages connections between skills, technologies, and business models, facilitating the meeting between industries and international markets and the birth of shared projects.”
In this direction, the Expo Area actually expands the opportunities for meeting and collaboration during the three days, thanks to spaces and formats dedicated to business matching, the meeting between job demand and supply, with the Digital Job Placement service, and networking. Companies, startups, institutions, and research centers present at WMF will be able to enter into direct contact and organize B2B meetings, with the aim of starting new collaborations, developing shared projects, and generating commercial opportunities with markets from all over the world.
WMF – We Make Future is conceived, organized, and produced by Search On Media Group.
The event takes place under the patronage of the European Commission and the Comune di Bologna. With the support of the MAECI – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, ITA – Italian Trade Agency, and the Regione Emilia-Romagna. In partnership with Visit Emilia-Romagna. With the collaboration of BolognaFiere, Cineca and ESA - European Space Agency. Main sponsors of the 2026 edition: Dell Technologies and Intel.


Thematic districts: AI, manufacturing, fintech, and entertainment

To make the exploration of the Expo Area even more structured and accessible is its organization into thematic districts, dedicated to the main fields of innovation and designed to favor the meeting between companies, startups, SMEs, research centers, and investors. Among these, the AI District and the Manufacturing & Automation District represent the technological heart of the event, with advanced solutions related to artificial intelligence, robotics, and industrial automation, flanked by spaces dedicated to emerging technologies, mobility, and automotive. The martech, fintech, digital agency, and e-commerce districts instead offer an overview of the evolutions of digital services and business models, while a specific area will be dedicated to entertainment and digital culture, with a focus on gaming and publishing. Among the reference points of the Expo Area, the Startup & VC District confirms itself as one of the main hubs at an international level, with selected startups from all over the world and the presence of institutional and private investors, offering concrete opportunities for meeting and development for the innovation ecosystem.


Sports & Gaming: entertainment, competition, and video game culture

The Sports & Gaming area enriches the Expo Area with an experiential offer that combines digital entertainment, video game culture, and sports activities. Between competitive tournaments and latest-generation gaming stations – including PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch – participants will be able to experience a path that integrates contemporary gaming and great classics.
The fulcrum of the experience will be the Gamers Arena, an immersive space with virtual reality simulators and interactive installations, flanked by activities that combine sport, innovation, and inclusion. The program involves national federations and entities such as Vero Volley, FIGH – Italian Handball Federation, FIPAV Territorial Committee of Bologna, and Aero Club Pavullo, together with projects dedicated to inclusive sport such as Baskin, promoted by the Italian Inclusive Sports Body, and the activities of G.R.D. – Parents of Children with Down Syndrome Association and In.Da.Co. Among the most awaited appointments, Drone Soccer returns, a discipline that combines robotics and sports competition: after the international expansion of the project, WMF 2026 will host the first European tournament, flanked by demonstration areas dedicated to drone piloting.


Future Show and technologies of the future

The Future Show represents the most experimental space of the Expo Area, where the public can interact directly with humanoid and quadruped robots, conversational artificial intelligence systems, and immersive installations. Among the experiences also the made in Italy flying motorcycle EFLYKE, dedicated to aerial sports mobility, and One Love Machine, a robotic band made with recycled materials that proposes musical performances between engineering and creativity, Vitruvian, a 360° motion simulator, and Extraceleste, an installation by the artist Marco Nereo Rotelli, in which AI and biometric sensors generate poems in real-time reacting to human contact and the visitor's heartbeat. Among the most spectacular demonstrations of the Future Show, the exhibition of the Jet Suit developed by Gravity Industries returns to WMF, which allows controlled flight of the human body through a propulsive suit. A technology that represents one of the most advanced experimentations in the field of personal mobility and applied aerospace engineering.


Mobility of the future and engineering innovation

On the theme of the mobility of the future, participants will be able to live direct experiences thanks to dedicated test drives with Tesla vehicles and driving simulators that will allow them to test themselves on competition vehicles, from two to four wheels. Completing the offer are the activities developed by the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Bologna, with the presentation of prototypes created within international competitions such as the Solar Challenge and the Rocket Challenge, projects oriented towards technological challenges linked to sustainability, renewable energy, and reduction of environmental impact. Students and professors will accompany the public in an interactive path that will illustrate the engineering principles behind the vehicles, from design to realization.

These first previews represent only a part of the WMF 2026 Expo Area, which in the coming weeks will be enriched with new exhibitors, sponsors, and content. A path that confirms the international dimension of the event, after the 2025 edition which recorded over 700 exhibitors and sponsors and more than 70,000 attendees from 90 countries.

The last Top Visibility spots within the WMF - We Make Future 2026 Expo Area are available; to request information, it is possible to fill out the form on the dedicated page by 05/15.

Press Office
Search On Media Group
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press@wemakefuture.it

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