ERA announces Convention 2026 speaker line-up

The European Rental Association’s ERA Convention 2026 is set to bring together a strong mix of industry voices, expert insights and forward-looking discussion as the equipment rental sector meets in Maastricht on 3 and 4 June 2026.

The Convention will open with Stéphane Henon, President of ERA, followed by Carole Bachmann, Secretary General of ERA, who will highlight the key moments of the convention.

Participants will be welcomed to Maastricht by Toon Bruining of Verhurend Nederland, as well as by the representatives of the national rental associations from the neighbouring countries - Juergen Kuespert of bbi (Germany) and Bill Olivier of BERA (Belgium) - before a look back at 20 years of ERA.

We will then focus on themes that are now shaping the rental industry and driving its transformation. The first plenary session will focus on Sustainability, Digitalisation and People. It will feature François Johnston, Johnston Circular, on the role of equipment rental in supporting a circular economy, alongside discussions on data, digitalisation and the challenge of people’s scarcity in the industry.

Later in the day, the second plenary session will turn to Evolving Customer Expectations and an Expanding Industry Scope, including a presentation by Johan Huovinen, Swedish Defence University, on resilience and rental as a strategic response to crisis, as well as a panel discussion with younger voices from the sector.

Market trends focus

On the second day, the programme will continue with a session on Market Trends, including a look at how the rental industry has evolved over the last 20 years and an update on the Rental Forecast and Construction 2026/27 from Martin Seban, KPMG.

The Convention will also include four workshops addressing rental equipment theft across Europe, standardisation in electrification, attracting and retaining people in the industry, and the future of rental products.

The event will close with guest speaker Inma Martinez, whose contribution will bring a broader perspective to the Convention themes. Imma Martinez is a digital pioneer and AI scientist advising business leaders and governments on digital transformation.

Throughout the plenary sessions, Maarten Bouwhuis will guide the discussions as moderator, helping connect the different themes, shaping the future of rental.

With topics ranging from circular economy and digitalisation to resilience, workforce challenges and market outlook, ERA Convention 2026 is designed to reflect both the pressures and the opportunities facing the industry today.

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