ERA Convention 2025 I Europe’s rental industry to navigate transitions

The European Rental Association (ERA) successfully hosted its annual convention in Dublin on 4–5 June 2025, under the theme “Navigating Transitions in Rental”.

The two-day event gathered over 370 rental professionals, manufacturers, thought leaders, and other stakeholders from across Europe and beyond.

The 2025 edition focused on how the rental industry is responding to some of the most pressing transitions of our time — including the energy transformation, digitalisation and AI, and the drive toward sustainability and circular economy models.

During the Convention, ERA officially announced a leadership transition, with long-serving Secretary General Michel Petitjean set to step down at the end of June 2025 after 19 years of service.

Carole Bachmann, who has been part of ERA since 2013, was introduced as his successor and the new Secretary General.

European Rental Awards 2025

The European Rental Awards 2025 took place as part of the annual ERA Convention, celebrating outstanding achievements across the equipment rental industry in Europe.

Nine categories were presented throughout the evening:

ERA Technical Committee Award – Best initiative to minimise Total Cost of Ownership:

Kaeser, for reduced maintenance times on Mobilair compressors.

ERA Sustainability Committee Award – Best sustainability initiative by a rental company:

GAM (Spain) and Loxam (France), joint winners.

Rental Product of the Year:

Trime UK, for the MGTP 24000/30 THS low-emission generator.

Rental Technology Product of the Year:

Trackunit (Denmark), for the IrisX operating data platform.

Best Safety Initiative by a Rental Company:

Sunbelt Rentals UK, for its multi-faceted safety strategy.

Small/Medium Sized Rental Company of the Year:

EuroTecno (Italy).

Large Rental Company of the Year:

Alayan, operating across Italy, Spain, and Portugal.

ERA/IRN Rental Person of the Year:

Bodel Blom, Managing Director, Byggutrustning Luleå AB (Sweden).

Lifetime Achievement Award:

Michel Petitjean, in recognition of his outstanding service and leadership as ERA Secretary General.

ERA thanks all speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, and participants who made this edition a success.

As the industry continues to evolve, the ERA Convention remains the leading platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and shaping the future of equipment rental in Europe.

Where you can find more information about ERA Convention, including pictures, presentations (will be uploaded soon): https://erarental.org/event/era-convention-2025/