Afera Annual Conference

Afera’s Annual Conference is our longest-running industry event and principal yearly forum for business insight, strategic discussion and relationship-building across the European adhesive tape value chain. It brings the sector together to assess the developments shaping its future and strengthens the professional connections that support Afera’s work throughout the year.

First held in Paris in 1958, the Conference has traditionally moved to a different European city each year. Since then, it has travelled to destinations including Florence, Barcelona, Stockholm, Berlin, Madrid, Dubrovnik, Hamburg, Turin, Athens, Lisbon, Valencia, Malta and Thessaloniki. Its multi-day format combines a plenary working programme with organised lunches, dinners and social activities, historically alongside Afera Committee and Working Group Meetings.

A completely new programme is developed for each edition by Afera Members and the Association’s management team, guided by the issues of greatest importance to the sector. Market and economic intelligence, regulation, sustainability, technology, applications, company strategy and leadership are explored through presentations, panel discussions and audience exchange.

For the industry, the Conference provides a neutral setting in which companies can follow changes in the operating environment, compare experience, strengthen relationships and contribute to Afera’s collective work. It connects established industry leaders, SMEs, technical and commercial specialists and the wider network surrounding adhesive tapes. Its concentrated format—several days spent together in plenary sessions, over shared meals and during social activities—allows professional contacts to develop into trusted, long-standing relationships. Many participants regard this close dynamic as a distinctive Afera experience and the source of the Association’s family-like atmosphere. All activity takes place under Afera’s strict policy of compliance with European competition law.

Participants include senior decision-makers, business owners, managers and specialists from tape manufacturers, materials and equipment suppliers, release-liner and film producers, converters, distributors, end users, research institutions, universities, national industry associations and international counterparts. The Conference is primarily for Afera Members. Non-Members may attend once, by prior agreement, to experience Afera Membership and the value of its network.

In 2025, the 68th Annual Conference became a central element of the first Afera European Tape Week in Thessaloniki. Bringing it together with the Technical Seminar and Committee Meetings created a more connected format while retaining the Conference’s distinct role as the senior business and strategy forum. The inaugural week attracted 185 participants from 20 countries and more than 100 companies.

The 69th Annual Conference will take place from 23 to 25 September 2026 at the Pestana Douro Riverside in Porto, Portugal, as part of the 2nd Afera European Tape Week. The week comprises four connected events: the Annual Conference, 12th Tape College, Afera Committee Meetings and the new Tabletop Exhibition. Under the theme “Resilience and competitiveness in the global tape business”, the Conference programme addresses regulatory compliance, sustainability and circularity; business resilience and competitiveness; and risk management and the global economy. It opens on Wednesday with a shared business luncheon, the Tabletop Exhibition and a welcome dinner, followed by the full working programme on Thursday and Friday. Together, the four events connect strategic perspective, technical learning, Association work, market visibility and concentrated networking in one setting.

Afera European Tape Week 2026 website
Read more about our last Annual Conference during ETW 2025
Photos 2025

Afera’s recent Annual Conferences

2025 – Thessaloniki – “Navigating the future of adhesive tapes: transforming challenges into opportunities”
2024 – Thessaloniki – “Taping out future”  
2023 – Malta - " Taping our future: redefining value – reinventing industry collaboration"
2022 – Valencia, Spain - " The shape of tape in 2030"
2021 – Valencia, Spain - "Full circle: how the tape industry stays relevant in a circular economy"
2020 – Online – “Sustainability and circularity”
2019 – Lisbon, Portugal – “Making the tape business future-proof”
2018 – Athens, Greece – "Innovation and digitisation in adhesive tape technology"
2017 – Turin, Italy – "The next Generation of Tape Makers and Users"
2016 – Hamburg, Germany – "Managing at the speed of change"
2015 – Marseille, France – “What is our next frontier?”
2014 – Dubrovnik, Croatia – “The future of the European adhesive tape industry: technology, trends, and markets”
2013 – Taormina, Sicily, Italy – “Moving from survival to growth in the post-crisis tape market”
2012 – Madrid, Spain – “Sustainability: hype or your chance now?”
2011 – Berlin, Germany
2010 – Stockholm, Sweden
2009 – Cracow, Poland
2008 – Florence, Italy – Afera’s 50^th anniversary celebratory conference press release 
2007 – Barcelona, Spain
2006 – Nice, France