From 21 to 25 September 2026, Afera’s 2nd European Tape Week will bring the European and international adhesive tape value chain to the Pestana Douro Riverside in Porto, Portugal.
Once again, the event will unite the 12th Tape College, the 69th Annual Conference, Committee Meetings and the new Tabletop Exhibition in one concentrated week, reinforcing European Tape Week’s role as the adhesive tape industry’s premier annual meeting place in Europe. The Programme’s four-part structure presents ETW 2026 as one focused week connecting technical learning, governance, market insight and high-value networking.
Over the full week, ETW 2026 is expected to welcome 200+ decision-makers, technical experts and industry leaders. That means not only tape manufacturers, but suppliers of raw materials, machinery and equipment, converters, packaging specialists, R&D and technical professionals, commercial leaders, Committee participants and other stakeholders from across the adhesive tape value chain. It is precisely that blend of technical, strategic and commercial participation that gives ETW its distinctive character.
A programme built around resilience and competitiveness
This year’s theme is “Tape business futures: Resilience and competitiveness”. It is a fitting umbrella for a week that moves from the fundamentals of tape technology and production into market intelligence, economic pressure, regulatory change, sustainability, risk and long-term business direction. The structure is not just varied; it is deliberate, reflecting the issues most likely to shape competitiveness for the European adhesive tape industry over the next several years.
Technical depth at the start of the week
The 12th Tape College once again provides the technical backbone of the week. It opens with the basics of why tapes matter and how pressure-sensitive adhesive tape technology works, before moving into acrylic PSA, emulsion polymers, hotmelt chemistry, silicones, viscoelasticity, backing materials, recycling-minded design, release coatings, co-extrusion, coating and drying, and tape conversion. By Wednesday morning, the Programme also links directly to broader industry needs through sessions on surface treatment, reliable tape testing methods, Afera’s Flagship Sustainability Project (AFSP), Afera’s latest regulatory actions and the broader versatility of the PSA world.
That structure keeps Tape College true to its purpose: It is both a serious technical learning platform for newer professionals and a useful high-level refresher for more experienced participants. It offers an efficient immersion in the science, materials, processes and applications that underpin the tape business, while placing those topics in direct conversation with the sustainability and regulatory questions companies are now having to navigate more closely than ever.
From process know-how to business strategy
From Wednesday afternoon onward, the 69th Annual Conference broadens the lens. Thursday’s agenda is organised around risk management and the global economy, business resilience and competitiveness, and market data and trends. Current sessions include Europe’s economic outlook, manufacturing resilience in a constrained economy, supply chain pressure and Asian competition, strategic management under uncertainty, AI-ready R&D, packaging tape sustainability, microsphere adhesive technology, Afera’s Market Trends/Radar Survey, and AWA’s latest global and European market update.
Friday then turns to regulatory compliance, sustainability and circularity. Here, the programme brings together a U.S. regulatory update for European tape companies, Afera’s latest actions on adhesive-tape regulation in Europe, the next level of sustainable paper-based liners, AFSP Member benefits, and a closing keynote on how geopolitics are reshaping markets, supply chains and business planning. It is a line-up that clearly targets upper managerial, strategic and cross-functional concerns while remaining firmly grounded in the commercial and operational realities of the tape value chain.
The Tabletop Exhibition takes centre stage
One of the clearest signs of ETW 2026’s growing momentum is the new Tabletop Exhibition. Rather than sitting at the edge of the programme, it has been built into the heart of the week, with shared exhibition time for Tape College participants, Annual Conference attendees and booth delegates. 10 exhibitors are already confirmed: H.B. Fuller, Valco Melton, Loparex, Elite Cameron, Synthomer, Ichemco, Henkel, Hueck Folien, BASF and Uncountable. The Exhibition will run from Wednesday, 23 September through Friday at 15.00, 25 September.
That matters because the Exhibition is not being treated as an add-on. It is emerging as a practical meeting point where supplier visibility, delegate traffic and informal business exchange come together during the busiest part of the week. In that sense, it strengthens ETW’s overall value proposition: not just content on stage, but contact across the full value chain.
Record sponsor support builds momentum
Sponsor support is equally striking. ETW 2026 currently has three Platinum Sponsors (H.B. Fuller Europe GmbH, Valco Melton and Loparex) and six Gold Sponsors (TS Converting Equipment Ltd, Synthomer Deutschland GmbH, Ichemco, Henkel, Sekisui Alveo AG and BASF). In addition, Organik Kimya is supporting the event with lanyards, Bostik with tote bags, and H.B. Fuller with notepads and pens. Together with the already substantial Exhibitor line-up, that breadth of backing gives ETW 2026 unusually strong momentum well ahead of registration opening.
It also signals something broader. Companies are not merely reserving visibility; they are backing a format that brings technical learning, market discussion, governance and supplier engagement together in one place. That early commitment reflects confidence not only in the event itself, but in the value of gathering the European adhesive tape industry around a shared agenda in a neutral, business-focused setting.
Registration nears as Member benefits expand
Early-bird registration will open in the coming weeks, with flexible participation options for those wishing to join the 12th Tape College, attend the 69th Annual Conference, register for the full week, or purchase a Booth Pass for access to the Tabletop Exhibition. At the same time, Afera is reinforcing the value of Membership by making last year’s Annual Conference proceedings available through the Members-only section of afera.com, giving Members a timely bridge between the successful first edition of European Tape Week and the increasingly well-shaped second one.
All told, Porto 2026 is shaping up as a strong second edition: technically rich, strategically relevant, commercially attractive and visibly supported by the industry. With a clear theme, a well-balanced programme, a new exhibition format already backed by 10 exhibitors, and the broadest sponsor line-up yet at this stage, ETW 2026 is building decisively on the foundations laid by the inaugural European Tape Week.
Further Information
- European Tape Week website
- ETW Programme overview
- Tabletop Exhibition
- Sponsorship Brochure
- Annual Conference 2025 Proceedings (Members only) <Add link>
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