Location: Austria Trend Hotel Savoyen, Vienna, Austria
Date: 11–12 June 2026 (Pre-event workshops 10–11 June)
Project Manager: Pavla Hlinková

INTRODUCTION

In mid-June, the Austrian capital came alive with a unique event focused on the future of the asphalt and bitumen industry. Under the banner of the EAPA and Eurobitume associations, we organised the 3rd edition of the E&E Event in the modern premises of the Austria Trend Hotel Savoyen. The organisers deliberately stepped away from the traditional congress format to offer an exclusive “high-level” experience built on interactivity and knowledge sharing – a tradition that this year’s edition seamlessly continued. The massive interest in this concept was reflected in the attendance – the event attracted over 300 delegates, completely selling out the venue's maximum capacity.

SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME

The scientific programme was designed to actively involve all attendees. Each session featured presentations by top-tier speakers, seamlessly followed by deep, open discussions. The entire programme was expertly guided by professional moderator Emna Chaouch, who maintained the dynamic flow of the panels and facilitated the concluding interactive workshop.
The topics covered the industry's most pressing challenges: from sustainable road construction and decarbonisation to health and safety management, and innovative approaches to talent acquisition, including the launch of the new Women in Asphalt Europe initiative. Julia Pleyer’s keynote lecture on the use of artificial intelligence generated considerable acclaim, famously introduced at the very beginning by her own custom-built AI avatar. The parallel pre-events held at the same venue were also a massive success, featuring a completely sold-out EAPA workshop on WMA technologies and a special workshop by the IBEF organisation, held on the occasion of its 30th anniversary.

SOCIAL PROGRAMME AND NETWORKING

As the event was primarily focused on networking, the social programme played a crucial role, offering two distinctly different experiences. The event kicked off with Wednesday's informal Networking Dinner at the traditional historic brewery Salm Bräu, where delegates enjoyed authentic Viennese hospitality.

The absolute highlight, however, was Thursday's Networking Evening in the breathtaking setting of the Weltmuseum Wien, located directly within the Hofburg Palace. Dinner was served as a “flying buffet”, an elegant and flexible dining format that allowed attendees to move freely around the space, creating the perfect environment for establishing business contacts.

CONCLUSION

This year’s edition of E&E Event 2026 clearly demonstrated that innovative formats based on open discussion and networking hold tremendous potential in modern professional education. The event successfully created a platform where new visions were not only presented, but where the future of the entire European industry was actively shaped.

A massive thank you goes to the EAPA and Eurobitume associations for their progressive approach, to the fantastic speakers, and to all active participants. The flawless organisation and smooth execution of this logistically and communicatively demanding event were ensured by the GUARANT International team, led by Project Manager Pavla Hlinková.