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Over 3,500 operators who were able to see first-hand the most advanced technologies in the water sector; 110 national and international speakers of the highest level who took the floor during the 13 conferences and seminars scheduled; 149 exhibitors who had the opportunity to present their projects and products in the 8,295 square meters of pavilion available.
These are the numbers of the great success of Accadueo, the international event for professionals in the water sector organized by BolognaFiere Water&Energy - BFWE, which debuted for the first time in Bari at the Fiera del Levante on November 27 and 28.
After sixteen editions in Bologna, the historic event wanted to broaden its horizons towards the south of the country with a dual objective: on one hand, to offer the opportunity to intensify strategic alliances in the water service sector in the area; on the other, to ensure that the Center-South, and especially Puglia, becomes a bridge towards the Mediterranean, the countries of the Mattei Plan and Africa for the full development of the most innovative projects.
In this perspective, significant was the presence of foreign exhibitors, many of whom came from France, Spain, Austria and Switzerland, but also from distant China. Always with a view to internationalization, thanks to the collaboration with the ICE Agency, the event was also attended by 25 international buyers from Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda.
"This year we decided to accept the challenge to approach the Central-Southern market and the Mediterranean basin, including the Maghreb area present at Accadueo with a large delegation of Buyers. This is a completely different market, with 80% of companies that never exhibited in our original event, in Bologna", said Paolo Angelini, CEO of BolognaFiere Water&Energy.
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“This first edition of Accadueo Bari recorded encouraging results in terms of the quality of exhibitors and visitors. We are thus consolidating the industrial partnership with Nuova Fiera del Levante to bring b2b trade fair events from Bologna to Bari. We are getting closer to the territory, to offer increasingly punctual coverage of the market”, claimed Gianpiero Calzolari, President of BolognaFiere.
Accadueo also saw the institutions in the front line, with the participation, among others, of the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, and the Councilor for Climate, Ecological Transition and Environment of the Municipality of Bari, Elda Perlino.
The event enjoyed the support of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Made in Italy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Trade Agency. The entire Apulian industrial reality was also present, from Confindustria Puglia to Unioncamere Puglia to the Chamber of Commerce of Bari.
The event was organized in collaboration with Acquedotto Pugliese. Platinum Sponsor Acquedotto Lucano. Gold Sponsor Idromet Sider, Michele Battezzati and Philip Morris Italia. Silver Sponsor Acqua Tech, Lucana Utensili, P-TREX and Società del Gres.
Many supporters (44) believed in Accadueo. Main Media Partners Watergas.it, Antenna Sud and TVA, for a total of over 30 Media Partners.
The eighteenth edition of Accadueo is scheduled from 7 to 9 October 2025 at the BolognaFiere exhibition center. While in the autumn of 2026 the event will return to Bari.
“We hosted with pleasure, for the first time at the Fiera del Levante, this specialized event focusing on a fundamental theme such as water. Two intense days, with not just exhibitions but also conferences, for this "zero edition", as I like to call it, which went very well both in terms of attendance and feedback. Following this success, we are already working on the next edition of Accadueo in Bari, which will be held in 2026”, commented Gaetano Frulli, President of Nuova Fiera del Levante.
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Focus on the current hot topics
The two-day event discussed purification, reuse, supply, desalination, digital transition, regulations, EU and Italian policies in the sector, available funding and PNRR, and all those innovative technologies which contribute to minimizing water losses, ensuring the continuous supply of quality drinking water and modernizing infrastructures with a view to the circular economy.
Great attention was also given to the sustainability of the water cycle and to how industry can contribute to the goal of water saving in industrial processes, with a special conference organized by Philip Morris Italia - “Strategies for the sustainable management of water resources” - in which participants shared best practices and explored the possibility of collaboration between the public and private sectors.
"Our responsibility is to ensure that all our business activities are aimed at sustainability. In this process, the correct use of water plays a primary role: the projects we have implemented in the plant have led to a 54% reduction in water consumption in the production process, allowing us to obtain the AWS Gold level Certification”, mentioned Cristina Tonini, manager manufacturing sustainability Philip Morris manufacturing & technology Bologna.
Another topic discussed was the digital transition in the water supply system. In particular, the conference organized by Acquedotto Pugliese and CSSI addressed the topic of developing a digital strategy for the water loss management process.
The Workshop on the Future of Desalination in Italy, held in collaboration with IDRA (International Water Desalination and Reuse Association) and WestMED Italy, also received considerable response from the public of experts, technicians, and specialized companies. The conference was the occasion for announcing the birth of AIDARA, the first Italian Association dedicated to Desalination and Water Reuse.
In addition to providing a regulatory framework and an overview of the plants in our country, the speakers focused on the various segments of desalination demand, on the fields of application, on the technological aspects and greater environmental sustainability of the processes, in terms of circularity in the valorization of brines, energy efficiency also through the use of renewable energy, complementarity with other measures for optimizing water resources (reuse of purified water).
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As for wastewater, during the conference organized in collaboration with Istat, operators and institutions took stock of the obligations, strategies, opportunities and problems in the implementation of the new Directive on the treatment of urban wastewater and Community Regulation 2020/741, especially in the regions of the Mediterranean area.
"The new directive constitutes an opportunity to broaden the scope of action of the Integrated Water Service, bringing new skills in the field of renewable energy, reuse of refined post-purification water, recovery of nutrients and critical materials, management of urban drainage, and hopefully also greater economic resources to support the sector's operations. A change of pace is needed to escape from the numerous EU infringement procedures and become leading players in adaptation strategies to the climate crisis", remarked Angiolo Martinelli, Director of the Sustainable Use of Water Resources Division, Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security.
