GO BACK TO IMA WEBSITE

MAINTENANCE · RELIABILITY · ASSET MANAGEMENT
Three days that put you inside the research, the standards debate and the practice that will define maintenance to 2030 — with the people setting all three. Twenty-six sessions, forty-plus contributors, one published declaration.
The first structured, global mapping of maintenance certification frameworks and professional recognition schemes — developed across IMA's international network and presented exclusively at IMA-WMF2026, in two parts across Days 2 and 3. Part I is presented on Day 2; Part II is opened to the floor for executive debate and validation on Day 3.
Prof. Federico Delfino
Rector, University of Genoa · Italy
Keynote 1 — The industrial vocation of Genoa
Dr. Eduardo García Magraner
Ford Motor Company · Spain
Keynote 2 — Predictive maintenance impact in global manufacturing
Wim Vancauwenberghe
BEMAS · Belgium
Keynote 4 — Energy efficiency and emissions through sustainable asset management
Li Baowen
IMA China · China
Keynote 5 — Plant management system requirements (video address)
Italy was not chosen for the scenery. It is the second-largest manufacturing economy in the European Union, and Genoa sits at the point where its shipbuilding, energy, steel and logistics industries meet the Mediterranean. If you want to talk about maintaining complex assets, this is where they are.
Genoa is home to major groups active in energy, automation, transport, defence, shipbuilding and maritime shipping — Ansaldo Energia, Leonardo, Fincantieri and MSC all have deep roots here. The University of Genoa, founded in 1481, is the academic host — the relationship that makes university-recognised training credits possible for delegates.
Porto Antico — the restored old harbour, twenty minutes from the venue.
Palazzi dei Rolli on Via Garibaldi — a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The bay after dark, from the hills above the city.
Each session is curated for depth, not volume — structured to produce tangible research outputs and actionable industry insight, with forty-plus contributors and one published declaration. Every session carries a technical title for CPD and citation records.
Confirmed contributors across the three days, ordered by role in the programme. Further speakers for the sponsor keynote, the maritime energy panel and the flagship validation forum are announced as they are confirmed.
IMA's Advisory Board brings together 34 senior practitioners, academics and standards leaders across 20 countries and five continents. Many of them appear on this programme; all of them shape the research, standards work and communities of practice the forum exists to advance.
The first structured, global mapping of maintenance certification frameworks and professional recognition schemes — developed across IMA's international network and presented exclusively at IMA-WMF2026, in two parts across Days 2 and 3.
Maintenance and reliability qualifications have grown up regionally. National institutes, industry associations, vendors and universities each certify competence — often credibly, rarely comparably. An employer hiring across borders cannot reliably read what a credential means; a practitioner moving between countries or sectors cannot carry recognition with them.
The study maps that landscape systematically so the profession can argue from evidence rather than assumption — and so the recommendations that follow have a defensible basis.
A landmark glass tower on the waterfront beside Genoa's airport — conference centre, hotel and restaurant in one building. Delegates flying in can be checked in and in a session within twenty minutes of landing.
Tower Genova Airport Hotel & Conference CenterGenoa's economy runs on shipbuilding and repair, port logistics, energy, steel and defence engineering. Genoa is home to major groups active in energy, automation, transport, defence, shipbuilding and maritime shipping — Ansaldo Energia, Leonardo, Fincantieri and MSC all have deep roots here. The maintenance problems discussed at IMA-WMF2026 are, quite literally, being solved a few kilometres from the venue.
Genoa was a maritime republic for eight hundred years. Its wealth came from keeping ships, harbours and trade routes in service — the same discipline under a different name. The Palazzi dei Rolli, its UNESCO-listed palaces, are still standing because someone maintained them.
The University of Genoa, founded in 1481, is one of Europe's oldest, and its engineering and simulation groups are the academic host of this forum. That relationship is what makes university-recognised training credits possible for delegates.
Genoa in late October is mild and uncrowded, the old town is the largest medieval centre in Europe, and the Ligurian coast starts at the edge of the city.
Italy is part of the Schengen Area. If your nationality requires a visa for a short business visit, plan the application before you plan the trip — autumn appointment slots are the tightest of the year.
Genoa, Italy — the forum is held five minutes from Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport, inside the Schengen Area.
Nationals of EU and EEA member states and of Switzerland travel to Italy without a visa. A number of other nationalities may enter the Schengen Area for short business visits without one. Everyone else needs a Schengen short-stay visa (Type C) for business or conference purposes, valid for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Requirements change. The authoritative answer for your nationality and place of residence comes from the Italian embassy, consulate or accredited visa centre responsible for your area — check there first, and check early.
IMA-WMF2026 brings together the decision-makers who define maintenance strategy, procure technology and influence standards. Sponsorship places your organisation at the centre of that conversation — in front of the people who make those decisions.
Early-bird pricing shown; rates rise 10% from 1 September 2026. Partner, Platinum and Gold slots are confirmed on a first-agreed basis — once a slot is taken it does not reopen.
Arab Asset, Facility and Maintenance Management CouncilOMAINTEC — formerly the Arab Council for Operations and Maintenance — is a non-profit registered in Switzerland (Lugano), operating across the Arab world to raise operations and maintenance standards, with a regional liaison office in Riyadh. Its annual conference, the International Asset, Facility & Maintenance Management Conference, is now in its 24th year and draws government bodies, regional utilities and industrial operators from across the GCC and beyond.
Every pass includes networking lunches and coffee breaks, digital proceedings, a certificate of participation and the Forum Gala Dinner on the evening of 28 October. Registration is completed on the IMA events platform.
Go to registration
Five inboxes, each with a defined purpose and each monitored by a named member of the team. Choose the one that matches what you need.
The International Maintenance Association is a not-for-profit association headquartered in Switzerland, founded to give maintenance, reliability and asset management a single independent global voice. IMA is neutral by design: it belongs to no vendor, no country and no single standards body — which is what allows it to convene all of them.
The Arab Asset, Facility and Maintenance Management Council (OMAINTEC) is a founding member of IMA and remains its cross-promotion partner today.
27 – 29 October 2026 · Tower Genova Airport Hotel