#222 From Global to Regional – and Back Again: Why JEC Forums Matter More Than Ever

As part of #Composites360onTour, I had the opportunity to sit
down with Anne Carole Barbarin, Regional Director Forums &
Events at JEC Group, during JEC World 2026 in Paris.

What started as an on site interview quickly turned into a much
broader reflection on how the composites industry works today —
and why regional formats like the JEC Forums are becoming
increasingly important alongside global flagship events like JEC
World.

JEC World represents the full, global dimension of composites:
technologies, materials, applications and ambitions from every
corner of the world. It shows what is possible.
But when it comes to making sense of complexity, building trust
and turning ideas into real projects, the conversation often
continues elsewhere.

This is where the JEC Forums play their role.

In this interview, Anne Carole explains how JEC has deliberately
built the forums as regional, curated and highly focused
platforms, designed to bring the entire value chain closer
together — from materials and processes to components and end use
applications. Rather than scale, the emphasis is on relevance,
quality and outcome.

A key pillar of this approach is the Hosted Buyer Program.
Especially for industries navigating composites for the first
time — such as aerospace, automotive, defence, construction or
renewable energies — the forums provide orientation, education
and access to the right partners, without requiring participants
to be experts from day one.

The conversation also places JEC Forum DACH 2026 into this
context. Taking place on 20–21 October 2026 in Cologne, right in
the heart of North Rhine Westphalia, the forum will connect one
of Europe’s strongest industrial regions with the wider DACH and
neighbouring European ecosystems. Cologne is not just a venue —
it is a signal of industrial density, accessibility and cross
border collaboration.

Beyond DACH, we also look at the international JEC Forum
landscape:
• JEC Forum Southeast Asia, taking place on 23–24 June 2026 in
Taipei, reflects the fast growing application markets and supply
chains of the region.
• JEC Forum Middle East, now scheduled for 8–9 December 2026 in
Riyadh, highlights how composites are aligning with industrial
transformation and long term national strategies.
• JEC Forum Italy, returning in 2027 in Turin, continues to
strengthen regional ecosystems through rotation and
proximity.
This interview was recorded before the final program
announcements — making it an ideal moment to understand the idea,
philosophy and strategic thinking behind the forums.

To continue the conversation, join us live on LinkedIn on 27 May
2026, when I’ll be discussing JEC Forum DACH 2026 together with
Anne Carole Barbarin (JEC Group) and Elmar Witten (AVK).
Because in composites — impact starts with understanding the
format.




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