IPHA Annual Conference & BIBM Congress 2026 – Rome, Italy
The 30th IPHA Annual Conference was held in cooperation with the 25th BIBM Congress, which took place in Rome from Wednesday, May 20th, to Friday, May 22nd, 2026.
This special combined event brought together IPHA members, BIBM delegates, exhibitors, and industry representatives from across Europe and beyond for three days of meetings, presentations, networking, and shared discussion on the future of precast concrete.
Both events were hosted at the A.Roma Lifestyle Hotel, located just outside the center of Rome and surrounded by a beautiful, peaceful green park.
IPHA Conference
The IPHA Annual Conference began on Wednesday afternoon at the A.Roma Lifestyle Hotel with the General Assembly at 4:00 p.m.
Following the General Assembly, IPHA delegates and partners took part in a unique and unforgettable evening, arranged and sponsored by IPHA President Marco Pecetti, his family, and Generale Prefabbricati S.p.A.
Outside the hotel, 11 black minivans were waiting to transport 60 IPHA delegates and 21 partners to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Generale Prefabbricati S.p.A. had arranged a private tour for the group, with delegates divided into smaller groups of 10 and guided through the museums and the Sistine Chapel by English-speaking guides.
It was a breathtaking and almost surreal experience, and one that IPHA members will remember for many years to come.
After the Vatican visit, guests returned to their black minivans, which took them on to the fantastic Casina Valadier restaurant, located on a hill overlooking Rome. The gala dinner began with a welcome drink, during which guests could enjoy a spectacular view across the city.
Luca Pecetti, the eldest of the four brothers and owners of Generale Prefabbricati S.p.A., opened the dinner by warmly welcoming IPHA and all guests to this fantastic evening. The event brought together more than 100 guests from 20 countries around the world.
Following the main course, Marco Pecetti gave his address. He emphasized that this year’s conference represented an important milestone, celebrating what has been achieved over the past 30 years within the industry and through collaboration inside IPHA.
Finally, Kjell-Ole Gjestemoen, Executive Director of IPHA, expressed his sincere thanks to Marco Pecetti, his family, and Generale Prefabbricati S.p.A. for arranging such a fantastic and unforgettable evening in Rome.
BIBM Congress
The BIBM opening reception took place on Wednesday, May 20th, at 5:30 p.m., when the congress was officially declared open by Alessio Rimoldi, Secretary General of BIBM.
Stefan van Buggenhout, President of BIBM, then welcomed all delegates to the 25th BIBM Congress. This was followed by contributions from IPHA President Marco Pecetti, Prof. Arch. Enrico Dassori of ASSOBETON, Gianluca Bianchin of EFCA, and Sergio Saporetti from the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security.
The theme of this year’s congress was “Think Concrete, Go Precast!”, and 47 exhibitors had registered for the event.
On Thursday morning, the congress program began with a series of interesting presentations and workshops based on the main congress themes. Within the session “Decarbonization – a Low-Carbon Path,” President of IPHA’s Technical Committee, Dr. Wim Jansze, delivered a very interesting presentation titled “Two Innovative Pathways to Sustainable Construction with Hollowcore Floors.”
On Thursday evening, it was time for the traditional BIBM Gala Dinner, attended by around 230 delegates. The dinner took place at the beautiful Terrazza Caffarelli, offering a wonderful view over Rome at sunset.
The program continued on Friday morning with further keynote presentations. First to speak was Prof. Wit Derkowski, who presented on the theme “Circular Construction Through Prefabrication: The Role of Precast Concrete in Sustainable and Responsible Engineering.”.
He was followed by Ronald Klein-Holte and Topi Paananen, who gave a presentation on “Circular Economy: Practical Examples in Precast Concrete.”
After the coffee break, the congress continued with two further presentations and panel discussions.
The BIBM Congress concluded with the announcement of the next BIBM President, Mr. Friedrich Gebhard from BDB Germany. Mr. Gebhard closed the congress by thanking all delegates for their participation in this year’s event.
The 2026 BIBM Congress was Co-Organized with IPHA
BIBM Congress & IPHA Annual Conference – Gallery
