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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