The Top 5 Highlights of the IAA Conference 2026

Kicking off on September 15, the Main Stage in Hall 18 features a top-tier lineup of CEOs and leading industry representatives. Tesla's Dan Priestley joins speakers including Markus Heyn, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Management and Chairman of the Mobility Business Sector at Bosch; Jens Holtinger, CTO of the Volvo Group; Martin Fischer, CEO of FORVIA; Markus Mildner, CEO of Siemens eMobility; and Matthias Miedreich, CEO of ZF.

In addition, executives such as Anja van Niersen, CEO of Milence; Arnd Franz, CEO and Chairman of the Group Management Board of MAHLE; Antoine Duclaux, CEO of Renault Trucks; Philipp von Hirschheydt, CEO of AUMOVIO; and Chao Liu, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of SuperPanther, will share insights into their strategies. Key focus areas include the competitiveness of the European commercial vehicle industry, electrification, charging infrastructure, autonomous transport logistics, and the overall transformation of the sector.

On September 16, attention shifts to the technologies and business models shaping the future of transport. The morning session focuses on software, connectivity, and artificial intelligence. Featured speakers include Peter Laier, CEO of FORVIA HELLA; Niklas Florén, CEO of WirelessCar; Marvin Ruf, Senior Business Development Manager at HERE Technologies; Timo Wenninger, Executive Vice President of Sales and Operations for the Commercial Vehicle Group at Bosch Mobility; Andre Wehner, CIO of MAN Truck & Bus; and Jan-Maarten de Vries, President of Fleet Management Solutions at Bridgestone and CEO of Webfleet.

Around noon, the spotlight moves to industrial transformation. Andreas Schmitz, CEO of Schmitz Cargobull; Francois Roudier, Secretary General of OICA; Jan Bakker, Partner at Deloitte Consulting; and Johannes Pallasch, Head of Nationale Leitstelle Ladeinfrastruktur, will discuss competitiveness, new value-creation models, and the political and infrastructural prerequisites for change. The afternoon covers sustainable fleets and next-generation powertrains. Curated panels hosted by Transport & Environment, NABU, Porsche Consulting, H2Accelerate, and the German Gas and Hydrogen Association will bring perspectives from DSV, Hyundai, Daimler Truck, Volvo Group, MAN Truck & Bus, ZF Group, Aral, Moller-Maersk, PepsiCo, and many others.

The prototype.club Stage in Hall 12 bridges established industrial companies with young tech firms and bold ideas. On September 15, topics range from vehicle-centric intelligence and new powertrain technologies to Korean startups and a matchmaking platform for test infrastructure.

A standout highlight follows on September 16: The Open Innovation Award honors successful collaborations between startups and established enterprises. Immediately after, the inaugural IAA Startup Award powered by Plug and Play will recognize groundbreaking young companies and their forward-thinking solutions. A C-level panel will then unpack what makes startup-corporate partnerships work—and where the friction points lie. Starting at 6:00 PM, the open Startup Party invites attendees to network over beer and pretzels.

The prototype.club Stage in Hall 12 bridges established industrial companies with young tech firms and bold ideas. On September 15, topics range from vehicle-centric intelligence and new powertrain technologies to Korean startups and a matchmaking platform for test infrastructure.

A standout highlight follows on September 16: The Open Innovation Award honors successful collaborations between startups and established enterprises. Immediately after, the inaugural IAA Startup Award powered by Plug and Play will recognize groundbreaking young companies and their forward-thinking solutions. A C-level panel will then unpack what makes startup-corporate partnerships work—and where the friction points lie. Starting at 6:00 PM, the open Startup Party invites attendees to network over beer and pretzels.

On September 17, the prototype.club Stage turns into a collaborative workspace for development and experimentation. Following the presentation of partners and use cases, participants will tackle real-world problems during an all-day hackathon. The day’s schedule is rounded out by discussions on collaboration between startups, mid-sized businesses, industry, and policymakers, as well as software-defined commercial vehicles and smart truck parking solutions. The best results will be presented and awarded in the late afternoon.

The event concludes on September 18 with full-day Startup Pitches. Emerging companies will present their technologies and business models for transport, logistics, and commercial vehicles—showing how the IAA Startup Area turns fresh ideas into actionable industry solutions.

The full IAA TRANSPORTATION 2026 schedule provides a complete overview of all sessions, times, and speakers.