Asset Performance Conference 2026
From AI Hype to Industrial Value in Maintenance, Reliability & Asset Management
During this international conference, BEMAS brings together professionals in maintenance, reliability, asset management, operations and industrial digitalisation to exchange experiences on technologies and methodologies that can demonstrably improve asset performance.
No abstract visions of the future or commercial sales pitches, but real-world industrial cases, lessons learned, tangible results and demonstrations of technology in action.
Artificial intelligence, data and digital technologies are rapidly transforming maintenance and asset management. Predictive maintenance, Generative AI, AI agents, automated inspections, digital twins and smart condition monitoring promise less downtime, lower costs and better decision-making.
But technology alone is not enough in an industrial environment.
Where are these applications already creating real value today? Which technologies are mature enough to scale? Which data and processes need to be in place first? And how do you make sure new digital solutions are actually adopted by maintenance and reliability teams?
These are the central challenges at Asset Performance 2026, taking place on 18 and 19 November in Antwerp.
Programme
Asset Performance 2026 offers two days of parallel tracks, real-world case studies, keynotes, workshops, live demonstrations and extensive networking opportunities.
In 2026, there is a particular focus on the practical impact of Generative AI and Agentic AI. As more industrial organisations start experimenting with AI, the discussion is shifting from “What can AI do?” to “Where does AI actually deliver results?”
Topics on Wednesday 18 November
The first conference day focuses on topics including:
- Agentic AI in Maintenance, Reliability & Asset Management
- AI Voice Agents
- Asset Data Management
- Condition Monitoring & Asset Health Assessment
- Reliability & Maintenance Strategies & Methodologies
- Smart & Sustainable Lubrication
- Motor Health Assessment
- Workshops and Innovation Pitches
Topics on Thursday 19 November
On the second day, the focus shifts to topics including:
- Predictive & Prescriptive Maintenance
- Asset Performance & Cost Management
- Data-driven Asset Management
- Human-centric Leadership & Cultural Change
- Asset Risk Management
- Workshops
- the Multi-Site Excellence Forum
Three Keynotes That Look at the Bigger Picture
Alongside the many real-world case studies, Asset Performance 2026 features three keynotes exploring the future of maintenance, reliability and asset management from very different perspectives.
Tor Idhammar – AI for Reliability at Domtar: Hype, Help, or Hard Truths?
Tor Idhammar, Director of Reliability at Domtar, opens the conference with a pragmatic look at the role of artificial intelligence in reliability.
Which applications are already creating real value today? Where are the limitations? And what does an organisation need to have in place before AI can play a reliable role in maintenance and reliability?
His keynote immediately addresses the central question of the conference: how do we move from AI hype to industrial value?
Dr. Stefaan De Mey – Sending Spare Parts to Mars is a Bad Business Case
On the evening of 18 November, Dr. Stefaan De Mey of the European Space Agency (ESA) takes participants into an environment where reliability is quite literally mission-critical.
In space, you cannot simply send a maintenance technician or a spare part when something fails. Space missions therefore force us to fundamentally rethink reliability, maintainability, autonomy and the way technical systems need to support themselves.
The keynote offers a unique perspective on challenges that industrial organisations also face: how do you design and manage assets that need to operate more reliably, intelligently and autonomously?
The keynote is followed by the Asset Performance Walking Dinner.
Diego Galar – From Agentic AI to Self-Preserving Assets
The conference concludes with Diego Galar, Professor at Luleå University of Technology, looking ahead to the next phase of digital asset management.
In “From Agentic AI to Self-Preserving Assets: Redefining Maintenance and Asset Management”, he explores how AI agents, asset intelligence and autonomous systems could push the traditional boundaries of maintenance.
What happens when assets not only monitor their own condition, but also interpret information, support decisions and initiate actions?
This closing keynote connects today’s technological developments with the asset management models of tomorrow.
More Than Presentations: Experience Technology in Action
Asset Performance does not only want participants to hear about new technologies. We want them to see and experience them in action.
That is why the programme includes several interactive formats.
Demo Experience
After lunch, participants can see technology in action during the Demo Experience.
Examples include applications where:
- a sensor anomaly is automatically converted into an intervention;
- AI selects the appropriate technician and supports the work order;
- Agentic AI helps maintenance technicians troubleshoot problems and access technical knowledge;
- AI detects and predicts asset anomalies;
- augmented and extended reality make technical information directly available at the asset;
- smart inspections are automatically connected to maintenance processes;
- condition monitoring and intelligent lubrication systems are demonstrated in real time.
Rather than simply hearing a presentation about a technology, visitors can better assess how it works, which prerequisites are required and where it could create value within their own organisation.
Innovation Pitches
During the Innovation Pitches, exhibitors each have 10 minutes to present a recent and relevant innovation for maintenance, reliability or asset management.
The focus is on new technologies, applications and solutions addressing current industrial challenges. This compact format gives visitors a quick understanding of what is new, which problem the innovation addresses and where it can create value in practice.
The pitches are deliberately short and content-focused, making them an ideal way to discover several new developments in a limited amount of time and continue the conversation with the experts involved during the conference.
More information coming soon.
Breakfast sessions
Both conference days start at 8:00 with coffee and Breakfast Sessions. These smaller-scale sessions allow participants to explore a specific topic in more depth before the official conference programme begins.
More information coming soon.
Workshops
Participants who want to explore a topic in greater depth can join the interactive workshops on both conference days. Unlike regular presentations, these sessions allow more time for in-depth discussion, interaction and exchange with experts and fellow participants.
The workshops are included in the conference ticket. As capacity may be limited, advance reservation is recommended.
Wednesday 18 November
- Untangling Complexity – How MRO Transparency Drives Operational Resilience — SPARETECH
- Agentic AI and Industrial AI – A Jump Start into Productivity Improvements — Markus Ahorner, Ahorner & Innovators
Thursday 19 November
- Digitally Enhanced Safety in Maintenance — with Jean-Pierre Avellaneda, Jan-Teun Koningen and a representative from Master Lock or ABUS
- The Future of Asset Performance Management – From Predictive Maintenance to Autonomous Operations — Gualter Sampaio & Gonçalo Abrantes, Enging
Why Attend Asset Performance 2026?
1. Separate AI hype from industrial value
AI is developing at tremendous speed, but not every application automatically delivers results. Asset Performance helps you understand which applications are already useful today, where their limitations lie and which foundations are required to move from an experiment to a scalable solution.
2. Learn from real industrial applications
The emphasis is on what organisations have actually implemented: why they started a project, which challenges they encountered, what worked and what did not, and which results they achieved.
This allows you to benchmark their approach against the situation in your own organisation.
3. Look at maintenance from different perspectives
Technology is only one component of strong asset performance. The programme therefore combines topics such as AI and data with reliability engineering, maintenance strategies, asset risk, cost management, leadership, culture and change management.
4. Discover new technologies in practice
Through workshops, Breakfast Sessions, Innovation Pitches and the Demo Experience, you can go beyond a traditional conference presentation, ask experts questions directly and experience technologies in action.
5. Benchmark with peers from other companies and industries
Asset Performance brings together more than 300 professionals from over 20 countries. This means you can learn not only from the speakers, but also compare experiences with asset managers, maintenance and reliability professionals and digitalisation experts from other organisations and sectors.
What Will You Learn at Asset Performance 2026?
After two days at Asset Performance, you will have a clearer understanding of:
- how Generative AI and Agentic AI can be applied in practice in maintenance and asset management;
- where AI can support troubleshooting, work preparation, technical knowledge, inspections and decision-making;
- which data foundations are required to successfully apply AI, analytics and predictive maintenance;
- how to evolve from traditional or reactive maintenance towards predictive and prescriptive maintenance;
- how condition monitoring can contribute to higher availability and less unplanned downtime;
- how to combine asset health, risk, performance and cost to make better asset management decisions;
- how other organisations have implemented and scaled digital maintenance and reliability projects;
- how to combine technical innovation with people, organisation, leadership and culture;
- which emerging technologies could be relevant to your own assets and processes;
- and, above all, which ideas you can take back to your own organisation and put into practice after the conference.
Who Should Attend?
Asset Performance 2026 is designed for professionals working in manufacturing companies and other asset-intensive organisations who are responsible for improving asset performance. The conference is particularly relevant for maintenance managers and engineers, reliability managers and engineers, asset managers, plant and technical managers, operations managers, maintenance & reliability excellence leaders, condition monitoring and asset health specialists, asset integrity professionals, digital transformation managers, Industry 4.0 and smart maintenance project leaders, data engineers and data managers, AI and analytics specialists, IIoT specialists, engineering managers, continuous improvement managers and technical decision-makers such as COOs and CTOs.
The conference is relevant both for professionals taking their first steps in digital maintenance and for organisations already using predictive maintenance, APM, AI or other digital solutions and looking to scale them further.
Rates
Benefit from the Early Bird rate until 30 September 2026.
Discover all rates at:
https://assetperformance.eu/rates/
- A preferential rate is available for BEMAS members.
- Attending with several colleagues from the same organisation? Make sure to take advantage of the available group discounts.
- Students and academics can apply for a 50% academic discount.
- A full conference pass includes, among other things, the conference sessions, workshops, Demo Experiences, Breakfast Sessions, catering, Walking Dinner, closing reception and access to the event app.
Participants also receive one year of access to the Asset Performance Intelligence Hub, where available presentations and conference recordings can be accessed after the event.
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