VISION 2026 Sets New Exhibitor Record and Drives Industry Momentum

Around 500 companies, strong international participation and new formats make the world’s leading trade fair for machine vision the industry’s key meeting point

The machine vision industry is in a spirit of optimism and high anticipation: From October 6 to 8, 2026, VISION in Stuttgart will once again bring together the global community of companies developing, integrating and applying machine vision in demanding applications. With around 500 exhibiting companies, VISION 2026 will surpass the previous exhibitor record set in 2024.

Particularly noteworthy is the record share of around 30% first-time exhibitors. Approximately two-thirds of all exhibitors come from outside Germany. This strong international participation once again impressively confirms VISION’s status as the world’s leading trade fair and most important platform for the machine vision industry.

Despite challenging economic conditions, the machine vision industry is once again demonstrating its resilience, innovative strength and clear focus on the future. For many companies, VISION is the place where they unveil technological milestones for the first time, initiate new partnerships and showcase the trends that will shape the coming years. Expectations within the community are correspondingly high — among manufacturers, system integrators, end users and researchers alike.

At the Cutting Edge: New Formats Address Key Industry Topics

VISION continues to evolve in line with the latest developments and offers a comprehensive supporting program featuring expert presentations, guided tours, start-up formats and hands-on special showcases. These formats provide numerous opportunities to explore current industry topics, deepen knowledge and establish new connections.

A prime example is the new Synthetic Data Symposium. In cooperation with the Fraunhofer ITWM, synthetic data will take center stage at VISION for the first time. Synthetic data are a key enabler for training AI-based machine vision solutions. Leading experts from research and industry will demonstrate how virtual datasets can help overcome bottlenecks in training data and accelerate the development of high-quality applications in manufacturing, quality inspection and automated inspection.

Visitors will gain a concise, practical overview of one of the most dynamic areas of AI and its growing importance for machine vision.

With the VISION Makeathon, the trade fair is also sending a strong signal for the future. Students and young professionals will work together with exhibitors on real-world machine vision challenges. Within a short period of time, participants will develop prototypes, new ideas and unconventional approaches to solving practical problems.

For companies, the VISION Makeathon offers an ideal opportunity to connect with the next generation of skilled professionals at an early stage — while experiencing first-hand the creativity and speed with which young talent approaches machine vision challenges.

Those looking to make targeted use of VISION 2026 for their own practical applications will particularly benefit from the VISION Guided Tours. During these guided tours, visitors can gain a concise overview of the most important trends and solutions in selected target industries.

Whether Aerospace & Defence, Automotive & Battery Manufacturing, or Electronics & Semiconductors — the tours combine background knowledge, concrete application examples and personal discussions directly at exhibitors’ booths.

For the first time, VISION will also offer a dedicated VDMA AI Tour, focusing on the interplay between artificial intelligence and machine vision.

World-Leading Trade Fair with a Clear Vision for the Future

With around 500 exhibiting companies, an exceptionally high level of international participation and new formats such as the Synthetic Data Symposium, VISION Makeathon and expanded Guided Tours, VISION 2026 is reinforcing its position as a driving force for the industry.

VISION is not merely the world’s leading trade fair by name — it is also continuously evolving its content and focus, staying close to the needs of industry while remaining open to the technologies and topics of the future.

Preparations are in full swing, and the industry is eagerly looking ahead to Stuttgart. VISION 2026 is already promising to deliver three days that no one involved in the world of machine vision should miss.

Further information on the comprehensive supporting program can be found at: https://www.messe-stuttgart.de/vision/