As had been the case the previous year, the COVID-19 pandemic made 2021 a very challenging year for Eurobitume events. The vast majority of our local and international events were once again either postponed, cancelled or transformed to an online format, which in the case of our flagship E&E Congress – originally scheduled to take place in Madrid in 2020 - went ahead as an entirely virtual event on 15-17 June, 2021.
During the three days of live streaming, the innovative and highly interactive 7th E&E Congress, themed ‘Asphalt 4.0 for future mobility’, was attended by 800 asphalt and bitumen professionals from 48 countries spread across five continents. The congress included technical presentations, interactive sessions, online exhibitor booths and an e-poster section, all of which were commended by participants, sponsors and exhibitors.
Highlights from the participants survey
Key highlights from the exhibitors/sponsors survey
Because of COVID restrictions, Eurobitume France’s annual Rencontres Bitume in 2021 took place online. In this new format, e-Rencontres Bitume 2021 attracted more than 100 people associated with the bitumen industry in France and included presentations by industry experts and a lively Q&A panel session, where the speakers answered questions posed by online attendees.
Almost 100 people from industry and government authorities attended the twice-postponed Swiss Bitumen Day, where they heard expert speakers deliver interesting presentations about a variety of topics including sustainability, technical standards, warm mixes and the use of bitumen in art.
In 2022, all Eurobitume events are expected to return to a physical format, including the 2nd E&E Event, which will be held in the beautiful city of Vienna in November.
