SEPEM Douai · 2028

Agoris analysis · updated September 2026

Key takeaways

• SEPEM Douai (formerly SEPEM Industries Nord) is the biennial trade show for the Services, Equipment, Processes and Maintenance of industry in the Hauts-de-France region. It is held in Douai and organised by GL events Exhibitions Industrie.
• Next edition: 12th edition, from 25 to 27 January 2028 at Gayant Expo Douai.
• Latest reported edition (2026, 27-29 January): 12,306 participants, 600 exhibitors across nearly 10,000 sq m, with 80% stating they intend to return for the next edition (source: douai.sepem-industries.com).
• A proximity trade show: around 40% of exhibitors are companies from the Hauts-de-France region, reflecting a logic of short supply chains and industrial sovereignty.
• Classic SEPEM format: free entry, parking and catalogue, with a strictly professional visitor base.

Who exhibits

Typical profile

Suppliers of services, equipment, processes and maintenance for industry: subcontracting, assembly, lifting and handling, robotics, measurement and control, machining and cutting, maintenance, safety, storage logistics. The trade show targets the factories and production sites of the Hauts-de-France region, an area with a high density of industry (automotive, rail, food processing, metallurgy, plastics processing).

Around 40% of exhibitors are regional companies, and 36% were new participants at the 2026 edition (source: pei-france.com, machine-outil.com).

Notable exhibitors

The full list of exhibitors is available on the official website: SEPEM Douai exhibitor list.

Quality of the visitor base

• 12,306 participants in 2026, for a strictly professional industrial visitor base (maintenance managers, design offices, production departments, purchasing, SMI directors).
• 52% purchasing decision-makers among visitors at the 2026 edition (source: douai.sepem-industries.com).
• 80% of visitors state they intend to return for the next edition (source: douai.sepem-industries.com).
• 110 innovations presented as previews at the 2026 edition (source: douai.sepem-industries.com).

Activities & community

Conference programme

The 2026 edition offered a series of conferences and round tables on the major challenges facing regional industry: reindustrialisation and industrial sovereignty, AI and Maintenance 4.0, cybersecurity, decarbonisation, and the appeal of industrial careers and recruitment. The 2025 edition had brought together 20 conferences and round tables led by around fifty experts (source: douai.sepem-industries.com). The 2028 programme will be published as the trade show approaches.

Awards and prizes

The Trophées SEPEM reward the innovative and responsible initiatives of industrial companies. Three categories are open to participants: Sustainable Innovation Award, Digital Transformation Award, Social and Societal Commitment Award. The trade show's home page also highlights Les Fleurons de l'industrie, a distinction dedicated to outstanding industrial companies. Categories and 2028 winners to be confirmed on the official website as the trade show approaches (source: douai.sepem-industries.com).

Community and networks

The trade show includes an employment and careers area: at the 2025 edition, the job dating generated 70 interviews with 40% positive outcomes, and more than 300 secondary and high school students discovered industrial careers through immersive tours (source: douai.sepem-industries.com).

On site: what you need to know

Access, parking and accommodation: see the Gayant Expo Douai listing.

Specific to the trade show:

• Opening hours: Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 January 2028 from 9 am to 6 pm, Thursday 27 January from 9 am to 5 pm.
• Visitor badge: free entry with online registration, reserved for industry professionals. Parking and catalogue are also free.
• Access: Gayant Expo is 30 minutes from Lille, 1 hour from Paris and 1 hour from Brussels by train, 20 minutes from Lille-Lesquin airport, and served by the A1, A2, A21, A23, A25 and A26 motorways.

How much it costs to exhibit

Exhibitor rates are not published on the official website: participation requests are made via GL events Exhibitions Industrie. No figure is publicly available.

Preparing your visit

For the exhibitor

• 12 months out: make contact with GL events Exhibitions Industrie, book a stand (the trade show shows strong regional loyalty, so anticipate locations).
• 9 months out: apply for the Trophées SEPEM and the new products trail (showcasing the 110 preview innovations).
• 6 months out: prepare live machine demonstrations, brief the sales team with a focus on the Hauts-de-France industrial basin.
• 3 months out: register for the employment area / job dating if recruiting, prepare job descriptions.
• 6 weeks out: follow up with regional contacts, confirm appointments with maintenance and production managers.

For the decision-making visitor

• Free pre-registration online with proof of professional industrial activity.
• Allow half a day to a full day depending on scope (equipment, maintenance, subcontracting).
• Target conferences in advance: the programme is published a few weeks before the trade show.
• Take advantage of the free parking and catalogue, and of the proximity (a single day is enough for most regional visitors).

Policy & CSR initiatives

The SEPEM network, operated by GL events, places its trade shows within the group's CSR approach, structured around 13 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (source: gl-events.com/esg-rse). On the ground, the trade show showcases industrial companies' responsible practices through the Trophées SEPEM (Sustainable Innovation Award, Digital Transformation Award, Social and Societal Commitment Award) and through themed trails (circular economy, decarbonisation) built into the conference programme (source: douai.sepem-industries.com).

No ISO 20121 certification specific to the Douai edition is mentioned to date on the official website.

How the trade show has evolved

Trajectory analysis

SEPEM Douai has firmly established itself in Douai as the industrial gathering of the Hauts-de-France region. After a 10th edition in January 2025 (8,017 visitors, 560 exhibitors), the trade show was held exceptionally for two consecutive years in 2025 and 2026 before returning to its biennial rhythm. The 2026 edition marked a clear rise in attendance, to 12,306 participants for 600 exhibitors, driven by the themes of reindustrialisation, AI in maintenance and decarbonisation. The 12th edition, from 25 to 27 January 2028, will extend this positioning as a proximity trade show rooted in the regional industrial basin, with a high proportion of local exhibitors and a free format for professional visitors.

Unless otherwise stated, all factual data in this listing comes from the organiser's official website (douai.sepem-industries.com).