No other sector is seeing such a flurry of activity on the trade show market. Energy transition, hydrogen, biogas, circular economy, solar, wind, water management, CSR: every sub-segment now has its own event, and some are emerging in step with European regulatory shifts.
This density is an opportunity, but it is also a trap. Pollutec remains the cross-cutting heavyweight, but it now sits alongside specialised trade shows such as Hyvolution for hydrogen, Expobiogaz for biogas or Produrable for CSR initiatives, which capture a sharper and often more qualified audience for a targeted message. An industrial player spending 80,000 euros at Pollutec is not making the same bet as one splitting the same sum across three vertical trade shows.
This page brings together our analysis of the leading energy and environment trade shows on the French calendar, with an eye on the formats that are emerging and on the major European events. For trade shows labelled "Agoris Certified", you will find our reading of recent developments, an analysis of the exhibitor profile and our verdict on relevance for different types of company. For the others, the essential factual information, pending their passage through our full editorial cycle.
Our conviction: in this sector undergoing a major reshaping, the value of a trade show is measured less by its visitor figures than by the quality of its ecosystem and its ability to anticipate the topics that will shape the market over the next two years. Whether you are an exhibitor seeking the best return on investment or a visitor on strategic watch, choosing the right trade show is already a decision in itself.
The leading trade shows in France
The French market for energy and environment trade shows has become considerably denser over ten years. Today two categories can be distinguished: cross-cutting generalists and specialised vertical trade shows. Both have their relevance, depending on the message you are carrying and the target you want to reach.
Pollutec is the leading trade show in Europe for environmental solutions and the ecological transition. Organised by RX France (Reed Expositions) at Lyon Eurexpo, it brings together each year around 2,000 exhibitors and more than 51,000 professional participants from over 100 countries. Its coverage is very broad: 11 sectors represented, from water and waste management to industrial decarbonisation, taking in the bioeconomy and environmental health. Its programme systematically features nearly 400 conferences across 16 stages, innovation awards and themed villages. Next edition: 12 to 15 October 2027, Lyon Eurexpo.
Hyvolution has become, in just a few years, the leading trade show in Europe for hydrogen. Organised each January in Paris at Porte de Versailles by GL events, in partnership with France Hydrogène, its 2025 edition brought together more than 550 exhibitors and 15,000 visitors from 65 countries, with 15 national hydrogen associations represented. Its growth is rapid: the 2024 edition had already been described as a record, with 572 exhibitors from 28 countries and more than 11,500 visitors. The trade show includes a Hyvolution Summit, high-level conferences and workshops dedicated to industry, mobility and energy. Next edition: 27 to 29 January 2026, Paris, then 19 to 21 January 2027.
Expobiogaz is the leading renewable gas trade show in France, devoted to methanisation, power-to-gas and bio-CNG. Organised by GL events at Eurexpo Lyon (within its GreenTech+ division), it is held every two years and brings together the players of the biogas industry, from farmers to industrial firms and local authorities. Its sector focus makes it a highly targeted business development tool for specialised players. Next edition: 10 and 11 March 2026, Eurexpo Lyon.
Produrable is the leading trade show and congress on CSR and corporate sustainable development, organised in Paris. It is aimed primarily at CSR departments, general management and procurement functions of large companies and mid-sized firms. Its positioning is more strategic and corporate than technical: people come less to find a supplier than to understand regulatory trajectories and benchmark market practices.
EnerGaïa is the renewable energy trade show for the greater south of France, organised in Montpellier each December by GL events. It mainly targets regional players in photovoltaics, wind and the local energy transition, with a marked Mediterranean anchoring and conferences on regional energy policies.
Regional and specialised formats not to be overlooked
The structuring of the sector by sub-segments has fostered the emergence of specialised formats that usefully complement the major national events.
EnerJ-meeting is a conference-exhibition format, organised by the Batiactu group, which brings together decision-makers each year on the themes of energy moderation, energy efficiency and the decarbonisation of buildings. It runs in several regional editions (Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux). The format is denser and more concentrated than a traditional trade show: a few dozen exhibitors, but a highly developed conference programme with 100 speakers and five themed rooms for the major editions.
Pollutec Paris, launched by RX France as a complementary edition to the Lyon one, is held in Paris in even-numbered years with a more agile format (two days, congress-exhibition format). It targets primarily public and corporate decision-makers on regulatory and transition financing topics.
Other formats are emerging around specific themes: the SIBCA on the decarbonisation of buildings (launched in 2022, already more than 200 exhibitors and 12,500 visitors expected in 2026), or Open Energies (GL events, Lyon), devoted to solutions for cities and territories in energy transition.
The major European trade shows in the sector
For companies developing internationally or keeping watch on trends that will reach France in two to three years, three European events are not to be missed.
The smarter E Europe (Munich, annual in May or June) is the largest alliance of energy trade shows in Europe. It brings together under one roof four simultaneous events: Intersolar Europe (solar), ees Europe (energy storage), Power2Drive Europe (e-mobility) and EM-Power Europe (intelligent energy management). The whole is organised at Messe München and constitutes the meeting point for the entire energy transition value chain, from the solar panel to the charging point. Intersolar is recognised as the world's leading solar sector trade show.
Hannover Messe (Hanover, annual in April) is the largest industrial fair in the world, organised by Deutsche Messe AG. While it covers industry in the broad sense, its energy component is massive: industrial hydrogen, electricity grids, energy efficiency of processes, and the digitalisation of production. For French industrial players positioned on process decarbonisation, it is often more relevant than purely environmental trade shows.
E-world energy & water (Essen, annual in February) is the principal European trade show dedicated to energy suppliers, grid operators and players in the water sector. It is particularly relevant for companies positioned on regulation, energy markets and energy infrastructure.
Beyond trade shows: formats, events and communities
The energy and environment sector has developed a particularly rich event culture, to the point where the trade shows themselves are often only part of the programme.
Integrated conferences and summits. Pollutec 2025 offered 400 conferences across 16 themed stages, with debates led by the sector's leading figures. Hyvolution holds its Hyvolution Summit each year, with strategic round tables on European policies, financing and the industrial challenges of decarbonised hydrogen. These hybrid trade show-congress formats have become the norm in the sector.
Innovation awards and labels. The Pollutec Innovation Awards, organised jointly with the Pexe (Les éco-entreprises de France), reward each year the innovations with the strongest market potential. Hyvolution awards its own distinctions. These labels have become communication tools in their own right for winning exhibitors, used well beyond the duration of the trade show.
Immersive and scenario-based spaces. Pollutec 2025 introduced for the first time in Lyon the "Down to Earth, The Expo" exhibition, an immersive zone of more than 200 m² dedicated to setting environmental challenges in context. This type of arrangement, first tested in Paris, illustrates an underlying trend: the major trade shows are seeking to create a visitor experience beyond the simple product catalogue.
Professional communities and federations. France Hydrogène, the Pexe, France Renouvelables, the ATEE (Association Technique Énergie Environnement) or the SER (Syndicat des énergies renouvelables) organise technical days, regulatory workshops and business meetings throughout the year that structure the sector's networks independently of the major events. For an exhibitor, these proximity formats often offer more qualified access to sector decision-makers than the aisles of a large trade show.
What Agoris covers on energy and the environment
We document this diversity with particular attention to trajectories: which trade shows are rising, which are plateauing, which are suffering from the inflation of supply. For Agoris Certified listings, you will find our reading of recent developments, an analysis of the exhibitor profile (proportion of newcomers, recurring brands, dominant sectors) and our verdict on relevance for different types of company.
The energy and environment sector is the one where the quality of the trade show choice matters most: supply has fragmented so much that the risk of preaching to the converted, or conversely of getting lost in too broad an audience, is very real. It is precisely to avoid this pitfall that we treat this sector with a specific reading framework.