A Place for Real Excitement Can Still Be Created!
— Just 6 Months to Go! Toward the 2026 International Welding Show —
Manabu Tanaka
(Deputy Director and Professor at Joining and Welding Research Institute, Osaka University）
Chair of the Organizing Committee, Japan International Welding Show
At the beginning of the year, the final match of “All Japan High School Soccer Tournament” was held at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo. For the first time in the tournament’s history, more than 60,000 spectators filled the stands. This championship brings together high school teams from across Japan and is regarded as one of the most prestigious sporting events for the younger generation.
What this number represents is not simply the success of a popular event. Even in an era when the virtual has become the norm, and efficiency and distance often take priority, one truth remains clear: when the content is genuine, people still want to gather in real places and share excitement in the same air. That desire has not disappeared.
Seeing this scene, I felt a sense of reassurance. Even in times that may appear cool or disengaged, people respond when something truly moves them.
The heat, the sound, the smell, and the conversations — these are experiences that can only be felt on site. And the drive to seek them out still exists.
I believe that the 2026 International Welding Show stands at the same point of challenge. The technologies, products, and ideas brought together by each exhibitor represent both the current state of our industry and its next step forward.
But simply lining up exhibits is not enough. For visitors to walk away thinking, “I’m glad I came” and “This was worth seeing,” we must deliberately design what they are meant to experience as a whole.
That responsibility lies with each and every one of us who are involved in this industry. There are encounters that can only happen face to face. There are single words exchanged on site that lead to the next project or technological breakthrough. It is time to reclaim that tangible sense of momentum. Let us make the 2026 International Welding Show…not just another exhibition, but a place where people can truly feel, “This industry is exciting.”
The discussions and preparations to make that happen have already begun. We invite you to experience that energy—live, at the venue.
(Source: Welding Promenade, Vol. 46)