Intermodal Europe 2026 Review
January 16, 2026
Intermodal Europe 2026 is a container-industry meet-up built for real procurement conversations: equipment owners, lessors, manufacturers, tech providers, and operators comparing boxes, monitoring, M&R, leasing structures, repositioning workflows, and the practical details that decide whether a program scales or stalls.
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Intermodal Europe 2026
10 to 12 November 2026 • RotterdamA three-day exhibition and conference for the container and intermodal market, with a shorter final-day show floor window.
Event snapshot
Dates
10 to 12 November 2026
City & venue
Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Opening times
Tue 10:00 to 18:00 • Wed 10:00 to 18:00 • Thu 10:00 to 15:00
Core focus
Container shipping and intermodal logistics across sea, road, and rail, plus equipment, leasing, and technology.
Official site
Quick strategy: protect Thursday morning for final pricing and contract points, because the show closes earlier that day.
Venue map
Rotterdam Ahoy is walkable from Zuidplein metro and bus station. Parking is also available on-site.
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What makes Intermodal Europe different
Container equipment and workflowsThis event is built around container hardware, leasing economics, and operational data. It is less about general maritime and more about the equipment and systems that keep boxes moving.
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Leasing and fleet economics are front and center
You can compare lease structures, repositioning realities, and the total cost drivers that sit behind day rates and availability.
Bring: target fleet size, lanes that drive imbalance, preferred lease term, and your redelivery pain points.
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M&R and condition management are practical, not theoretical
The best conversations here get specific fast: inspection standards, depot networks, repair thresholds, parts availability, and turnaround time.
Ask: what fails most often in your box type, typical cycle time by region, and how billing and photos are handled.
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Technology is judged by integration burden
Tracking, monitoring, and visibility tools compete side by side. The useful vendors explain data capture, exceptions, and what changes for dispatch and depot teams.
Quick test: ask each provider for a 90-day rollout plan and the first metric you should expect to improve.
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Conference plus expo, so you can validate quickly
Use the conference to spot consensus and tension points, then pressure-test claims on the floor with people who have to run the equipment.
Workflow that works: session notes become questions, questions become demo proof, proof becomes a shortlist.
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Your Intermodal decision board
Equipment choice
- Box types and mix for 2026
- Newbuild vs lease vs purchase
- Repositioning exposure
Operations
- Depot coverage by lane
- Repair turnaround and cost rules
- Inspection and photo standards
Data and visibility
- Tracking scope and exceptions
- Integration with your stack
- Metric you will improve first
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Intermodal Europe 2026 week game plan
10–12 Nov • Rotterdam AhoyThe event runs three days, with a shorter final day. If you want clean outcomes, protect two meeting windows daily and use Thursday morning to close pricing and terms.
Suggested time split for strong results
Designed for buyers, lessors, ops, and tech teams
Expo scouting
40%
Target meetings
35%
Conference sessions
25%
Thursday closes earlier, so move contract points, fleet sizing, and final pricing to Thursday morning.
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Use the opening hours to plan your closes
Tue 10:00–18:00 • Wed 10:00–18:00 • Thu 10:00–15:00
Tuesday
Build your shortlist fast. Do one full pass of priority categories (leasing, equipment, monitoring, M&R, depots) and book the rest of your meetings for Wednesday and Thursday.
Wednesday
Deep validation day. Push vendors to show integration steps, depot workflows, repair billing rules, and what changes for your teams in the first 90 days.
Thursday
Close day. Lock pricing bands, terms, and next steps before mid-afternoon. If you need a pilot, leave with a start date, success metric, and named owners.
Handy rule: if a meeting ends without a date, it was just a chat. Make every key conversation end with a date.
If you lease or own boxes
- Bring fleet size targets, lane imbalances, and preferred lease term.
- Ask about redelivery rules and damage thresholds up front.
- Leave with two options: a base case and a high-flex case.
If you run ops or depots
- Bring your top bottleneck and your average repair cycle time.
- Pressure-test photo standards, approval flows, and billing.
- Ask what changes first for your floor teams.
If you evaluate tracking and data
- Ask for a 90-day rollout plan and the first metric that improves.
- Confirm integration burden and who does the heavy lift.
- Define exceptions that matter, not dashboards that look nice.
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Rotterdam practical notes for Intermodal week
Rotterdam AhoyAhoy is a short walk from a major metro and bus hub (Zuidplein). That makes hotel choice simple: pick a location with fast access to metro lines that feed Zuidplein.
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Metro and bus access is the cheat code
From Zuidplein bus and metro station, Ahoy is about a five-minute walk. Metro lines D and E are commonly referenced for access via Rotterdam Central and The Hague Central.
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Air arrival options that work
Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM) is the closest airport option. Amsterdam Schiphol also has fast rail links into Rotterdam, and the Dutch rail operator lists direct trips around 41 minutes for Schiphol to Rotterdam.
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Parking is easy, but price it in
Ahoy reports more than 2,500 parking spaces and a listed parking price of €19.50. If you need certainty on busy show days, pre-purchasing a guaranteed spot is an option on the venue side.
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Hotel and dinner flow that stays on time
If you want the shortest show commute
- Stay near Zuidplein or along metro access that drops you there quickly.
- Plan a fixed morning arrival window and an evening departure window.
If you want client dinners with minimal friction
- Use Central Rotterdam for dinners and keep Ahoy access via metro.
- Keep one consistent dinner district so teams do not scatter.
If you have early flights or packed schedules
- Confirm your Thursday morning meeting order and avoid late city hops Wednesday night.
- Build buffer time for transport during peak commuting hours.
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Night-before checklist
- Pick your top 6 booths and top 2 sessions for the next day.
- Write down three questions that force specificity (timelines, integration, terms).
- Block two meeting windows and do not surrender them.
- Prepare your lane mix, target fleet size, and preferred term range.
- Bring photos or examples of your most common damage or M&R disputes.
- Decide one metric you want to improve first in 90 days.
Opening hours and venue details are from Intermodal Europe travel and event pages. Ahoy access and parking details are from Rotterdam Ahoy official venue information.