282 exhibitors and partners from over 30 countries across four continents accepted the invitation to participate in the second edition of ENERGY EXPO®, held from May 22 to 24, 2025, at Hala Laminor. Among them, 93 were strategic partners who had participated since the first edition in 2024. A total of 9,174 visitors and specialists attended ENERGY EXPO® 2025 over the three-day event. More than 40 national and international valued partners supported the project within their communities, while over 50 media partners enhanced the communication and promotion of the most important energy trade fair in the region.
During the three-day event, over 80 specialists were present at the conferences and workshops delivered on the ENERGY EXPO® stage. Meanwhile, 130 young entrepreneurs developed 30 innovative solutions during the CleanTech Hackathon, and 370 students, along with 20 coordinating teachers, participated in the #LOOPChallenge by creating reinterpretations of the Infinity Column. Additionally, more than 18,200 toys were collected from donors and partners involved in a unique project initiated at ENERGY EXPO®: the Infinity Column of plush toys. The total value of the prizes offered for the Treasure Hunt, CleanTech Hackathon, and LOOP Challenge Municipal Competition – excluding the grand prize awarded to the winning school, which includes photovoltaic panels and storage provided by ENERGY EXPO® partners – surpassed €50,000.
Romania’s Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, and Moldova’s Minister of Energy, Dorin Junghietu, participated in the official opening of ENERGY EXPO® 2025. Ditte Juul Jørgensen, Director-General for Energy at the European Commission, delivered a strong message to the participants and ministers in attendance. The second edition of ENERGY EXPO® has emerged as an energy hub, bringing together exhibitors, specialists, special guests, and partners from Romania and over 30 other countries, including Turkey, Poland, Austria, China, Moldova, Greece, Norway, the Netherlands, Italy, Bulgaria, France, Denmark, Macedonia, Switzerland, Sweden, Serbia, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Finland, the United Kingdom, Portugal, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Croatia, Nigeria, the Czech Republic, Israel, Hungary, Ukraine, Egypt, and the United States of America.
On May 22 and 23, conferences and workshops focused on the B2B and B2G sectors, bringing together professionals and companies from the energy field, with PPC and WALDEVAR Energy as Stage Partners. Saturday, May 24, became a true showcase of smart solutions for end-users, through a series of workshops held at the nZEB Show in partnership with the Casa Magazin TV show.
The CONNECT VIP Lounge, powered by the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel, once again served as the networking hub for exhibitors and business professionals. The ambiance was enhanced by BILBOR water, custom coffee from Dropshot, Peroni beer, wines from Gîrboiu winery, and the elegantly arranged lounge by VLAdiLA, featuring furniture crafted by Montana and Bradul Măneciu factories – all contributing to a premium environment for business discussions and more.
Mega Prizes at the TREASURE HUNT and LOOP CHALLENGE
With a total value of €27,380, the prizes awarded during the second edition of ENERGY EXPO®—both for the winners of the municipal LOOP Challenge, where middle school students from Bucharest took on the LOOP Academy challenge to reinterpret the Endless Column using recyclable materials, and for the visitors of ENERGY EXPO® 2025 who participated in the Treasure Hunt held from May 22–24 at Hala Laminor—managed to engage a large number of participants. As part of the LOOP Challenge, which ran from April 15 to May 15, a total of 24 teams registered, comprising 370 students and 20 coordinating teachers from 15 schools across all 6 districts of the capital. The works were exhibited during the three days of the event at Hala Laminor, and visitors were able to vote for them using unique QR codes displayed next to each project. The students were awarded products and experiences to enjoy with their classmates, thanks to the project’s partners: Acer, Aqirys, Asus, Sound Masters, EDENLAND Park, DESTINY PARK, PPC Blue, Hidroelectrica, and Eurowind Energy. One of the three teams from School No. 97 in Sector 4 received the highest number of votes from ENERGY EXPO® visitors for their work titled The Column of Human Values, which led the voting by a wide margin. The involvement of coordinating teacher Ancuța Stancu and the 8th grade C class students made a real difference, as they were present at the exhibition every day, actively engaging with visitors and telling the story behind the column they created. The winning school will receive a free solar panel and energy storage system donated by ENERGY EXPO® sponsors: WALDEVAR Energy, LONGi, PRIME Batteries Technology, and APERS—the Association for Renewable and Sustainable Energy. The investment’s final value will be determined following the implementation of the project in partnership with City Hall of District 4.
The LOOP Academy initiative represents a significant advancement in promoting environmental education and offers activities for all generations: Gen X, Gen Z, and Gen Y. The LOOP Challenge served as the initial pilot project conducted in middle schools across Bucharest. “Through future projects developed by LOOP Academy, ENERGY EXPO® aims to engage all generations, companies, and NGOs. For the 2026 edition of the exhibition, we are committed to launching new initiatives on the www.loopacademy.xyz platform that will foster social engagement, inclusion, the principles of the 3Rs: Reduce–Reuse–Recycle, environmental responsibility, and the circular economy,” stated Mirela Secan, Project Coordinator of ENERGY EXPO®.
ENERGY EXPO mobile app and TREASURE HUNT winners
In the lead-up to the ENERGY EXPO® event, combined with the three days of the exhibition, the dedicated mobile app climbed to 7th place in the App Store’s business category and ranked 58th on Google Play. Using the ENERGY EXPO® mobile app, visitors received free access to Hala Laminor between May 22–24. Through the app, they were able to vote for the LOOP Challenge competition projects and scan QR codes for the second edition of the ENERGY EXPO® TREASURE HUNT. The awarding of this year’s grand prizes—a TODOME carport with Tiger Neo photovoltaic panels and a Huawei 3KW inverter provided by Solar Today, a PULSAR PRO charging station from PPC Blue, a Garmin Enduro3 smartwatch, a Huawei GT 5 smartwatch, and five mRing MR100 smart rings from Maxcom—was completed after the event by verifying the 65 registered participants. Exhibitors were not eligible to participate in the competition, ensuring fair opportunities for all attending visitors.
CleanTech Hackathon @ENERGY EXPO 2025
YellowGrid, WiseWatts, and Procesio are the tech startups that won the CleanTech Hackathon 2025 – the first event dedicated to innovators, startups, and scaleups from Southeast Europe developing technologies and AI-based solutions for the sustainable energy sector. The hackathon took place on May 23–24 as part of ENERGY EXPO® 2025, the largest energy trade fair in the region. The event was organized by Techcelerator, Romania’s longest-running high-tech accelerator, in collaboration with ENERGY EXPO®, Ascendis, the Romanian Tech Startups Association (ROTSA), and with support from the Ministry of Energy and PPC Romania. A total of 130 participants registered for the hackathon, creating 30 solutions, with 14 teams making it to the finals. “The second edition of ENERGY EXPO® naturally integrated the CleanTech Hackathon, and we were truly glad to host such talented young people who worked hard to solve challenges presented by Romanian energy companies and beyond. For the 2026 edition of the exhibition, we aim to provide even better conditions for participants and, together with the Techcelerator team, organize benchmark competitions for the Southeast European energy sector that attract as many international companies as possible,” emphasized Mirela Secan, Chief Event Architect of ENERGY EXPO®. The winners received prizes totaling €22,000—of which €10,000 was awarded in cash and €12,000 in development resources. In addition, honorable mentions were awarded, along with access to pilot projects (Proof of Concepts – PoCs) in collaboration with the companies that supported the event.
Plush Toy “Endless Column” Rises at ENERGY EXPO® 2025
Over 18,200 plush toys were collected between April 15 and May 24, 2025, by the ENERGY EXPO® team to create a unique 10.9-meter-tall reinterpretation of the Endless Column at Hala Laminor. The toys were donated by residents of Bucharest and beyond—friends and partners in good deeds—and online communities quickly mobilized in support. The locations where the modules of the Endless Column were installed competed to promote the initiative and gather toy donations from visitors. Destiny Park launched the donation campaign. ParkLake Shopping Center set a record by rapidly filling two column modules, while the Yellow Tree and Cubic Center office buildings, along with PPC headquarters and IKEA, contributed significantly by collecting toys from employees and donating new ones as well. From May 22 to 24, access to ENERGY EXPO® was also granted in exchange for donations. The funds collected were used by the “Taxiul cu Bomboane” Association to sanitize all the plush toys gathered during this period. Beginning June 1, these toys are being distributed to less fortunate children
Sustainable Advertising on Bucharest’s Streets
For the second consecutive year, the ENERGY EXPO® team chose to promote the largest energy trade fair in Southeast Europe through a comprehensive advertising campaign: TV broadcasts on Antena 3 CNN, including commercials, live coverage, and reports, as well as through the A3 CNN Studio set up at the event; advertisements, newsletters, social media posts and events; displays on metro screens and LED street billboards; and in an innovative way—sustainable street ads on the asphalt of Bucharest. Internationally known as reverse graffiti, these sustainable ads targeted sidewalks in high-traffic areas of Bucharest, metro entrances, public transport stations, markets, major boulevards, and even… pedestrian crossings. The stencil marking process was completely non-invasive, using only high-pressure water without any detergents or other environmentally harmful substances. Given that, unfortunately, the asphalt in Bucharest is quite dirty, the marks left behind were highly visible to pedestrians across the city’s districts.
From October 9 to 11, 2025, the ENERGY EXPO® team will host a new event called ConnectING Careers, which will be held at Romaero. This event will provide valuable support for the Romanian job market and beyond, featuring job opportunities in various key sectors, career growth options, entrepreneurship, and franchising.
We thank all ENERGY EXPO® partners and collaborators for their continued involvement, and we are proud that, together, we have managed to lay the foundation of a landmark event and deliver two successful editions for the energy sector in Southeast Europe in less than a year!
We look forward to seeing you at ENERGY EXPO® 2026!
More details on dates and location will be announced soon.
For more information: Mirela Secan | +40 722 26 66 10 | mirela.secan@energyexpo.ro
