UNITI expo 2026: General Review
Stuttgart hosted another landmark edition of UNITI expo, and MobilityPlaza was there for all of it. Here is our General Review of the show.
UNITI expo 2026 delivered. The trade show closed its doors having set records across the board: 604 exhibitors, over 20,500 attendees from 114 countries, and a newly expanded footprint of 45,000 m². The Future Mobility Lounge, doubled in size to 2,000 m², drew some of the most animated conversations of the week, and the conference programme collectively delivered more than 80 expert presentations to over 2,800 attendees.
Across three intense days on the show floor, the event made clear that the fuel retail and mobility sector is in the middle of a fundamental transformation, one driven by data, artificial intelligence, and a growing demand for seamless customer experiences.
Nowhere was that shift more visible than in the conversation around operational intelligence. Titan Cloud captured the mood: "We have a lot more data now, and that's a great asset for the operator. But what is even more important is how we take the data and change it into intelligence and insight, giving operators real-time visibility into inventory, alarms, alerts and maintenance issues, all in one platform, so they can make decisions quickly and accurately."
That drive toward consolidation and predictability ran through almost every conversation on the show floor. With macroeconomic pressures, regulatory complexity, and the energy transition all bearing down simultaneously, operators are looking to reduce supplier numbers, streamline workflows, and trust their technology partners with an ever-wider slice of their business.
The food and convenience offer emerged as another central battleground. Circle K shared how it is rethinking the forecourt stop as a moment of genuine experience with quality coffee, food variety, and a broader retail proposition now firmly at the centre of its Germany strategy. Franke Coffee Systems pointed to the rising consumer demand for variety and quality, announcing a new AI-driven coffee line designed to deliver exactly that in a convenient format. Meanwhile, Aryzta Food Solutions highlighted the opportunity to bring retail gastronomy, one of Germany's few genuinely growing food service segments, into the mobility channel.
On the technology side, WashTec showcased its Washnow platform, enabling customers to purchase and initiate a car wash directly from in-car entertainment systems. PDI Technologies, Big Brother and The AI Corporation spoke to a broader maturation in how the sector approaches AI: moving away from peripheral analytics and into the operational core, with a human-in-the-loop model increasingly seen as the right design as European regulators demand greater explainability of automated decisions.
This video report, sponsored by Titan Cloud, captures key insights and innovations from UNITI expo 2026, featuring perspectives from Circle K, Franke Coffee Systems, Big Brother, WashTec, PDI Technologies, The AI Corporation, Aryzta Food Solutions, and other leading players across the mobility and convenience ecosystem. The next edition takes place in Stuttgart, May 2028.
