Navexpo is France's specialist maritime innovation trade show, held annually in June at the Port de Lorient in Brittany. The 2026 edition (2-4 June) marked the event's tenth anniversary, attracting 120 exhibitors and more than 1,200 visitors. Its signature "Dynamic Expo" combines a conventional exhibition with live demonstrations of vessels, maritime drones (USV, UUV, ROV, UAV), and sea trials on the water, serving both civil and military maritime professionals.
Navexpo is an annual French maritime trade show dedicated to maritime innovation, including civil, dual-use, and military applications. It is held at the Port de Lorient Centre in Brittany, typically in early June. The organiser is Le Bureau Naval (SIRET 813 846 417), based in Lorient. The 2026 edition, running 2-4 June, was the tenth anniversary of the event. Unlike larger maritime shows, Navexpo is deliberately compact and practice-oriented, combining a business exhibition area with a "Dynamic Expo" involving live waterborne demonstrations.
Navexpo was founded in Lorient, historically the home port of the French Navy's Atlantic Fleet and a centre of French naval shipbuilding (Naval Group, OCEA, Zodiac Milpro). The show started as a civil-maritime B2B fair and progressively incorporated State Action at Sea and defence themes over successive editions, reflecting the growing overlap between autonomous maritime systems and naval operations. By its sixth or seventh edition, unmanned maritime platforms (USV, UUV, ROV, UAV) had become the event's fastest-growing segment, growing from three drone companies in 2022 to approximately twenty by 2026.
The 2026 edition was Navexpo's tenth anniversary. It achieved 120 exhibitors, a 10% increase on 2025, and more than 1,200 registered visitors. The Dynamic Expo component saw a 40% increase in waterside exhibitors compared to 2025, with the pontoon area at capacity. The organiser indicated that future editions will require wider and more robust pontoon infrastructure to accommodate the growing demand from naval shipyards and autonomous system manufacturers. Notable 2026 exhibitors included Zodiac Milpro (unveiling the SRA USV, a hybrid autonomous/crewed RIB developed with SeaOwl), OCEA, Sirehna (Naval Group subsidiary), JFA Naval, and Wisamo Michelin (retractable wing-sail demonstrator). The show also featured environmental applications such as EFINOR Sea Cleaner's USV Mass Cleaner pollution drone.
Navexpo occupies the first week of June, making it one of the earliest maritime events in the European summer calendar. It runs well before Euronaval (Paris, October, even years), SMM Hamburg (September, even years), and well after Oceanology International (February/March). Its compact Lorient location and focus on live waterborne demonstration give it a niche that larger shows cannot easily replicate. The Brittany-Atlantique maritime technology cluster (Pole Mer Bretagne Atlantique) and GICAN (France's naval industry grouping) are institutional partners, lending it credibility with the French naval-industrial community.
Visitors are maritime professionals from the civil and military sectors: naval architects, procurement officers from the French Navy and DGA (Direction Generale de l'Armement), operators and decision-makers from commercial shipping, port authorities, coast guards, and the fishing industry. Research institutions, including Universite Bretagne Sud, attend and exhibit. International visitors are present but the show is predominantly French and broadly Western European. The compact format (around 1,200 visitors over three days) means the audience is highly qualified and engagement per exhibitor is high.
Navexpo combines two co-located elements. The main exhibition area is set under marquees along the quay, hosting company stands for equipment manufacturers, system integrators, and service providers. The Dynamic Expo is the event's signature: vessels are moored afloat with on-board visits and can conduct sea trials and short demonstrations in the port basin. Maritime drones (USV, UUV, ROV, UAV) operate in live conditions from the pontoons, allowing technical comparison and hands-on assessment. A conference programme runs alongside the exhibition, covering innovation in maritime technology, decarbonisation, and dual-use systems.
| Edition | 10th anniversary |
| Dates | 2-4 June 2026 |
| Exhibitors | 120 (+10% vs 2025) |
| Visitors | more than 1,200 |
| Dynamic Expo growth | +40% waterside exhibitors vs 2025 |
| Drone companies exhibiting (approx.) | 20 |
Both. Navexpo covers the full spectrum from commercial maritime equipment and decarbonisation solutions to dual-use technologies and outright military systems. The audience mix includes French Navy procurement officers and defence SMEs alongside commercial shipbuilders, port operators, and research institutions.
The Dynamic Expo puts vessels and drones on the water in real operating conditions. Attendees can board vessels, observe sea trials, and see autonomous systems demonstrate their capabilities live in the port basin. This provides a technical depth that a stand-and-banner exhibition cannot replicate, particularly valuable for buyers and specifiers evaluating performance.
No. The 2026 exhibitor list includes international companies such as EvoLogics (acoustic underwater communications), Maritime Robotics, and equipment suppliers from across Europe. The event is conducted predominantly in French but exhibitors communicate in English with international visitors.
Port de Lorient Centre, 10 rue Jean Stephan, 56100 Lorient, France. The exhibition uses the commercial port area along the quayside in central Lorient, with marquees on the quay and floating pontoons for the Dynamic Expo. Lorient is served by Lorient Bretagne Sud Airport (LRT), with connections to Paris Orly (Air France/HOP). By rail, Lorient is on the Paris Montparnasse to Quimper TGV line, approximately 3 hours from Paris. The city is also accessible by road via the N165 expressway.
Navexpo is organised by Le Bureau Naval (SIRET 813 846 417 00026), a private event company based at 10 rue Jean Stephan, 56100 Lorient. The show is supported by the Brittany Region, French maritime clusters (Pole Mer Bretagne Atlantique, Cluster Maritime Francais, GICAN), Lorient Agglomeration, and the French Ministry of the Sea. The organiser keeps the event deliberately compact and community-focused, resisting the tendency to expand beyond the port's physical capacity.
Navexpo is France's most kinetic maritime trade show: its Dynamic Expo puts working USVs, UUVs, and naval craft in the water for live trials that no conference hall can replicate.
Professional visitor registration is via navexpo.com/fr/visiteur (French-language form). Registration is free for qualified maritime professionals. Exhibitor applications are via a contact form on the Navexpo website. Ticket pricing for non-professional visitors and the full cost structure are not disclosed publicly.
By air: Lorient Bretagne Sud Airport (LRT) with connections to Paris Orly. By rail: TGV Paris Montparnasse to Lorient (approximately 3 hours). By car: N165 expressway from Rennes (approximately 1.5 hours) or Nantes (approximately 1.5 hours). The Port de Lorient Centre is in the city centre, walkable from the train station.
The primary working language is French. Most exhibitor staff speak English. The conference programme is predominantly in French. International visitors are accommodated but should expect a French-first environment.
The 2026 edition (June 2-4) was the most recent. Navexpo runs annually; the 2027 edition date had not been announced as of June 2026. Check navexpo.com for updates.
| Official website | https://navexpo.com/en/ |
| https://www.linkedin.com/company/navexpo-international | |
| X | not disclosed |
| Register | https://navexpo.com/fr/visiteur |
| Programme | https://navexpo.com/en/les-conferences |