Setting the Stage for UNITI expo 2026
In this episode of Talks on Mobility, we gather three industry insiders for a preview of UNITI expo 2026 [https://www.uniti-expo.de/es/], the leading service station and car wash trade fair in Europe, taking place May 19–21 in Stuttgart. Peter Hack (Hack AG), Juan Carlos Quintero (PWM), and Ben Boroewitsch (com-a-tec & UNITI expo), share their perspectives on what to expect from the biggest edition yet, and what it says about an industry in transformation.
The episode paints a clear picture of a sector in structural transition. Convenience retail has overtaken car wash as the fastest-growing segment since 2022, with operators increasingly seeking integrated technology solutions rather than standalone products. Peter Hack highlighted how customers a looking for premium food services with technology and private label having a big impact.
UNITI expo has been on a journey from a regional petroleum retail trade fair in 2014 to what he now describes as an event for the full mobility ecosystem, reflecting how dramatically the industry itself has changed. Ben expressed particular excitement about the expanded Future Mobility Lounge, which he sees as a sign of the growing appetite for alternative fuels and next-generation mobility solutions.
The international dimension of UNITI expo has also become one of its defining features, with technology attracting operators from all over the world. The speakers converged on the same insight: that in a B2B world built on trust, nothing replaces meeting face to face.
Peter Hack
Hack is CEO of Hack AG, one of Germany's leading manufacturers of bakery and pastry products for the mobility and convenience sector. Under his leadership, Hack AG has become a trusted partner to major international forecourt and convenience retail networks. Hack AG is also the company behind the genussGARTEN, the iconic food court experience that has become one of the most celebrated features of UNITI expo, bringing high-end convenience food concepts to the heart of the trade show floor.
"The combination of knowledge transfer, networking, culinary delights — and for me the great after-show parties — makes for a very, very interesting mix in this short time."
"The market on the petrol station and the food service side is looking more and more to high-end convenience products. The same quality you'd expect anywhere else, now in a ready meal."
Juan Carlos Quintero
Quintero is Sales Director at PWM, a global supplier of electronic price displays and customer journey solutions for the service station industry. A seasoned industry traveller with deep knowledge of forecourt markets across multiple continents, Quintero drives the international business of PWM. From Alaska to Australia, PWM's electronic price signs can be found in over 120 countries worldwide.
"UNITI expo is big enough to have a lot of impressions of technology and new ideas, but also small enough to do good quality networking. It's the perfect size."
"If you are a gas station, you cannot be quiet. The future is uncertain. They have to change, they have to move, they have to look for cooperation — not only a product, but a full-service solution."
Ben Boroewitsch
Boroewitsch is CEO of com-a-tec, a full-service communications agency based in southwest Germany with three decades of experience in brand strategy, media production, and B2B marketing across technical and industrial sectors. As co-organizer of UNITI expo, he has played a central role in building the event into Europe's leading trade fair for the service station and car wash industries. A driving force behind its international expansion strategy, Boroewitsch has helped transform UNITI expo from a regional petroleum retail show into a global mobility ecosystem platform
"It's the biggest UNITI expo in history.
