Atlanta will become a major meeting point between Italy and the Southeastern United States this September as the Made in Italy Expo 2026 returns with an expanded program combining business, innovation, technology, culture, design and institutional exchange.
Scheduled for September 22–27, 2026, the Made in Italy Expo is designed to go well beyond the traditional concept of an Italian cultural festival or trade show. Its objective is to create a permanent platform connecting Italian companies, institutions and emerging innovators with the rapidly expanding economic ecosystem of Georgia and the Southeast.
The 2026 program follows the Expo's successful introductory edition in 2025, which attracted more than 2,000 participants and showcased Italian companies already contributing to Georgia's economy.
Liguria Takes Center Stage
One of the most significant elements of this year's program will be the participation of an institutional and business delegation from the Liguria Region, bringing government representatives, business leaders, port authority executives and economic-development stakeholders to Atlanta.
The connection between Liguria and Georgia is particularly compelling. Both territories occupy strategic positions in their respective markets, with sophisticated port and logistics infrastructures and economies increasingly focused on innovation and international commerce. The Expo intends to use the delegation's visit as a starting point for relationships that can continue well beyond the event itself.
Rather than simply presenting Ligurian products to an American audience, the initiative is designed to introduce the Liguria economic ecosystem to Georgia and create practical opportunities for companies and institutions on both sides of the Atlantic.
JAS Forwarding: An Italian Success Story with Global Roots in Atlanta
Playing a prominent role in the 2026 Made in Italy Expo is JAS Forwarding, one of the program's main sponsors and a particularly fitting partner for an initiative built around strengthening connections between Italy and Georgia.
Founded in Milan in 1978, JAS developed into a global freight forwarding and logistics organization before moving its worldwide headquarters to Atlanta. Its history therefore embodies precisely the kind of Italy-to-Georgia business connection the Made in Italy Expo seeks to encourage.
Today, JAS's global headquarters are located in Atlanta, reinforcing the city's importance as an international transportation and logistics center because Italian excellence is well represented also by logistics, advanced manufacturing, engineering, technology and sophisticated business services. JAS was already highlighted during the development of the Made in Italy Expo as one of the Italian-rooted companies helping strengthen Georgia's position as a major logistics hub.
From Italian Startups to Atlanta's Innovation Ecosystem
Another major component of the 2026 Expo is focused on the future of Made in Italy.
In collaboration with local public and private universities, entrepreneurship programs and accelerator hubs, the Made in Italy Expo is developing a bridge between innovative Italian companies and Atlanta's rapidly growing technology, research and investment ecosystem.
The initiative represents a significant evolution of the traditional international trade-show model.
The result is intended to be an Italy–Atlanta innovation pipeline capable of generating internships, research collaborations, accelerator opportunities, investment conversations, commercial partnerships and potentially the establishment of new Italian companies in Georgia.
Building a Permanent Bridge Between Italy and the Southeast
Ultimately, the ambition behind the Made in Italy Expo extends beyond September.
The goal is to establish Atlanta as a strategic gateway for Italian companies seeking to enter or expand in the United States, while simultaneously giving Georgia companies, institutions, investors, students and consumers greater access to Italy's extraordinary network of businesses, technologies, territories and creative talent.
The presence of the Liguria Region institutional delegation, the leadership and support of internationally established companies such as JAS Forwarding, and the growing collaboration with Atlanta's universities, innovation centers and accelerator ecosystem demonstrate how the Expo is evolving from an annual event into an economic-development platform.
