Renovation, resource efficiency, wellness, public and commercial pools... From 17 to 20 November, Piscine Global returns to Eurexpo Lyon with a buoyant French market and an industry undergoing major change. On the programme: the heads of four global industry giants sharing the same stage, an innovation Pitch Battle, a dedicated Aqualie day for public and commercial pools, and even a traditional Lyonnais mâchon to round things off in style. Here's your guide and request your free badge.
The pool market enters a new cycle shaped by renovation, resource efficiency, innovation and new uses
A market with reasons to smile again!
Before talking about the show, let's (re)visit the figures: France now has nearly 3.7 million private pools and recorded more than 90,600 new installations in 2025. Better still, sales and projects increased by 12% in the first quarter of 2026. These figures from the FPP were presented on 15 September during the show's launch press conference.
The industry also represents EUR2.8 billion in turnover, 60,000 direct and indirect jobs and nearly 1,700 companies. On an annual basis, turnover is up 2.8%, while the number of signed pool projects has increased by 9%. Enough to reinforce France's position as Europe's leading market and the world's third-largest market.
For Stéphane Figueroa, President of the FPP, the pool is no longer a luxury but a way of life: "Beyond the figures, it is a whole lifestyle that is being expressed: the pool has become part of everyday life, at the heart of expectations around wellness, conviviality and sustainability." He is also looking further ahead, particularly towards public and commercial pools, "where the needs remain significant and strategic for our communities".
+12% in sales and projects in the first quarter of 2026 (source: FPP)
Build, renovate, modernise, optimise
The first driving force behind this edition? The pool lifecycle. The market is no longer focused solely on new construction. With 3.7 million pools already installed, many of them several decades old, renovation has become one of the industry's main growth drivers. Ageing liners, outdated filtration systems, energy-hungry pumps: the existing pool stock represents considerable potential.
The second driver is resource efficiency. Faced with rising water and energy costs, customers want pools that consume less, are easier to maintain, can be controlled remotely and optimise their performance on a day-to-day basis. "The first questions private customers ask concern energy and water efficiency, and ease of use. What applies to renovation also applies to new pools," explains Alexandra Moncorgé, Director of Piscine Global.
Alexandra Moncorgé
The third driver is wellness. Long regarded as an add-on to the pool, the spa is finally becoming a project in its own right. In an uncertain economic climate, French consumers are choosing to invest in their homes and lifestyles, benefiting the home wellness market. "Wellness is becoming a pillar of the market; it is no longer simply one of its components," stresses Alexandra Moncorgé. One clear sign is the return of Jacuzzi Group to the show, four years after its first participation. Its EMEA President, Elwin de Valk, intends to use the event to "support the development of [the company's] dealer network across Europe".
2027-2028 trends: heat, nature... and budgets
Want to know what tomorrow's pools will look like? Head to the Pool Arena on Thursday 19 November at 4 pm. Manuel Rucar, founder of trend consultancy Chlorosphere, will present an exclusive foresight study based around three major challenges: living well with heat, living well with nature and living well within our means.
In practical terms? To deal with heat, high-albedo finishes -- surfaces capable of reflecting sunlight rather than absorbing it -- can help limit overheating, alongside passive thermal regulation solutions. On the nature side, expect organic design, biodesign, minimalism and raw materials around the pool. And when it comes to budgets, the focus is on a pragmatic approach favouring eco-efficiency, more virtuous filtration circuits and low-carbon structures.
And in terms of style? The trend forecaster points to smaller pools, dominant sand tones and increasingly dark water shades.
Users are no longer simply looking for a pool, but for genuine harmony with their environment. - Manuel Rucar, Chlorosphere
Pool Innovation Awards: five minutes to convince
A major new feature for 2026 is the Pitch Battle. On Wednesday 18 November, from 10 am to 12.25 pm, ten shortlisted companies will take turns on the Pool Arena stage. Each will have just five minutes to defend its innovation before a panel of experts. No 40-slide PowerPoint presentation, no digressions: they will need to grab attention, get straight to the point and prove that their product can make a difference.
The verdict will come that same evening at 5.15 pm. Five distinctions will be awarded: first, second and third prize, the Sustainable Innovation Award and the Audience Favourite Award. And innovation will not stop with the competition: the show is announcing more than 130 new products and solutions. Visitors will be able to discover them on the Pool Showcase in the Trends Hub, in Hall 4, or directly on exhibitors' stands. A guided tour of the nominated innovations is also planned.
A quick reminder for those who enjoy making predictions: in 2024, first prize went to the Floatee anti-drowning T-shirt, second prize to Fluidra's Sandbag filter media, which also won the Sustainable Innovation Award, third prize to Novpool's Clean Water Tab, while CCEI's Vigiline won the Audience Favourite Award. Who will succeed them?
Pool Arena: four days to understand the industry
At the heart of Hall 5, the Pool Arena will set the pace throughout the show with conferences, round tables and award ceremonies. Each day has its own theme. Discover the full programme.
Tuesday 17: "Market & industry vision". The show opens at 10 am, followed by the FPP press conference from 11 am to 12.45 pm, including the presentation of the Pool and Spa Awards. At 3.45 pm, WAPSA, the World Alliance of Pool and Spa Associations, will call for greater collaboration around market data, with Anne-Claire Marquet (FPP) and Chris Hayes (BSPF, United Kingdom). The day will end at 4.45 pm with the EUSA Awards ceremony, led by Agustí Ferrer (ASOFAP, Spain).
The 2026 EUSA Awards ceremony, held during Piscine Global in Lyon, will celebrate Europe's finest pool projects. This year, EuroSpaPoolNews is an event partner and sponsor of the "Domestic Pools by Night" category, which showcases pools enhanced by outstanding night-time lighting.
Wednesday 18: "Innovation & new models". After the morning Pitch Battle, attention turns to marketing at 1.15 pm: how can a brand stand out in the age of influence? Margot Bertrand (White Mirror), our own Pauline Kara Mikinda (Motema Conseils) and Lisa Sergent (LS Communication) will share their answers. Then comes one of the major highlights at 4 pm with Pool Horizons -- more on that below -- before the Pool Innovation Awards ceremony.
Thursday 19: "Trends & transformation". At 11 am, Julien Estier (Link's) will explore how to understand and manage younger generations, a real challenge for companies struggling to recruit. At 12.15 pm, landscape designers Elodie Wehrlen (Côté Outdoor) and Anne Cabrol will explain how pools are now shaping garden design. At 4 pm, Chlorosphere will present its 2027-2028 trends. And at 5 pm, Yannick Socquet (Sociaty) will show how to move "from curiosity to strategy" with artificial intelligence.
Pool Horizons: industry giants take the stage
This is THE session to put in your diary. On Wednesday 18 November, from 4 pm to 5 pm, Pool Horizons will bring together Cedrik Mayer-Klenk (CEO of CF Group), Jaime Ramírez (CEO of Fluidra), Kevin Holleran (President and CEO of Hayward) and Grégory Claffey (President of Pentair Pool) on the same stage. Four global heavyweights, one microphone. It is not something you see every day.
Pool Horizons is a global initiative launched in 2023, bringing together manufacturers and stakeholders from the aquatic sector around one simple question: what role does the pool play in society? Health, social connection, drowning prevention, sustainability... In Lyon, Ricard Madurell and Christopher Pound, who lead the project, will present the first results of a pilot study, the Global Aquatic Social Impact Framework. The study was conducted in France, Spain and the United States, with contributions from Anne-Claire Marquet (FPP), Agustí Ferrer (ASOFAP) and Sabeena Hickman (PHTA, United States).
The objective? To finally measure the social impact of pools with figures to back it up. For an industry regularly criticised during periods of drought, this could provide a powerful argument when engaging with public authorities and the wider public.
The heads of CF Group, Fluidra, Hayward and Pentair Pool on the same stage: you do not see that every day!
Who will be there?
Nearly 600 exhibitors, more than 1,200 brands and 11 exhibition sectors: the hardest part will be choosing where to start. Exhibitors are coming from 37 countries, with Europeans accounting for 79% of international exhibitors, according to figures available on 15 September 2026. The offering covers the entire value chain, from construction and water treatment to wellness and commercial pool equipment. A useful tip: prepare your visit using the Piscine Connect app, which allows you to arrange meetings with exhibitors before you even arrive in Lyon.
Among the newcomers are a few unexpected names. First, Michelin Inflatable Solutions, which develops high-performance inflatable solutions and will present tools designed to make on-site work safer and optimise project lead times. Then there is Ilkott, with ergonomic technical clothing for professionals working in the field. Discover the full list of exhibitors.
For comparison, the 2024 edition welcomed more than 24,000 professionals, nearly 42% of them international visitors from 113 countries. There were almost 1,000 exhibitors and brands, more than 62% of them international and representing 32 countries (GL events figures, December 2024). The bar is high.
Aqualie: a day dedicated to commercial and public pools
On Thursday 19 November, Hall 6.3 will focus on commercial and public pools with Aqualie, a dedicated day for decision-makers. Local authorities, operators, project owners, technical managers, aquatic centre managers, campsites, hotels and thermal centres: everyone involved in designing, renovating or managing pools for collective use has a reason to attend. Access is reserved for exhibitors and qualified visitor profiles.
And the scale of the task is considerable. France has more than 4,000 public swimming pools spread across over 3,000 municipalities. Added to these are around 30 major water parks, more than 110 thermal establishments and several thousand privately managed pools for collective use. Many are ageing, while their managers must balance tight budgets, increasingly stringent health requirements and soaring energy bills.
"Commercial and public pools are currently going through a pivotal period," confirms Sylvain Bonneau, Public Pool Market Manager at Sorodist. "The ecological transition requires water and energy consumption to be reduced, while regulatory requirements relating to water quality are becoming more stringent." For Christophe Morissoneau, a member of the FPP's Public and Commercial Pools Commission, local authorities are dealing with ageing facilities, "but solutions can be found if they receive the right support".
The programme is firmly focused on practical issues:
- 10 am: towards compliance with EN 15288, including implementation of the decree of 20 February 2026, changes to pool draining requirements, digitalisation of inspections and ATP testing for surface hygiene control.
- 11.30 am: round table on renovation, with feedback and experience sharing between France (Talence and Liffré-Cormier) and Finland (Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall in Helsinki), as well as the San Marino Olympic Committee.
- 2 pm: developments in mechanical water treatment standards.
- 3.30 pm: Type B pools -- campsites, hotels, balneotherapy and thalassotherapy facilities -- and how to combine regulatory compliance with lower operating costs.
- 4.45 pm: presentation of a best-in-class project by Pool Horizons, centred on a French public swimming pool.
Networking coffee breaks between each session will provide further opportunities for discussion. Discover the full Aqualie programme.
Aqualie is much more than simply being present at a trade show; it represents a commitment to the entire commercial and public pool sector. - Yoann Chouraqui
They are exhibiting at Aqualie, and here is what they have to say:
- Aquacomet - Ghada Ben Abdallah: "As a manufacturer of pool enclosures for public facilities, as well as mini fibreglass pools, we support public-sector stakeholders in moving towards more sustainable and efficient facilities."
- FITT MC - Vincent Leduc: "Aqualie is much more than an exhibition area: it is a genuine meeting point for the entire industry."
- Bio-UV - Hélène Phillippe: "Aqualie is a unique opportunity to share our expertise and listen to feedback from the field."
- Hexagone - Yoann Chouraqui: "We have a responsibility to provide elected representatives and facility managers with tools that are equal to the challenges they face today."
- Nextpool - Cédric Gulino: "The challenges are real and urgent: controlling energy costs, optimising water and chemical consumption, and ensuring impeccable water quality while complying with regulations."
Learning to swim: a public health issue
Aqualie is also an opportunity to highlight an uncomfortable reality: when they enter the first year of secondary school, only 66% of pupils have obtained the official swimming proficiency certificate. By the end of that first year, the figure rises to 83%, with significant disparities between regions (figures cited at the 15 September press conference, source: Le Dauphiné).
For Éric Poignant, trainer at the Académie de la natation (French Swimming Federation) and Swim'IMPULS Project Manager at Grand Paris Sud, a change of approach is needed. His project, carried out with the City of Dakar and supported by the French Development Agency, installs container pools in schools. Less investment in buildings, lower utility consumption, fewer staff requirements and less school transport. The idea is to "move from an approach centred on the building to one based on a local aquatic service". An approach that could inspire many French municipalities.
The FPP, a long-standing partner
A partner of the show for more than twenty years, the French Federation of Pool and Spa Professionals will, as always, be at the forefront. One highlight will be its press conference on Tuesday 17 November, from 11 am to 12.45 pm on the Pool Arena. The federation will present the latest market developments and outlook, and award the 2026 Pool and Spa Awards, with 17 categories, gold and silver medals and a panel of specialist journalists.
Anne-Claire Marquet, General Delegate of the FPP, will also take part in WAPSA on 17 November and the Pool Horizons session on the 18th. Yannick Socquet of Sociaty, who already led an FPP webinar in September on AI for pool professionals, will return to the Pool Arena on 19 November.
The federation arrives in Lyon with a busy agenda. In September, it informed professionals about an alternative ten-year construction insurance solution offered by APRIL Partenaires with Fidelidade, following the confirmed withdrawal of insurer QBE. It has also provided guidance on the Professional Packaging EPR scheme, which comes into force on 1 January 2027. Online Matinées du Piscinier, training sessions and regional meetings: there is certainly no shortage of activity.
Pool Campus: employment and training in the spotlight
Recruitment remains the number-one headache for pool professionals. Co-organised with the FPP, Pool Campus in Hall 5 will bring together training organisations, companies recruiting staff and professionals looking for new opportunities. The programme includes employment consultations and workshops led by experts.
It will also host the final of France's Meilleurs Apprentis de France competition for the pool sector. Four finalists, selected from around fifty apprentices during regional heats, will compete in front of visitors. Come and support them: they are the pool professionals of tomorrow.
And what about the social side?
That is covered too! New for 2026, the Bistrot des Pisciniers in Hall 6.3 replaces the traditional catering area, with the aim of encouraging informal discussions. Over in the Trends Hub, the Bubble Bar offers another place to take a break.
On Thursday 19, the traditional late-night opening is reinvented as the Pool & Groove Party, running until 9 pm with roaming musicians, DJ sets and food trucks. Then on Friday 20, Piscine Global will embrace the flavours of Lyon with the Pool Festival. A traditional Lyonnais mâchon from 9 am to 11 am at Place des Lumières will get the day off to a suitably local start. This will be followed by a cocktail at midday on the Pool Arena and a vinyl bar where everyone can choose their own record. Rosette sausage, cervelle de canut and vinyl records: there are worse ways to round off four days at a trade show!
Visitors and exhibitors can meet the EuroSpaPoolNews team on stand G6B24 and, as at every edition, discover the EuroSpaPoolNews "Special Lyon" magazine, with its three sections -- News, New Products and Spas -- distributed throughout the show.
