The 2026 European Running Business Conference will be held in Porto on 6-8 November, it was confirmed at a press conference in the Portuguese city on Wednesday (11).
It will be the fifth edition of the continent’s premier international conference for running, bringing together race organisers, suppliers, governing bodies, retailers and any delegates or organisations with an interest in the running industry.
Porto Marathon is accompanying event
The event will be hosted in partnership with Run Porto, with the host race the Porto Marathon taking place alongside the conference. It is also being supported by the Portuguese Athletics Federation.
The European Running Business Conference was first held in Frankfurt in 2017 and has since been hosted in Prague (2019) and Stockholm (2022), with this year’s event due to take place in Athens on 8-10 November at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center accompanying the Athens Marathon.
Prestigious venue in a nation of great tradition
Marko Vasic is Director of Alps & Mediterranean Group SA and is responsible for executing and delivering the European Athletics Running Strategy, including European Running Business Conferences.
He said: “As the sport of running continually grows, so does the European Running Business Conference, giving running industry leaders the opportunity to interact with their peers and share best practice. We have already established a pattern of this event being hosted in prestigious venues alongside high quality events.
“Porto in 2026 will be a continuation of that trend and we are looking forward to working with our partners at Run Porto and the Portuguese Athletics Federation to deliver another invaluable European Running Business Conference.”
Thiago Teixeira of Run Porto said: “It is with great satisfaction and pride that we receive the news that Runporto - Porto Marathon has been selected to host the ERBC 2026.
“Portugal has a great tradition in sports, particularly in athletics, with the events held in the city of Porto being a beacon of quality and distinction in running community.
"Just as we do in our races that we passionately organise, we will do everything we can to make ERBC 2026 a success and have a positive impact on everyone involved. Welcome to Porto!”
To find out more about the 2026 European Running Business Conference, please visit the event website.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics
