IICA Adelaide Technology Expo 2026: What SA Manufacturers Need to Know.

If you run a factory, a food or beverage processing line, or a maintenance team in South Australia, one date worth putting in the calendar is Wednesday 25 November 2026. That's when the IICA Adelaide Technology Expo SA 2026 comes to Adelaide Showground at Wayville, bringing automation, instrumentation, control and industrial technology suppliers and specialists together under one roof.

Here's what the event is, who it suits, and how SA manufacturers can get the most out of an afternoon there.

Event details at a glance

• Event: IICA Adelaide Technology Expo SA 2026
• Date: Wednesday 25 November 2026
• Time: 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM (ACDT)
• Venue: Wayville Pavilion, Adelaide Showground, Goodwood Rd, Wayville SA 5034
• Organiser: Institute of Instrumentation, Control and Automation (IICA)
• Cost: Free visitor registration is available
• Register: IICA Adelaide Technology Expo SA 2026 event page

Registration is through the IICA website, where you sign in or create an account. Online registration closes at 6:00 PM on the day.

What is the IICA Adelaide Technology Expo?

The Institute of Instrumentation, Control and Automation describes the expo as "South Australia's leading automation, instrumentation, control and industrial technology event." Its theme is simple: Connect. Learn. Innovate.

The expo brings together industry professionals, suppliers, manufacturers, engineers and technical specialists. Visitors can explore products and services from technology providers that support Australia's industrial and manufacturing sectors, attend presentations and technical discussions, and network with peers.

According to the organiser, topics include the latest trends in:

• Automation and process control
• Digital transformation
• Industrial communications
• Cybersecurity
• Functional safety
• Process optimisation

Which industries is it for?

IICA lists a broad mix of sectors, which reflects the shape of South Australia's industrial economy:

• Manufacturing
• Food and beverage
• Mining and resources
• Water and wastewater
• Oil and gas
• Energy and utilities
• Defence and infrastructure

For SA food and beverage manufacturers in particular, it's a convenient local chance to see how automation, sensors and control systems are being applied to processing, packaging and quality, without travelling interstate.

Who should attend?

The expo is aimed at automation engineers, control systems engineers, instrument technicians, electrical engineers, reliability and maintenance professionals, operations and production staff, functional safety practitioners, project engineers, engineering managers, and students and emerging professionals.

That said, it's also worth a visit for owners and general managers of SA manufacturing businesses who are weighing up their next technology step. An afternoon at a local expo is a low-cost way to get a feel for what's possible before committing budget.

How to get the most out of the day

A free expo can be a great use of an afternoon, or a blur of brochures. A little preparation helps:

1. Bring one or two real problems. For example: "We still record batch data on paper", "We can't see energy use per line", or "Our quality checks are manual and slow." Ask exhibitors how they'd tackle that specific issue.
2. Think about data, not just hardware. New sensors, PLCs and SCADA systems are most valuable when the data they produce flows into the systems you use to plan, schedule and report, such as your ERP or MES.
3. Ask about integration and support. Find out how a solution connects to what you already run, and who supports it locally in Adelaide.
4. Ask about cybersecurity early. As more plant equipment connects to networks, industrial cybersecurity, one of the expo's listed topics, matters for every size of manufacturer.
5. Bring your team. Maintenance, production and management often see the same problem very differently. Visiting together makes follow-up decisions easier.

Other South Australian support worth knowing about

If the expo sparks ideas, there's local help to explore afterwards:

• Flinders Factory of the Future at Flinders University describes itself as Australia's manufacturing transformation hub. Its programs include a Manufacturing Growth Accelerator Program to help small businesses adopt advanced manufacturing technologies, and an Advanced Manufacturing AI Toolkit with a self-assessment for manufacturing SMEs.
• The SA Government's business.sa.gov.au lists current programs, grants and initiatives for South Australian businesses, along with guidance on digital capability, cyber security and innovation.

How StepSharp helps SA manufacturers

StepSharp is an Adelaide-based team that helps South Australian manufacturers, including food manufacturers, put AI, ERP, MES and IoT to work. We typically help businesses connect plant and production data to the systems they run on, move off spreadsheets and paper, and use AI for practical jobs like quality checks and reporting.

If you come away from the expo with ideas and want a local sounding board on how they could fit your operation, we're happy to have a no-pressure chat.

Key takeaways

• The IICA Adelaide Technology Expo SA 2026 is on Wednesday 25 November 2026, 12–6 PM ACDT, at Wayville Pavilion, Adelaide Showground.
• Free visitor registration is available through the IICA website.
• It covers automation, process control, digital transformation, industrial communications, cybersecurity, functional safety and process optimisation.
• It's relevant to SA manufacturers across food and beverage, defence, energy, water, and mining.

Register for the IICA Adelaide Technology Expo SA 2026

Event details are from the official IICA event page and may change. Please check the event page for the latest information before attending.