Independent, neutral and global: Eptex creates a common data language for equipment, enabling the digital exchange of lists, enquiries and quotations – AED Rent, A-Rental, mediaPro International, Christie Lites and other companies are already taking part
Hamburg, November 2026 – An international team has developed a platform with the potential to fundamentally change how companies in the event technology industry work together: Eptex (Event & Production Technology Exchange) has entered its soft-launch phase. Its aim is to significantly simplify all the processes that precede equipment being used on site. Equipment lists, enquiries, quotations, data exchange and research can be handled digitally and much faster. Eptex is operated by an independent, neutral team. The platform is free to use.
The challenge: limited visibility and no common data language
The range of event technology equipment has become so extensive that keeping track of available products and where to source them is increasingly difficult. Almost every company in the industry needs to hire additional equipment, either occasionally or regularly, and finding a suitable supplier is time-consuming.
Processing these requests creates further challenges: each company uses different names and codes for the same equipment, with no standardised coding system in place. Equipment lists are therefore often copied into emails and sent to suppliers, who must manually interpret every line. For extensive lists, this can take several days. The lack of a common data framework has held back the industry’s digitalisation for years. A solution can only come from an independent, neutral organisation with no vested interests in the market, with which all parties can work.
The solution: a universal translation table
Eptex takes on this role. At its core is a central database covering professional event technology equipment: products from more than 1,500 manufacturers and brands, organised into over 200 categories. Participating companies match their inventories and equipment names to this database through a process known as “mapping”, supported by artificial intelligence. This enables companies to exchange data without having to change their internal systems. Lists no longer need to be interpreted manually and can instead be imported directly.
What this means for the industry
- Targeted equipment searches: users can find out what equipment is available and where to source it, including searches based on specific technical requirements.
- Better responses to customer requirements: when a customer describes the features they need, rental companies can automatically identify and offer suitable equipment from their inventory.
- Digital enquiries and quotations: these can be transmitted electronically and imported automatically.
- Reduced day-to-day workload: research and routine manual tasks are largely eliminated, easing the burden on teams.
Many additional features are in development.
All business transactions take place exclusively between the companies involved. Eptex does not act as a contracting party.
Interfaces: increasingly automated workflows
Open application programming interfaces (APIs) are provided to integrate existing rental management software. These are intended to automate further workflows in the future: incoming enquiries can be imported digitally, removing the need to retype pages of equipment lists. Electronic availability checks are also planned. A company requests a specific quantity of equipment and receives confirmation of whether it is available. Inventory quantities are not disclosed. The aim is to eliminate duplicate data entry and enable seamless data exchange between the industry’s systems.
Fair competition: no prices and no public tenders
Eptex deliberately does not display prices or support public tenders. The platform is designed exclusively for direct communication between market participants. Any other approach would put further pressure on an already challenging market. Eptex is also taking steps to prevent unnecessary and poorly targeted enquiries. The aim is to support fair cooperation between all parties.
Used equipment: global listings and cross-platform distribution
As a global platform intended to cover the full range of available equipment, Eptex also includes used equipment worldwide. Companies can offer equipment from their inventories for sale without having to re-enter product information already stored in the database. Listings can be published in just a few steps or prepared for a later date, for example when equipment is still being used on an ongoing production.
Cooperation with other used equipment platforms is expressly encouraged. The vision is a two-way exchange: equipment listed on Eptex would also appear on other platforms, while listings from those platforms would be discoverable on Eptex. Platform operators interested in participating are invited to get involved. Sales of new equipment are not a core focus of the platform.
A global channel for visibility and communication
Eptex also serves as a worldwide communication and advertising channel for the event technology industry, specifically targeting an international professional audience. Manufacturers, rental companies and dealers can showcase their brands, products and offers, reaching the decision-makers who research, specify and source equipment. Paid advertising provides the platform’s funding model. For users, the platform is free.
Established companies are already taking part
The first companies to commit to participating include AED Rent, one of Europe’s largest dry-hire providers; A-Rental from Poland, the market leader in Eastern Europe; mediaPro International, the market leader in the Middle East; and Christie Lites, one of the leading lighting equipment providers in the United States, alongside other businesses of various sizes.
Eptex expects to integrate several hundred supplier equipment lists over the coming months. Each list expands the database and broadens the platform’s offering. The platform is already operational, with new features being added continuously in response to extensive industry feedback. The team plans to progressively reach out to more than 100,000 companies worldwide, representing hundreds of thousands of industry professionals, as well as more than 1,000 designers and specialist planners.
The team: first-hand industry experience
The people behind Eptex have many years of experience in event technology and understand the industry’s challenges from their own day-to-day work. Hamburg-based elbgoods is a shareholder and development partner. The company has already developed and internationally expanded several platforms for the events industry. These include the eventbook.com group, incorporating eventlocations.com, which reports around three million visitors per year.
Free participation
Rental companies, production service providers and used equipment dealers can register free of charge now, link their inventories to the product catalogue and make their offerings accessible to an international professional audience. Manufacturers, rental software providers and operators of used equipment platforms are also invited to collaborate.
Eptex CEO Morten Carlsson comments: “Having worked actively in the industry for many years, I know where time is lost in organisation and planning, and what is needed to make colleagues’ jobs easier. These experiences are shaping the development of Eptex. I am convinced that we are on the right track to deliver a practical solution that supports our industry and frees up more time for the work itself.”
Further information and registration: www.eptex.com
About Eptex
Based in Hamburg, Eptex (Event & Production Technology Exchange) operates an independent, neutral online platform for professional event technology. It provides a common framework for equipment data, connects suppliers and customers worldwide, and simplifies companies’ workflows, including equipment lists, enquiries, quotations and data exchange. It also serves as a global communication and advertising channel reaching an international professional audience. Its main areas of focus are equipment rental and used equipment trading. Eptex does not display prices or support public tenders, and promotes fair cooperation between market participants. The team behind Eptex is independent and neutral: it is beholden to no one and holds no stakes in any manufacturer, rental company or software provider. The platform is free to use and funded through advertising. Its shareholder and development partner is elbgoods, which operates several digital platforms for the events industry.
Eptex GmbH
Alter Wall 69
D-20457 Hamburg, Germany
Contact: Morten Carlsson
email: mcarlsson@eptex.com
Website: www.eptex.com
Press contacts:
Hamburg, Germany: Hannes Zimmermann, hzimmermann@eptex.com
Los Angeles, USA: Nils Carlsson, ncarlsson@eptex.com
Hong Kong, China: Derek Au, dau@eptex.co
