May 19, 2025 - Plans continue at pace for UNITECR 2025 – the 19th Biennial Unified International Technical Conference on Refractories that will take place at the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa during 27-30 October. Registration opened recently and delegates from all around the world are securing their spots at the event.

UNITECR 2025 President, Daniel Llaguno, commented: “We were absolutely delighted with the response of the international refractories community to our call for papers. We received over 250 abstract submissions and, as a result, there will be around 180 speaker presentations. This is in addition to wide-ranging poster sessions. I am convinced a great event is already assured!”

There has been a positive reaction to the early bird pricing plan, and discounts on both Full and Student attendance remain in place up to 30 June. Prospective attendees can get all the details here: www.unitecr2025.com/participants.

Daniel Llaguno said: “We saw what the longstanding reputation of UNITECR means when a significant level of registrations came in before we even approached the early bird deadline of 30 June. We are encouraged by the numbers so far, for sure. We are pushing to have the whole chain present in Cancun; not only refractories manufacturers, but also raw materials, machinery, and services suppliers, as well as end users from all relevant industries such as steel, glass, cement, ceramics etc. Also, of course, researchers and academics.”

The theme of UNITECR 2025 is Sustainability Meets Intelligence – Shaping the Future of Refractories, and already it’s clear there will be a broad range of topics covered across the different conference tracks, delivering full value for all participants. The program will also include keynote speakers, expert moderators, and discussion panels.

“Continuity is also important on any respected knowledge-sharing platform,” added Daniel, “and so we intend to pick up the theme from our last congress in Frankfurt – The Carbon Challenge – and push the conversation forward, in our efforts to promote a bright, sustainable and smart industry. Can we shape the future? We will definitely try! ALAFAR’s aim is to organize a world-class technical forum and to fully equip our delegates with all that’s needed to take on the task.”

When it came ALAFAR’s turn once more to stage UNITECR, there was no hesitation in choosing Cancun; it has great flight connections to most of the world, beautiful beaches and weather, great infrastructure for this type of event, and superb food, culture, and service – all bases covered. The first-class venue chosen for the event, the JW Marriott Resort & Spa, is the perfect place too. There is a special delegate rate for your JW Marriott reservation. Just go to www.unitecr2025.com/venue and follow the link.

Daniel Llaguno concluded with a footnote to all in the refractories community: “I sincerely hope you will all join us in Cancun for what I’m sure will be a wonderful gathering. If you have any questions, you can e-mail daniel@unitecr2025.com and we’ll do our best to assist. See you in October!”