Fragile growth, persistent geopolitical tensions, polarised opinion and judgements, and
fragmented information: we are living in a fragile equilibrium that is constantly being renegotiated.

Today's world is not defined by one clear crisis, but by a more subtle and pervasive condition,
with instability as the norm.

In addition to this, we are experiencing unprecedented cultural change: information is
proliferating, languages are evolving, while images come thick and fast.

Initially perceived as a threat, technology has become a tool for speeding things up and
enhancing them. But just as it becomes indispensable, it ceases to fully represent us.

In this scenario, experience doesn’t disappear, but struggles to become fully realised.

Existing today becomes a deliberate act. It is a desire not to pass through time absent-mindedly,
not to consume experiences without remembering them, and thereby restoring significance to what
we experience.

EXIST is also proof of life.

It means reaffirming the centrality of the human experience. It means returning to people
the ability to declare what exists and what doesn’t, what matters and what is just noise.
I exist, and through my experience, I validate what is real.

EXIST is a system that encourages us to create real, lived experiences. In 2026, we respond to the
rush, frenzy and overload we are subject to by choosing to be present.

In 2022, the UNBOUND theme highlighted the need to reopen borders imposed by the pandemic, breaking down geographical and psychological barriers in pursuit of new business opportunities.

UTOPIA, the 2023 theme, focused on rebuilding an equitable dialogue with other living species, both animal and plant, and on rediscovering awe and wonder as an immediate source of happiness and the new, true well-being of the traveler.

In the year of the AI boom, 2024, VERITAS drew attention to the demand for truth, highlighting the need for businesses to rely on solid data while remaining wary of inauthentic reviews, false information circulating online, and artificially generated storytelling.

In 2025, a year of profound global shifts, AWAKE urged us to leverage the awareness gained over the past five years, transforming it into a collective awakening that has given us a clearer perspective on the complexities of the present.

The choice of EXIST for 2026 is a natural evolution of this journey. If AWAKE was the realization, EXIST is the action that follows. Being awake is no longer enough. We must truly be present. EXIST is the next step: an invitation to once again become the authors of our time. Not mere spectators of the flow, but conscious presences within it.