Save the date: drupa will be May 9 – 17, 2028

GaryPageau
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From May 28 to June 7, the international printing industry will meet at drupa 2024, the world’s leading trade fair for printing technologies. The Düsseldorf exhibition centre with its 18 halls is fully booked. 1,646 exhibitors from 52 countries will showcase groundbreaking innovations and cutting-edge technologies from the print media industry, industrial & functional printing and packaging production. The focus will be on the megatrends of sustainability and digitalisation.

Staying true to its four-year cycle, drupa will be held again in May 2028, this time as a nine-day event, from May 9-17, 2028.

“drupa 2024 was more international than ever, and the positive atmosphere throughout the halls reflected our industry’s determination to drive profound change in order to make the printing and packaging industry more sustainable through automation, artificial intelligence and strategic partnerships. And these are exactly the kind of important goals that will continue to require a reliable platform such as drupa in future. What was also apparent, however, was that, as a B2B trade fair with a very high proportion of decision-makers from all over the world, the length of stays at drupa has become shorter. That’s why we want to facilitate trade fair visits with maximum efficiency,” said Wolfram N. Diener, Chairman and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, adding that at this year’s drupa, 76 percent of visitors were part of top and middle management. “We believe that this adjustment is also confirmed by the experience we have gathered at our leading global trade fairs in the fields of machinery, plants and equipment, interpack and K, that address comparable customer profiles and do very well with a similar duration.” The unique presentation of cutting-edge technology and machines in operation remains a USP of drupa. The new rules for trade fair duration will continue to allow exhibitors to effectively present and stage wide-ranging product portfolios, machines and workflows as well as an impressive stage program, the organization said.

Sabine Geldermann

“We comprehensively and carefully analysed the recommendations of our drupa committee, the results of exhibitor and visitor surveys and feedback from partners and associations.” says Sabine Geldermann, Director of drupa. “Shortening the fair’s duration is a direct response to the industry’s desire for a more focused, efficient event that continues to provide international participants with a unique opportunity to discover groundbreaking innovations and technology.”

The conceptual direction, new key visual and future claim of drupa 2028 will be presented to the industry in 2025.