drupa will be held again in May 2028, this time as a nine-day event, which will be held in Düsseldorf from 9 to 17 May 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,” said Wolfram N. Diener, Chairman and CEO, Messe Düsseldorf. “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 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. 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.”
Dr Andreas Pleßke, Chairman of the drupa committee and CEO, Koenig & Bauer AG, emphasises the trade fair’s importance and is a supporter of the new duration. He said, “For Koenig & Bauer, drupa offers an unbeatable marketing format, as this year’s event has once again impressively demonstrated. We expressly welcome the new trade fair duration starting in 2028, as it will meet changing industry requirements without limiting the international scope of the trade fair. This is also demonstrated by the fact that visitors from 173 countries attended drupa, emphasizing the global appeal of the event. No other format generates such a high level of interest from the industry.”
“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, 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.
