Next Drupa dates confirmed for May 2028

Messe Düsseldorf, the organizer of Drupa, has confirmed that staying true to its four-year cycle, the trade show will be held again in May 9-17, 2028, this time as a nine-day event.

‘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,’ commented Wolfram N. Diener, chairman and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf. ‘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.

‘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.’

Dr Andreas Pleßke, chairman of the Drupa committee and CEO of Koenig & Bauer, emphasizes the trade fair’s importance and is a supporter of the new duration: ‘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 analyzed the recommendations of our Drupa committee, the results of exhibitor and visitor surveys and feedback from partners and associations,’ added 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.