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Messe Düsseldorf has reported a strong start for drupa 2028, with companies from 38 countries already registered for the international printing and packaging exhibition scheduled for 9 to 17 May 2028. Major industry suppliers including Comexi, Esko, Fujifilm, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, Horizon, Konica Minolta, Kyocera Document Solutions, Leonhard Kurz, Line O Matic, UPG and Windmöller & Hölscher have confirmed their participation. Registrations span established printing and packaging markets such as Germany, China, Italy, India, Spain and Japan, reflecting the exhibition’s enduring international reach. Exhibitor registration remains open until 31 October 2026.
Sabine Geldermann, Director drupa and Portfolio Print Technologies at Messe Düsseldorf, said the early participation demonstrates the continued importance of bringing together established technology suppliers, specialised solution providers and emerging innovators under one roof. For an industry that has spent years debating whether physical trade shows still matter, the speed of sign-ups suggests the appetite for in-person comparison, live demonstration and relationship-building remains strong.
The 2028 edition will place greater emphasis on connected manufacturing, with automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, materials innovation and the circular economy among its central themes. Rather than focusing exclusively on individual machines, drupa intends to demonstrate how hardware, software, production data and automated processes work together across complete manufacturing environments. That systems-level framing mirrors how printers and converters actually run their businesses today, where a press is only as good as the workflow, colour management and data that surround it.
The event will also introduce a redesigned experience built around four clusters: grow, create, learn and play. These areas will combine business development, creative applications, education and industry engagement, while expanding participation beyond traditional equipment suppliers and print service providers to include brand owners, designers, start-ups and emerging technology companies. Dr Andreas Pleßke, Chairman of the drupa Committee, said the new formats will help visitors understand how technological developments translate into practical applications and business opportunities.
That broadening of the audience is significant. For decades drupa was principally a gathering of printers and the companies that sell to them. By explicitly courting brand owners and designers, the show acknowledges that the most interesting print opportunities are increasingly co-created with the people who specify and imagine the end product. A packaging brand exploring recyclable structures, or a designer prototyping a textured wallcovering, is now as much a target visitor as a press buyer.
The exhibition’s evolving format also reflects the industry’s growing emphasis on sustainability as a commercial driver rather than a compliance burden. With European regulation such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation reshaping material choices, exhibitors are expected to arrive with concrete answers on recyclability, energy use and circular design, not just faster presses. Visitors will be able to trace how a sustainable substrate, a low-migration ink and an efficient curing system combine into a viable, sellable package.
For exhibitors, the early momentum is a signal worth reading. Committing to drupa 2028 now locks in visibility at the industry’s defining event at a moment when investment cycles are lengthening and buyers are more selective. For visitors, the redesigned clusters promise a more navigable show, where the question is less “which machine” and more “how do I build a profitable, responsible production system.”
The countdown to May 2028 is long, but the shape of the event is already becoming clear: more connected, more cross-disciplinary and more focused on the practical translation of technology into business value. For an industry that thrives on seeing, touching and comparing, that is precisely the kind of gathering that screens and webinars cannot replace.
Source: Messe Düsseldorf via inkish.news
