Exceeding all expectations, drupa 2024 received top marks from visitors and exhibitors who travelled from all over the world.
Organisers say visitors left the trade fair with new ideas and clear prospects for the future. Exhibitors saw numerous contracts signed as their technological innovations inspired the print and packaging industry.
The Düsseldorf show, the world’s No. 1 trade fair for printing technologies, drew to a successful close on June 7 after eleven days. It impressively demonstrated the progress of an entire sector and gave proof of the operational excellence of the industry.
In all, 1,643 exhibitors from 52 nations presented an outstanding showcase of innovations in the Düsseldorf exhibition halls and thrilled the trade visitors with unforgettable performances.
The international share of the visitors of 80 per cent, with attendees coming from 174 countries: a record figure. After Europe, Asia was the most strongly represented region with 22 per cent, followed by America with 12 per cent. Organisers see Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa as markets with great growth potential, reflected in the significant increase in exhibitors’ presence and order books.
Many key players, such as Bobst, Canon, Fujifilm, Heidelberg, HP, Horizon, Koenig & Bauer, and Konica Minolta, reported having signed contracts that significantly exceeded expectations. In some cases, the companies’ exceeded their sales targets in the first few days of the trade fair.
Erhard Wienkamp, managing director at Messe Düsseldorf, says, “drupa has underpinned its position as the industry’s leading trade fair and its appeal in a remarkable way. The impressive international flair and, above all, the high decision-making competence of the visitors ensured in-depth and well-founded technical discussions at the trade fair stands on the one hand and many direct investment decisions on the other. Our exhibitors told us about large-volume purchase agreements.”
Dr Andreas Pleßke, chairman of the drupa committee, adds, “drupa stands for new approaches and new technologies like no other trade fair. It is not only the largest, but also the most important global platform for our industry, because the entire printing and post-press industry meets at the world-leading trade fair. It has been invaluable for generating leads. Nowhere else offers the opportunity to make so many new international contacts from all over the world in such a short space of time in one place.”
