Two years before the start of the world’s leading trade fair for printing solutions, drupa has presented its future direction at an early stage, thus providing an initial glimpse of its conceptual and content-related repositioning.
The central element of the new image is a symbolically used key visual: the octopus. It stands for networking, intelligence, agility, and resilience, as well as the simultaneous mastery of complex processes. It thus refers to a technological reality in which printing solutions are increasingly conceived as integrated systems, including sophisticated applications in the packaging environment. Processes are interlinked, workflows are networked, and efficiency is created through the interaction of hardware, software, materials, and automated applications. “drupa 2028 will be a drupa like never before,” says Dr. Andreas Pleßke, Chairman of the drupa Committee. “We are setting new standards in how technological developments, applications, and markets are classified and brought together — a claim that is also consistently reflected in the new brand identity.”
“drupa. dive into the unseen” as a communicative mission statement
The slogan “drupa. dive into the unseen” picks up on this approach and draws attention to developments whose significance often only becomes apparent in the overall context – for example, through the interaction of technologies, processes, and applications along the value chain. The slogan thus stands for a solution-oriented classification of technological innovations, beyond individual products or short-term effects. “The slogan sums up what drupa stands for: vision, knowledge transfer, and orientation in an increasingly complex technological landscape,” says Sabine Geldermann, Director drupa, Portfolio Print Technologies at Messe Düsseldorf. “It underscores drupa’s claim and attitude of not presenting future topics and technological progress in isolation, but rather classifying them in a comprehensible way in the context of the market, application, and value creation.”
How drupa 2028 is creating orientation for tomorrow
Against this backdrop, drupa 2028 is introducing a new experience architecture for the first time. Content, applications, and formats for exchange, collaboration, and networking will in future be bundled along clearly defined thematic clusters. This will make technological developments comprehensible and structured. The architecture serves as a common framework for exhibitors, visitors, and the media. The next drupa will take place in Düsseldorf Germany, from May 9 to 17, 2028.
