EVENT SPOTLIGHT: DRUPA 2024 SPECIAL With drupa having last taken place back in 2016, there is, understandably, a lot of talk and anticipation for the upcoming exhibition. Held in Germany at the Messe Düsseldorf, the event is the largest printing equipment exhibition in the world amassing over 260,000 visitors at its last show. Launched in 1951, drupa usually takes place every four years but has had an eight-year in-person hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic with organisers holding a virtual drupa in 2021 in its place. This year, drupa will take place from Tuesday, May 28th to Friday, June 7th and will see products from pre-press, print, post-press, converting, packaging, materials, equipment, finishing, and software all showcased. Themes and Features The theme for the 2024 event is ‘We Create the Future’ with a number of key topics at the centre of the show’s focus. These include Sustainability, Circular Economy, Resource and Energy Efficiency, Recycling, Digitalisation, Print 4.0, Finishing 4.0, Artificial Intelligence, Platform Economy, and Connectivity. The megatrends that encompass these themes and that will be reflected in the event’s in-show features are Sustainability and Digitalisation. Highlighting these themes will be three Touchpoints across the 18-hall event: Touchpoint Sustainability (Hall 14, Booth D60), Touchpoint Packaging (Hall 3, Booth B31), and Touchpoint Textile (Hall 4, Booth B30) featuring a digital textile micro-factory. A conference programme will be delivered through the drupa Cube covering topics from global economic trends and what the future holds, calculating your carbon footprint, the future of digital and flexo, technology’s impact on print, and much, much more. This extensive programme is located in Hall 6 and will run for the entire length of the show. At the time of writing, there are over 50 talks scheduled. Another in-show feature of drupa 2024 will be the drupa DNA (drupa Next Age) special forum which promises to “open the doors to innovative ideas, pioneering technologies, and up-and-coming talents”. Located in Hall 7, the drupa DNA schedule highlights areas such as Geomarketing – The Power of Locations; How digitalisation, sustainability, and profitability go hand in hand; the future of Print-Media education; and stories from companies such as Carbonquota and eProductivity Software. Exhibitor Launches With close to 1,600 exhibitors, it would be impossible to include information on what every company is planning to showcase at drupa within the confines of our magazine, but here is a breakdown of what several exhibitors will be launching and the themes they will be focusing on to facilitate this. ACTEGA Various Touchpoints across drupa Manufacturer of specialty coatings, inks, adhesives, and sealing compounds, ACTEGA, will be represented across a number of areas of drupa 2024. CREATING THE FUTURE 56 email: news@printmonthly.co.uk May / June 2024 - Issue 348 From what the industry will be launching and demonstrating to the megatrends discussed and unpicked, we look at what you can expect to see at drupa 2024 260,165 visitors at drupa 2016 1,600 international exhibitors (approx.) 55 exhibiting countries 140,000sq m of exhibition space The name ‘drupa’ is an abbreviation of ‘Druck und Papier ’ (print and paper) Statistics & Facts
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjM0NDIxOA==