The countdown for drupa 2024 is on. In the run-up to drupa, the number one trade fair for printing technologies scheduled from 28 May to 07 June 2024 in Düsseldorf, the drupa world tour kicked off this autumn with presentations in the Philippines and China and reached its first high point at the Print Promotion Industry Summits in Asia and Latin America.
The motto of the drupa Print Promotion Industry Summits (PPIS), hosted by Messe Düsseldorf in cooperation with the Printing and Paper Technology Association of the German industrial organization VDMA and some of the world’s leading exhibitors at drupa, was ‘Enabling the Digital and Sustainable Transformation.’
The promotional tour for drupa 2024 in India unfolded with vibrant evenings across three of the nation’s largest metropolitan cities and key printing and packaging hubs – Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai. The initiative aimed to raise awareness about drupa 2024 and encourage active participation from Indian entities. Commencing in India’s financial hub, Mumbai, on December 12, the tour continued to Delhi the following day, concluding in Chennai on 15 January 2024.
These preview events, anticipating the main exhibition in Dusseldorf, Germany, scheduled for May 28 to June 7, 2024, sought to inform and invigorate the Indian printing and packaging community about the forthcoming industry showcase. The initial event, hosted at Mumbai’s JW Marriott Hotel on December 12, featured industry veterans Amit Shah of the Bombay Master Printers’ Association and Prakash Canser of Mumbai Mudrak Sangh, stressing the significance of drupa and advising attendees to strategically plan their attendance for maximum benefit.
Andreas Plesske, the chairman of the drupa committee and CEO of Koenig & Bauer, provided insights into the industry, emphasizing factors such as geopolitics, economic fluctuations, inflation, skill shortages, and the growing middle class in the Asia-Pacific region as major influencers. Sabine Geldermann of Messe Düsseldorf shared impressive participation statistics for drupa 2024, noting that China led with 291 participants, followed by Germany with 252. Notably, India’s participation nearly doubled compared to the previous drupa, with 74 companies booked, occupying 4,618 square meters of exhibition space. Thomas Schiemann of VDMA presented insights into global printing market trends, offering valuable information for industry stakeholders.
The drupa world tour continued in December with three stops in India before visiting Japan, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Italy, France and Turkey and holding a pan-Eastern European press conference for eight countries in Hungary. The tour will culminate in the international drupa Media Conference in Düsseldorf at the end of March, followed by drupa 2024 at the end of May, where the global industry for printing technologies will meet for its most important event worldwide at the Düsseldorf trade fair premises.
