Networking, intelligence, agility, resilience, and the simultaneous mastery of complex processes are the pillars of drupa’s conceptual reposition for the 2028 trade show.
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.
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,” said 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.”
The next drupa will take place in Düsseldorf from May 9 to 17, 2028.


