Some 170,000 printers went to the 2024 drupa, which ran for the first time since 2016, over a shortened time period of 11 days in Dusseldorf, the visitor numbers a 35 per cent decrease since that last drupa.
Half of them, just over 50 per cent, came from the commercial printing industry, with the next largest cohort coming from packaging industry, a share which increased significantly over last time, and which was the focus of many exhibitors as a growth driver.
Half the stands at this year’s drupa were showing packaging printing technology, a record number, as both technology developers and print businesses look to packaging for their future. Short run packaging – driven by the explosive growth in the numbers of bespoke food and beverage producers – was a particular focus.
International visitors accounted for 80 per cent of drupa guests, with visitors coming from 174 countries, a record number, representing 90 per cent of all the nations in the world, and highlighting the global appeal of what remains the world’s biggest print trade show by far.
Exhibitor numbers totalled 1643, coming from 52 countries, including D-Flow as Australia’s sole representative, although of course many Australian companies were on the stands of the exhibitor companies they represent, or are part of as Australian business divisions. Exhibitor stands varied in size from HP, which took the whole of Hall 17, to the 3x3s of the smaller companies. The largest group of exhibitors were from China, which provided some 37 per cent of the stands.
According to drupa, many key players, such as Bobst, Canon, Fujifilm, Heidelberg, HP, Horizon, Koenig & Bauer, Komori, Konica Minolta, Kurz and Landa, reported having signed contracts that significantly exceeded expectations. It says in some cases, the sales targets set were already achieved in the first few days of the trade fair.
The visitor numbers highlight the continued contraction of the global printing industry, mainly through consolidation, and the tightening of the purse strings at many print companies, who sent one or two representatives compared with whole teams in past years.
The 170,000 visitors were down by 90,000, or 35 per cent from the last drupa, held in 2016, and by almost 50 per cent on the 2012 show, which attracted 314,000. The new millennium drupa of 2000 recorded the highest-ever number of visitors in the show’s seven-decade history, with 428,000 printers coming through the doors that year, meaning the 2024 event had just 40 per cent of the numbers of the year 2000 fair.
According to drupa, exhibitors at this year’s expo praised the high level of decision-making competence of visitors. They, in turn, gave top marks to the range of products and services on offer in the 18 exhibition halls. Around 96 per cent of all visitors confirmed that they had fully achieved the objectives associated with their visit.
The organisers said, “drupa made it abundantly clear that the industry has great potential for the future, even against the backdrop of many challenges, and that the prospects are promising.” In the last financial year, the global printing industry achieved a turnover of around €840bn (source: Smithers) and continues to develop at varying pace worldwide.
“At drupa 2024, we experienced first-hand just how relevant and resilient this industry is,” summarises Sabine Geldermann, director of drupa, Portfolio Print Technologies. “The community is determined to set the course for the future together. Exchanging ideas with people from all continents and from all areas of the industry was enriching and inspiring. We were able to welcome around 50 large delegations from various nations, and numerous globally active associations and organisations chose drupa as the ideal setting for their conferences and board meetings.”
