11 December 2020

DRUPA 2021 CANCELLED: SHOW TO RETURN IN 2024

Drupa organiser Messe Düsseldorf has cancelled the physical expo planned for 2021 entirely, along with a other events including Interpack.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has forced the organiser into cancelling the show. Instead, the Messe will run a ‘Virtual.Drupa’ from 20-23 April next year, while the actual exhibition will skip an entire cycle and return in 2024.

“Our primary goal remains to support the industry," said Sabine Geldermann, director of Drupa and Print Technologies at Messe Düsseldorf.

"To this end, we will be holding an interim event from 20 to 23 April, providing our exhibitors and visitors with an additional sales channel and allowing them to make reliable plans.”

A host of other events planned for the first half of next year at the Messe are also cancelled, including Interpack.

Messe Düsseldorf chief operating officer Erhard Wienkamp said that the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic had caused too much uncertainty in terms of exhibitor and visitor attendance, and many companies were also affected by budget restraints.

“We have taken this decision in consultation with our partners, who are entirely supportive of it. It was preceded by a detailed process of considering the current conditions and the needs of the industry,” he stated.