At the constituent drupa Committee meeting on February 8, 2022, Dr. Andreas Pleßke, CEO of Koenig & Bauer AG, was elected Chairman of the committee. Wolfgang Poppen, Managing Partner of Freiburger Druck GmbH & Co. KG and President of the German Printing and Media Industries Federation (Bundesverband Druck und Medien e.V.), was re-elected as his deputy. The election of both candidates was unanimous.

Dr. Andreas Pleßke succeeds Claus Bolza-Schünemann, the former CEO of Koenig & Bauer AG, who had chaired the drupa Committee since 2012 and retired at the designated age. “It is a special honor for me to also succeed Mr Bolza-Schünemann in this circle and I would like to thank the Committee members for their trust,” stated Dr. Pleßke. “In my new position, I am pleased to proactively shape the further development and global significance of drupa in order to strengthen its unique standing as the world's leading trade fair.”

Wolfgang Poppen is also pleased about his re-election as deputy: “drupa stands for innovations and technology premieres and will definitely again be a key milestone in a constantly evolving industry.”

The next drupa will be held at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany from May 28 – June 7, 2024 and will focus on the trends digitalization and sustainability. Exhibitor registration is now open online at www.drupa.com .

The drupa Committee was founded as part of the first drupa in 1951 and is composed of equal numbers of exhibitors and visitors. Its task is to advise Messe Düsseldorf on the conceptual and industry-relevant further development of this leading trade fair.

Personal dialogue with important experts and multipliers on the part of manufacturers and users in the industry takes on a very special significance, especially in view of the ongoing industry changes and the continued impact of the global pandemic. The future orientation of drupa is decisively influenced by these developments. Currently, the personal members of the committee represent six industry associations:

• Fachverband Druck- und Papiertechnik im VDMA e.V. (Printing and Paper Technology Association within the VDMA)
• Bundesverband Druck und Medien e.V. (German Printing and Media Industries Federation)
• Wirtschaftsverbände Papierverarbeitung (Paper Processing Trade Associations)
• DIE PAPIERINDUSTRIE e.V. (THE PAPER INDUSTRY)
• Verband der deutschen Lack- und Druckfarbenindustrie e.V. (Association of the German Paint and Printing Ink Industry)
• DFTA Flexodruck Fachverband e.V. (DFTA Flexographic Technical Association)

The drupa 2024 Committee at a glance:

• Chairman
  Andreas Pleßke, CEO, Koenig & Bauer AG (VDMA)
• Deputy Chairman
  Wolfgang Poppen, Managing Partner, Freiburger Druck GmbH & Co. KG (bvdm)
• Paul Albert Deimel, Chief Executive Officer, bvdm – Bundesverband Druck und Medien e.V. (German Printing and Media Industries Federation)
• Ralph Dittmann, General Manager, WKS DRUCKHOLDING GmbH
• Werner Drechsler, Managing Partner, Druckstudio GmbH
• Martin Drews, Head of Raw Materials, Legal Divisions, DIE PAPIERINDUSTRIE e.V. (THE PAPER INDUSTRY)
• Markus Frick, Managing Director, Baumann Maschinenbau Solms GmbH & Co. KG & Perfecta Schneidemaschinenwerk GmbH Bautzen
• Gunther Gerlach, Chairman of the Board, Epple Druckfarben AG
• Markus Heering, Managing Director of the Printing and Paper Technology Association within the VDMA, Mechanical Engineering Industry Association
• Martin Kanert, General Manager, VdL – Verband der deutschen Lack- und Druck-farbenindustrie e.V. (Association of the German Paint and Printing Ink Industry)
• Nicola Kopp-Rostek, Managing Director, DFTA Flexodruck Fachverband e.V. (DFTA – German Flexographic Technical Association)
• Walter Kurz, Board of Management, LEONHARD KURZ Stiftung & Co. KG
  Falco Paepenmüller, CTO, Windmöller & Hölscher KG
• Thomas Pfeiffer, Managing Director, WPV – Wirtschaftsverbände Papierverarbeitung e.V. (Paper Processing Trade Associations)
• Bernd Sauter, Managing Director, KAMA GmbH
• Martin Schorn, Director, Technical Customer Service News & Retail (N&R), UPM Communication Papers

For further information on visiting or exhibiting at drupa 2024, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America; Telephone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: [email protected]; Visit www.drupa.com and www.mdna.com; Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/mdnachicago