Expert Insights lay out key industry thought leadership leading up to the event, helping attendees make better use of their time at drupa 2024 and inspiring new business practices

WhatTheyThink, the leading global media organization serving the printing and publishing industries, today reported that as part of its coverage in the run-up to drupa 2024, where WhatTheyThink will be publishing the drupa Daily, promotion of the drupa Essentials series of expert articles is in line with our dedication to helping both exhibitors and attendees better prepare for the world’s largest printing trade show. This is the second in our series summarizing the drupa Essentials articles published by Messe Dusseldorf. Read Part 1 here.

“We believe there is value to our members in reviewing these expert articles,” said WhatTheyThink President Eric Vessels. “Even if they have no plan to attend the show today, these inspirational pieces may encourage them to consider traveling to Dusseldorf for the event. Giving these articles more visibility is in line with our position as the leading global media organization serving the printing and publishing industries. In this release, we summarize the second four drupa Essentials expert articles for the benefit of our members and the broader printing community.”

The full library of drupa Essentials articles is available here. drupa is the world’s leading trade fair for printing technologies, held every four years by Messe Düsseldorf in Düsseldorf, Germany. The next staging will take place from May 28 – June 7, 2024.

drupa 2024 - Looking back to look forward

In this article, contributed by Julia Cole – Strategic Marketing Consultant, she takes a trip down memory lane to look at predictions made 20 years ago when she was working in marketing for HP to see how they have been realized and what that means for drupa 2024.  She addresses quality, personalization, and the impact of mobile devices, QR codes and more. Find the full article here. 

drupa Essentials: Web-to-Pack and Digital Technologies - Smoke and Mirrors or Deep Current?

Fred Corbo, CEO & Owner, SmilePack.fr, quotes an important adage: “The waste that is recycled best is the one that we haven’t produced.” He gets at the heart of the digital transformation underway in packaging, saying, “If we want to envision a sustainable and harmonious future, we must change our attitudes and discourse, offer new solutions that embody the challenges of tomorrow, disrupt deeply rooted habits, approach growth differently, and recognize that there is not just one way of doing things.”  Get sage advice about how to think about packaging differently here. 

drupa Essentials: More than just online

Montserrat Petit, founder & managing director of the marketing agency MOND, brings an agency perspective to the drupa discussion. She states, “Even though online marketing is a must and can bring significant benefits, we must not ignore the enormous influence of offline marketing in helping shape consumer behaviour and the amplified benefits of mixing both types [online and offline] of marketing. She notes the importance of sensory marketing as a means of influencing consumer behavior, and much more. Learn more here. 

drupa Essentials: What is drupa? Far more than just a tradeshow!

And, of course, Messe Dusseldorf makes a good argument for the importance of trade shows. After a couple of years of in-person hiatus due to the pandemic, most of us likely appreciate these in-person events even more than we did in the past.  Author François Martin, a freelance consultant in the graphics industry, makes the case for attending drupa here. 

Have you made your drupa plans yet? The time is now. Lodgings are filling up, as are flights, as the industry heads to Dusseldorf for drupa 2024. We hope to see you there; and if you are going, please contact us if you would like to visit with our experts and/or be interviewed about your drupa experience!

For more information, visit https://whattheythink.com/drupa. For information about sponsorship opportunities before and during the event, view our drupa Opportunities webinar here.

About WhatTheyThink

WhatTheyThink is the global printing industry's go-to information source with both print and digital offerings, including WhatTheyThink.com, WhatTheyThink Email Newsletters, and the WhatTheyThink magazine. Our mission is to inform, educate, and inspire the industry. We provide cogent news and analysis about trends, technologies, operations, and events in all the markets that comprise today's printing and sign industries including commercial, in-plant, mailing, finishing, sign, display, textile, industrial, finishing, labels, packaging, marketing technology, software and workflow.

About drupa

As the world’s leading trade fair for printing technologies, drupa stands for inspiration, innovation, top-class knowledge transfer and intensive networking. With the motto “we create the future”, drupa will serve as the global meeting point, presenting the visions of the print and packaging industries along the entire value chain. The 2024 edition will specifically focus on the mega trends sustainability and digitalization, in addition to many more relevant trends in an inspiring setting. The exhibits will be complemented by an extensive ancillary program and five special forums: the drupa cube, drupa next age (dna) as well as touchpoints packaging, textile and sustainability.