drupa 2024: A Mega-Event (not only) for Koenig & Bauer

From 28 May to 7 June, Koenig & Bauer presented its broad product portfolio and numerous digital innovations in hall 16 at the world's largest and leading trade fair for printing technology.

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Read time: approx. 4 minutes

CEO Dr Andreas Pleßke, who is also Chairman of the drupa Committee, explains: “After eight years, both the exhibiting companies and the visitors have come to Düsseldorf with a great deal of commitment and enthusiasm. You can see how profoundly the entire industry has changed in recent years. Topics such as sustainability and digitalisation are key issues that visitors are increasingly demanding to be addressed and solutions found.”

Koenig & Bauer was represented with a 4,200 m² stand. We spoke to our Director of Corporate Communications Dagmar Ringel, who was responsible for pulling many of the different strings together before and during the fair, to find out how the company prepares for such a mega-event and to ask about moments that made a lasting impression.

drupa 2024 was a mega-event for Koenig & Bauer. What does it take to manage such an enormous project?

Calm nerves, a sufficiently long lead time and a fantastic team. In fact, we already started formulating the first ideas at the end of 2022. Our strategy ‘Exceeding Print’, various strategic initiatives, our brand identity and the central themes announced by the organisers in Düsseldorf gave us our starting point. 

In short: nothing was left to chance. Everyone who visited our stand experienced consistently orchestrated brand management – from the design to the messaging and on to the stand layout. Our brand was brought alive at the stand. You could feel what Koenig & Bauer really stands for. 

What was the reaction to the Koenig & Bauer presentations like?

Terrific – in every respect. Customers, other companies, our business units, the worldwide sales and service offices, trade journalists, the fair organisers – all made highly positive comments about how professionally Koenig & Bauer presented itself to the global audience and how visionary its solutions for the future were. I would like to pass on this compliment to everyone who contributed to our drupa presentations in one way or another. After all, you can only master a project like this together if all the components are working like clockwork.

What was your highlight at the fair stand?

For me as brand manager, the consistent overall appearance and the prominent placement of our trademarks were, of course, particular highlights. From the longer-distance impact down to detailed impressions, we demonstrated that Koenig & Bauer is looking to the future as a strong company and a strong brand. One eye-catcher was certainly the 3.20 metre-high and more than 100-year-old olive tree that added a fantastic green touch to the fair stand. By the way, we donated the tree to the botanical gardens of the University of Würzburg once drupa was over. You can learn more about its journey on our social media channels. 

The last drupa was held eight years ago. A lot has changed in the meantime, not only in terms of technology, but also in the way we communicate. What did you do differently this time?

We gave the start signal for drupa-specific communication six months before the fair itself opened. For several weeks at a time – before, during and also for a while after drupa – we repeatedly reinforced our core messages, using a colourful mix of different formats.

In stark contrast to 2016, what’s more, we made much more intensive use of social media. Alongside our official events and the usual reporting, we also paid due attention to the personal level, for example by asking various colleagues to talk about their own highlights through our ‘we are Koenig & Bauer’ channels. Insights like these are increasingly important for the up-and-coming generations of industry talents.

Alongside the many highlights over the eleven days, which moment during drupa was especially emotional for you personally?

It’s impossible to choose a single moment. The first day of the fair was very special, of course, because it was also the very first drupa for me. But also the music and the interplay between the countdown and our presenters during the live shows gave me goose bumps every time. And I can still hear the ‘concert’ of machines from the close of the fair.

All in all: how would you sum up drupa?

The fair was almost certainly a milestone for everyone involved, but the same also holds true for the company as a whole. After an eight-year break, the industry was hungry for the global exchange, and drupa is probably the only place where that is possible in this form and with such a broad reach. Personally, I am very proud of the fantastic team effort of everyone at Koenig & Bauer. And what shouldn’t pass unmentioned: drupa was not only a unique experience, but also a great success for our company. With signatures on contracts worth 250 million euros, we have more than met our targets.

Impressions from drupa 2024
 

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