The following article is a replica of the news published at the K Portal, also with some mopdifications including the main page image. The copyright belongs to the “Messe Düsseldorf“.
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The world’s leading trade fairs K, Interpack and Drupa are further expanding their international presence and expanding into Saudi Arabia together. The framework for this is the expansion of the partnership between Messe Düsseldorf and the Riyadh Exhibition Company. The Saudi Plastics & Petrochem and Saudi Print & Pack trade fairs will be expanded in future to include regional editions of K, interpack and drupa.
In Saudi Arabia, it is currently possible to experience how dynamically and diversely the economy in the Middle East is developing. The Riyadh Exhibitions Company (REC) hosted the Saudi Plastics & Petrochem and Saudi Print & Pack trade fairs there from May 12 to 15, with more than 500 exhibiting companies from four industries: petrochemical, plastics, print and packaging. The thriving trade fair quartet, whose number of exhibitors has risen by 70 percent since 2018, thus offered ideal points of contact for Messe Düsseldorf. Prince Saud Turki Al Faisal Bin Abdulaziz, Chairman of the REC, and Wolfram N. Diener, President and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, signed a cooperation agreement to integrate participations of Düsseldorf’s leading trade fairs K, interpack and drupa into Saudi Plastics & Petrochem and Saudi Print & Pack in the future.
For decades, K, interpack and drupa have stood for innovative strength, international appeal and strong impulses for their industries. In Saudi Arabia, they are joining forces in a market with high growth potential and leveraging the synergies of their respective industries. The new presence in Riyadh optimally complements the existing international portfolio – in the plastics and rubber sector with “K Global Gate”, in the Processing and Packaging segment with the “interpack alliance” and in the Print Technologies segment with “drupa global”.
Numerous points of contact for the Düsseldorf trade fair portfolio
Wolfram N. Diener, President and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, emphasises the significance of this decision: “We are in the right place at the right time. With our commitment to a trade fair market that is growing fastest in the world, we are strengthening our position as one of the most successful international trade fair companies. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are increasingly diversifying their economies – this creates numerous points of contact for our broad trade fair portfolio and new potential for our customers.”
High economic growth in the Middle East
This is reflected in the economic data of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Their annual growth rate of six percent until 2029 exceeds both the EU (3%) and the global average (5%), according to the consulting firm jwc.
Messe Düsseldorf as a driving force in the Gulf region
Dr. Akram Masri, Chief Operating Officer of the REC, welcomes the partnership: “Our trade fairs have developed successfully in recent years. The fact that they are now becoming part of Messe Düsseldorf’s international portfolio – with global number one trade fairs such as K, drupa and interpack – underlines the growing importance of our market. At the same time, we expect the cooperation to provide a significant impetus for our events.”
Building on existing strength: steps taken so far in the region
The current new business activities are not Messe Düsseldorf’s first steps in the region. Since 2007, K has had a successful partnership with ArabPlast in Dubai. Since 2019, Messe Düsseldorf has been driving its business forward with the interpack alliance trade fairs pacprocess MEA and Food Africa Cairo in Egypt – the link between the Middle East and Africa, among others. Since 2024, a new subsidiary has also been added to Messe Düsseldorf’s global network – in Turkey, which bridges the gap between Europe and the Middle East. The offensive in Saudi Arabia is now the next logical step.
About K
K was organised by Messe Düsseldorf for the first time in 1952 and takes place every three years. The last K in 2022 recorded 3,020 exhibitors from 59 countries on over 177,000 m² of net exhibition space and 177,486 trade visitors, 71 percent of whom came from abroad. The next K will take place from 8 to 15 October 2025 in Düsseldorf. For more information, see www.k-online.de.
About interpack
Every three years, interpack brings together the global processing and packaging industry in Düsseldorf for a week. The focus is on packaging materials and packaging materials, packaging machines and related process technology for the food, beverages, confectionery, bakery, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, non-food and industrial goods industries. As the leading international trade fair, it has been attracting experts from all over the world since 1958 to exchange ideas about the latest technologies and solutions and provides impetus for the industry’s future topics. The next interpack will take place in 2026 from 7 to 13 May. More than 2,800 exhibitors from all over the world are expected. www.interpack.de
About drupa
drupa is the world’s leading trade fair for printing technologies and takes place every four years in Düsseldorf. Since its premiere in 1951, it has stood for pioneering technologies, cross-industry solutions and strong impulses along the entire value chain – from classic printing to digital transformation and packaging production. In 2024, around 1,614 exhibitors from 49 countries presented their innovations. Visitors from 173 nations underlined the international significance of the event. The next drupa will take place from 9 to 17 May 2028 in Düsseldorf. For more information, see www.drupa.de.
