Koenig & Bauer has reaffirmed its commitment to participate in the next drupa, which has been postponed until April 2021, despite other manufacturers changing their marketing strategies.
Since drupa was founded in 1951, the company has maintained an uninterrupted presence and welcomed customers from all over the world, even in times of crisis.
‘We continue to see drupa, the world's leading trade fair, as an important building block in the graphic arts industry and we see it as our responsibility to support this industry. We want to do our part to continue to provide important impulses locally in personal discussions,’ said Claus Bolza-Schünemann, CEO of Koenig & Bauer and president of drupa. ‘We have confidence in Messe Düsseldorf's hygiene concept and in the sense of responsibility of all visitors.’
Ralf Sammeck, Koenig & Bauer board member, added: ‘Trade fairs will not be the same as they were before Covid-19, and Koenig & Bauer is also supplementing communication with its customers with virtual formats and customer-specific events, for example in our new customer experience center. Nevertheless, these formats can only convey the performance capabilities of the broad product portfolio to a limited extent. Nothing beats experiencing the latest technologies up close in action with the public and the trade fair feeling.’
‘For Koenig & Bauer there is no more suitable platform to present the product diversity from digital, offset and flexo printing to intelligent digitalization and service solutions to an international audience,’ added Christoph Müller, member of the board at Koenig & Bauer.
Messe Düsseldorf has recently issued a comprehensive protection concept for the Düsseldorf exhibition center to enable industry trade shows to be held while ensuring the protection for exhibitors, visitors, partners and members of staff. 
Despite organizers reassurance a few manufacturers, including Heidelberg and Bobst, have already announced they will not be participating in the Düsseldorf event next April.