With more than 1,700 trade visitors, the PRINT DIGITAL CONVENTION (PDC) 2026 recorded strong participation, confirming its role as a platform for exchange for the printing, brand, and packaging community between drupa cycles.

The event brought together perspectives from brands, technology, communication, and production, highlighting the increasing integration of print into overarching, data-driven value creation processes.

Value Creation Through the Interaction of Brand Owners and Industry

Key topics such as e-commerce, customer experience, data-driven communication, packaging, and artificial intelligence were consistently examined in relation to the entire value chain. It became clear that requirements are increasingly driven by brands, agencies, and platforms, with direct impacts on technologies, processes, and business models in industrial production.

Print is increasingly becoming part of integrated communication solutions and is embedded within broader marketing and sales strategies.

Conference Program Reflects Current Industry Trends

The conference and lecture program comprehensively reflected current industry developments. In keynotes, panels, and curated sessions, central topics such as customer experience, e-commerce, data-driven communication, packaging, and artificial intelligence were explored from multiple perspectives.

The thematic range extended from sustainable print and media concepts to data-based and automated campaign approaches, as well as creative packaging and design strategies. The program thus mirrored the growing interconnection between brand requirements, digital technologies, and industrial implementation.
Overall, it became clear that current trends are no longer considered in isolation but are discussed within the context of connected value creation and illustrated through practical use cases.

More than 50 exhibitors and various hands-on projects made developments along the value chain tangible—from personalized print products and automated workflows to intelligent packaging solutions. The broad range of participants, including production companies, brands, agencies, and technology providers, underscores the growing importance of interdisciplinary collaboration for innovation and market development.

The PDC demonstrates that the industry is evolving toward connected, data-driven value creation systems. Formats for exchange like this help to bring together requirements from markets, brands, and technology at an early stage and translate them into practical applications. On the path to drupa 2028, key development trends are emerging: further automation of processes, the use of artificial intelligence, data-based business models, and integrated communication and packaging solutions.

Conclusion

The PRINT DIGITAL CONVENTION 2026 highlights an industry in transition: value creation is increasingly generated through the interaction of brand owners, technology providers, and industrial production—especially at the interfaces of data, application, and market requirements.