Final countdown for 2026’s global interpack gathering

With more than 140,000 people expected for this year’s interpack which starts in just over a week’s time, the halls of Düsseldorf’s Messe trade fair will be buzzing with anticipation at the return of the mega packaging and processing event of the year.

As you’ll hear from the event’s director Thomas Dohse below in our exclusive video interview, the trade fair, held just once every three years, remains the closest that the sector has to its very own Olympics, as businesses from across the globe gather to exchange ideas, discussion and develop trade across these hugely influential sectors.

For the 2026 iteration of the event, Confectionery Production will be on hand to cover the show, which is packed full of insights from across the entire packaging and processing world.

So please do help us make the most of our time there through sending us your news and views surrounding the event – which we have made a prime focus for our May preview edition of this major trade event. Catch our exclusives with Thomas Dohse (watch the video above), Marcel Kiessling of Gerhard Schubert and our cover story, a further exclusive with Theegarten-Pactec’s president and CEO, Markus Rustler, who is also a key part of the interpack board, who offers his views on this year’s event.

So, what makes this special and different as a proposition? Well, first and foremost, we know from speaking to many businesses exhibiting at this year’s show (and in former editions too) that they often explicitly time new equipment and system innovations for each edition of interpack, ensuring it is a genuine platform for the global launch of new systems.

Simply put, this places it on a level all of its own for the broader packaging and processing industry across multiple sectors. So we’ll greatly enjoy offering core updates from Germany, and look forward to seeing as many of you as possible there during the show. Enjoy!

Neill Barston, editor, Confectionery Production magazine

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