Visitors to drupa 2016, the world’s leading trade fair for print and cross-media solutions, will experience an exciting new approach to innovation in print when they stop by the drupa cube. This special conference and event programme will feature a wide range of applications for printed products in numerous industries and areas of life.

“New technologies like printed electronics and 3D printing, creative multichannel applications and the use of digital printing techniques in packaging and other sectors continue to illustrate the amazing potential of print,” says Sabine Geldermann, director of drupa. “This potential is the focus of drupa cube, with its international conference and event programme. Through an interdisciplinary approach, it is also designed to bridge the knowledge gap about the relevancy and functionality of print that often exists between printing professionals and their creative agency, marketing, and brand owner clients across a variety of vertical markets.”

The drupa trade fair 2016 takes place in Dusseldorf, Germany, from May 31 to June 10.

In contrast to the first two cube conferences in 2008 and 2012, the 11-day programme is not organised by target group but rather, based on six key drupa 2016 themes: Multichannel, Print, Functional Printing, 3D Printing, Package Production and Green Printing.

Each presentation slot will combine various themes using best practise case studies: Functional printing and packaging printing, 3D printing and sustainability, and multichannel including print are some of the combinations being explored. This encourages thinking beyond supposedly fixed boundaries. This outside-the-box principle opens up new possibilities for visitors and broadens the horizon for the future of print.

Through its range of themes and its interdisciplinary concept, drupa cube is, for the first time, also addressing selected vertical markets including the food, consumer goods, interior design, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and healthcare industries; and the financial and public sectors. “In this way, we aim to attract new visitor groups to drupa and inspire them with the possibilities of print,” adds Geldermann.

The strategic and creative design of the programme and its implementation were handled by brand experience agency FreemanXP, a division of Freeman, the world’s largest event company. “I am confident that in FreemanXP we have the perfect partner at our side.” Geldermann says. “Thanks to projects they have accomplished for global players like EFI, HP and the US trade fair Graph Expo,

FreemanXP has the necessary industry experience. Not only that, but FreemanXP has already worked for countless international brands in other industry segments, so it also brings to the table a vast amount of expertise and inspiration from outside the print industry.” Jordan Waid, vice president, brand experience, at FreemanXP, adds: “Co-creation is the future and our new intersectional approach to the cube at drupa creates a collaboration hub for all facets of the print industry to design a new future for content creation.”

The details of the drupa cube programme are currently being finalised.