International, innovative and the highest possible quality—that’s how best to describe drinktec, which was held from September 12 to 16, 2022, at the Munich trade fair center. A total of 1,002 exhibitors from 55 countries and nearly 50,000 visitors from 169 countries came to the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry.

drinktec—the world’s leading trade fair

With 65 percent of exhibitors and more than 70 percent of visitors coming from countries outside of Germany, drinktec has impressively bolstered its status as the world’s leading trade fair. Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer, Messe München CEO: “drinktec shows us that world fairs in Europe are possible again. Most visitors came from abroad, and almost 40 percent of these from outside of Europe, such as Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Japan and India. And it’s quite revealing that the third strongest visitor country after Germany and Italy is the USA.” Volker Kronseder, drinktec Chairman of the Advisory Board, adds: “When you go through the halls, you discover a multitude of new and further developments, you see that people from different countries are at last communicating with one another in person again. The innovation density is also extremely high again this year.”

drinktec—highest possible visitor quality

Richard Clemens, Managing Director of the Process Plant and Equipment Association, German Engineering Federation (VDMA), sums up: “The industry has been waiting for drinktec in particular with bated breath. The atmosphere is simply superb. The exhibitors are impressed by the internationality and high quality of the visitors.” An observation that Florian Schneider, Chief Commercial Officer at ZIEMANN HOLVRIEKA, seamlessly adds to: “drinktec is back, and with it our customers and interested parties from all over the world. The numbers do appear on the whole to be lower than in the past. But the quality is high. drinktec once again proves that it is the most important international platform.”

drinktec—innovation and incentive generator

drinktec also lived up to this claim with the innovations on display. Overall the exhibitors presented more than 700 new products and solutions in the Innovation Guide and Solution Guide digital offerings. Dr. Johannes T. Grobe, Head of Sales and Service at the KHS Group, explains why drinktec in particular is the place for premieres: “The world’s leading trade show enjoys a high standing in the industry as the most important source of innovation and incentive. It offers us the perfect opportunity to get together with our customers and partners at an international level. We enjoyed numerous chats and discussions on new investments during the show.” Marcus Ley, Vice President Global Accounts at Ecolab, adds: “In our view, drinktec is the leading marketplace where global industry experts and decision makers meet to identify innovations and state-of-the-art technologies to advance their operations. We have once more been able to connect with high quality and top management level visitors to advance our business objectives. Another unforgettable show!“ And Reinhard Streit, Vice President and Managing Director Food & Beverage Europe at CCL Label summarizes: “In a nutshell, drinktec is the best global platform if you are in the beverage business.”

drinktec—the networking platform

For visitors drinktec is also the beverage and liquid food industry’s major networking platform, as Gary Guo, Vice President, Global Supply Chain with the Coca Cola Company, confirms: “It’s so good to be back here in Munich at drinktec after five years. This is one of the premier events in our business calendar and is a must-attend for us. Together with our global bottling partners we use drinktec to explore the latest developments and emerging technologies in areas such as supply chain, manufacturing, digital transformation and sustainability, and look for opportunities to transform our business. The event this year is better than ever.”

For drinktec Director Petra Westphal and her team, the customers’ feedback is more than positive: “The preparations for this year’s event really were something of a rollercoaster ride. The effects of the pandemic and geopolitical tensions have resulted in volatile framework conditions and uncertainties. And suddenly the first trade fair day is there. The world meets here with us in Munich after five years. The joy of getting together again is indescribable. The challenges of the day are intensively discussed and solutions are presented at all of the stands – the industry’s future is being shaped here.”

The next drinktec will be held in fall 2025. The exact date will be announced in plenty of time.