Corrugated Debut Drives High-Value Supply Chain Success
Inaugural Corrugated formed part of FESPA’s largest co-located event offering, empowering corrugated converters and printers to leverage digital integration
FESPA successfully launched Corrugated, a new dedicated expo and conference, as part of its FESPA 2026 line-up. The new co-located event ran alongside FESPA Global Print Expo, European Sign Expo, Personalisation Experience, WrapFest, and Textile—the second event that made its debut. The landmark six-in-one exhibition—which took place at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue from 19–22 May 2026—welcomed a global audience spanning the speciality print, signage, packaging, personalisation, wrapping, and textile sectors.
Co-organised by FESPA and Brunton Publications, Corrugated was introduced to provide a targeted platform for small-to-medium sized corrugated converters to navigate the technologies and regulations currently shaping the sector, driven by the rapid growth of digital print in graphical packaging.
The inaugural event attracted major industry brands, including Advantive, BOBST, ePS, and Koenig & Bauer, which participated alongside prominent digital print innovators familiar to the FESPA community, such as Canon, Durst, EFI, HP, and Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems.
Reflecting on the expo’s strategic value, Frederic Goudard, BOBST Marketing & Communication Manager Product Line DSF, comments, “It’s a key platform to exchange insights, explore industry trends, and strengthen relationships which are shaping the future of packaging.”
Corrugated recorded a total visitor attendance of 1,257 from 40 countries, with the largest audiences coming from Spain, the UK, Italy, Germany, Romania, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, and Ukraine. Crucially, the event delivered a high-quality audience of senior industry professionals. 71% of attendees were high-ranking decision makers—such as directors, CEOs, owners, and managers—representing some of the world’s largest paper and packaging companies. The commercial relevance was further reinforced by the collective median visitor budget of €177 million, signalling strong propensity to invest in new technologies.
Several exhibitors noted the value of these high-level connections. Scodix General Manager and COO Amit Shvartz comments, “FESPA’s new Corrugated event was a must-attend for us. As a company that serves the signage and display market, it offered us the perfect opportunity to connect with key decision-makers, strengthen customer relationships, and showcase our latest innovations and product developments.”
Mathew Faulkner, EMEA Marketing and Innovation Director at Canon EMEA, states, “FESPA is the ideal event for us in the wide-format market. It united the wide-format community and provided a unique opportunity for us to explore emerging technologies and the latest developments shaping the industry. Whether it’s décor, personalisation, or Corrugated—which we were proud to exhibit in and sponsor—FESPA is the perfect platform to showcase the power of digital print-on-demand across multiple verticals. Packed with inspiration, insights, innovative applications, and creativity, it truly is the place to be and is the destination for industry experts.”
Nick Kirby, FESPA Corrugated Ambassador, says, “I have been waiting in anticipation of the event, and I believe that we delivered a very successful debut. We had good footfall to the Corrugated area and great conversations were had on the show floor. Coupled with the conference providing insightful presentations across market trends and the future of the industry, the overall feedback from visitors and exhibitors has been overwhelmingly positive. We have developed a solid foundation for Corrugated and I am excited to support FESPA in building on that for future editions.”
Following a successful launch, Corrugated will officially return to the event calendar in 2028.
