PDC 2026: Bridging Print, Packaging & Customer Experience
When representatives from Bayer, Teekanne, and leading brand strategists will meet in Düsseldorf on 16–17 June to discuss the role that print and packaging play in the customer experience, it becomes clear just how much the industry is changing. Using concrete examples, PRINT DIGITAL CONVENTION 2026 will demonstrate how print is evolving in conjunction with e-commerce, data, and brand communication, making this development tangible for practical application.
“The conference programme highlights just how much print is currently changing. Topics such as e-commerce, data-driven communication, and brand management are now intertwined—and we have put together a particularly strong programme featuring relevant voices from the communications industry,” explains Rüdiger Maaß, Managing Director of Fachverband Medienproduktion e.V. (FMP).
Industry Transformation as Leitmotif of Keynotes
The thematic framework is set by two keynotes, each of which kicks off the respective day of the congress. Tessitura’s Markus Morawe will open the first day of the event with his presentation, ‘The future requires the strength to change’. His speech will address how companies can actively shape the connection between people, organisation, and technology, while leveraging change as a core strategic competence.
The second day will shift focus to a personal perspective with a keynote by Osman Tüccaroglu titled ‘Speed Requires Attitude—Personal Skills as the Foundation for Success.’ Tüccaroglu takes the audience on an extraordinary journey through motorsport, centred on his son Gian Luca’s path to the Porsche Carrera Cup to illustrate the critical roles that attitude, decision-making, and personal development play in everyday business life.
Curated Session Tracks Bring Perspectives Together
The initial day of the upcoming event will feature dedicated sessions focusing on concrete applications in the marketing and communications sector. Following the keynote, the programme continues with three parallel session tracks, designed in collaboration with association partners and bringing together different perspectives from industry, design, and application.
The morning sessions will focus on sustainable print production as well as the use of new technologies. Guest speaker Lea Eggers of Initiative Pro Recyclingpaper (IPR) will demonstrate how environmental standards, including the Blue Angel certification, influence print production. Additionally, Simon Pietsch of DHL Group will contextualise requirements from the perspective of international supply chains. Complementing this, the role of artificial intelligence in the design process will be discussed. Caroline Mörnås of Paulig Group and Tim Gelzleichter of WIN Creating Images will demonstrate how generative approaches and data-driven applications can be meaningfully integrated into branding and packaging processes, and where a distinction must be made between hype and actual value creation.
The afternoon session will focus on data-driven communication and automated processes. Ahmet Baydan and Christian Boy of Eurotops will demonstrate how personalised customer engagement is implemented, whilst Fabian Dudek of nucao and Tom Streefkirk of colordruck will provide insights into how print and packaging can be effectively extended into digital channels and social media.
Print and Packaging in Brand Management
One of the highlights of the programme is the panel discussion on the first day of the event, which re-evaluates the role of print and packaging in brand management. Titled ‘A brand you can touch’, the discussion centres on the significance of physical touchpoints in an increasingly digital brand landscape. With contributions from BBDO’s Christian Rätsch, as well as representatives from the Peter Schmidt Group, Bayer, and Teekanne, the discussion brings together perspectives from strategy, design, and brand practice. The focus is on how print and packaging function as part of the customer experience and what contribution they make to perception, differentiation, and brand loyalty. The subsequent PDC Night offers the opportunity to continue the discussions in an informal atmosphere and to deepen contacts.
“It is precisely the combination of brand, design, technology, and application that makes this panel so exciting. We are delighted to have secured high-calibre voices from the world of brand practice for the programme, together with our partners. It is this interplay of different perspectives that is becoming increasingly important for the further development of the industry,” explains Sabine Geldermann, Director drupa, Portfolio Print Technologies, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH.
E-commerce, Data, and New Business Models
The second day of the event builds on the topics from the previous day and focuses in particular on e-commerce, data, and new business models.
In the morning, digital rockstar and e-commerce expert Michael Atug will provide insights into the transformation from brick-and-mortar retail to online business and highlight the opportunities arising from digital sales models. In parallel, WE.LOVE.PRINT’s Matthias Windolph and Konica Minolta’s Thorsten Kinnen will discuss the role of print as a trust-building medium in the digital communications landscape. Andreas Riekötter of IFH MEDIA ANALYTICS will analyse how communication is changing amidst the interplay of AI, digitalisation, and growing media diversity. The key here is the intelligent integration of channels—this is where print comes into its own, as an attention-grabbing and trust-building medium in combination with digital applications. The afternoon session will have Markus Meyer of Eismann demonstrate how print, online retail, and digital touchpoints can be combined to create integrated customer journeys.
The conference programme comprises around 30 presentations and themed workshops across three parallel sessions, complemented by keynote speeches and discussion panels. The focus is on current developments in programmatic print, marketing automation, sustainable media production, and print finishing—with a clear emphasis on practical applications.
The PRINT DIGITAL CONVENTION will take place from 16–17 June 2026 in Düsseldorf and is organised by FMP in partnership with Messe Düsseldorf and drupa.
