Taking place Sept. 11-15, 2017, drinktec is the largest  sector event for the beverage and liquid food industry. Referred by many as a World Summit, its status has been built up throughout many years. By always keeping pace with and adapting to economic trends and changes in the sector, drinktec has embraced that moniker.

The entire process chain in the beverage and liquid food industry will be on hand,  including manufacturing, filling, packaging, marketing, raw materials, beverage ingredients and logistics solutions. All the requirements are covered — whether low-tech or high-tech.

Occupying 14 exhibition halls at Germany’s Messe München exhibition center and the adjacent ICM Internationales Congress Center München, drinktec covers around 150,000 square meters of space.

In 2017, this five-day, compact and in-depth event is expected to attract roughly 1,600 exhibitors from more than 70 countries along with  more than 70,000 trade visitors from more than 180 countries around the world. 

USPs of drinktec

At drinktec, exhibitors and attendees will benefit from drivers of business, it states. The following are key features of the show:

• Pure innovative strength: World premieres, innovations and a forward-looking exchange of ideas and information; drinktec offers creative solutions for future products.
• Unlimited possibilities: Whether companies are small or large, regionally or internationally active, drinktec is the gathering for the global community.
• Tangible results: Optimally networked and a partner for long-term success, drinktec is the efficient working trade fair where everyone finds what they are looking for.


In short, drinktec is the beverage industry’s leading international trade fair, the company says, and it sets the course for the future.

SIMEI@drinktec

Another highlight at drinktec 2017 is SIMEI@drinktec. For the first time SIMEI, the leading international exhibition for enological and bottling equipment, is taking place as an integrated part of drinktec. Messe München is the organizer of SIMEI@drinktec.

SIMEI is organized by the Unione Italiana Vini (UIV). It will retain its usual two-year cycle, but in future its venue will alternate between Italy and Munich.

This cooperation between drinktec and SIMEI completes the spectrum of products and technologies offered at drinktec, by covering all areas of wine technology.

For SIMEI a dedicated exhibition space has been created in Halls C2 and C3 as an integrated part of drinktec and specifically targeted at the wine sector. With the integration of SIMEI into drinktec, the show offers  customers, exhibitors and visitors, added value:

• drinktec exhibitors have access to a wider pool of potential new customers through SIMEI.
• Vintners and wine-bottlers, small or large, can use this platform to boost their business and meet up with a worldwide trade audience.
• Unique supporting programs allow wine producers to get answers to their questions about issues of concern in the industry and talk in depth about their projects to experts from all around the world.

The entire process chain

On 150,000 square meters of exhibition space, drinktec will present the entire repertoire of beverage and liquid food technology providing solutions for manufacturing, filling, packaging, marketing, raw materials and logistics.

Around 80,000 square meters will be dedicated to product-specific process technology for the manufacturing and processing of beverages, milk and liquid foods. Part of that, in a dedicated display area, is PETpoint, the section devoted to PET technology (Hall A4).

An important and ever-expanding section within process technology is packaging technology, including filling technology. 

Sustainability and resource efficiency also will be addressed. A separate hall (A1) will be taken up by the theme of sales promotion and marketing to accommodate the rising number of marketing experts who visit drinktec.

Eighty-seven percent of visitors to drinktec 2013 rated the area on marketing and promotion as “excellent to good.”

In Hall B1, drinktec 2017 is devoting no less than 11,000 square meters of space to the section on raw materials/ingredients, which also includes additives, agents and recipes.

Around the world

Over the last 10 years, drinktec has experienced significant developments in the visitor statistics. From 2001 to 2005 alone the proportion of visitors from outside Germany rose by 37 percent. In 2005, for the first time, drinktec had more visitors from outside Germany than from inside the country.

At drinktec 2013, the show reported a 14 percent increase in visitor numbers. Overall, the show welcomed 66,886 trade visitors to drinktec 2013.

For drinktec 2017, the group has set a goal of further increasing international participation. Above all from Asia (in particular Japan), South America (especially Colombia), Africa and Iran, organizers are expecting more visitors.

The reasons are the up-and-coming markets in these countries and the increased activities in those markets. In total, organizers are expecting more than 70,000 visitors at drinktec 2017.

In the ranking of countries of origin among the visitors, top of the list is Italy, followed by Russia and Switzerland. The United States is high up in fourth place, and China in seventh.

In 2013, as many as 180 different countries were represented among the visitors. To put that in context: The United Nations currently has 193 states as members. BI