Ricard Badia
From 19 – 22 May 2026, at the Fira de Barcelona, FESPA successfully launched Corrugated a new dedicated expo and conference. The new co-located event, which is part of the FESPA 2026 line-up, was run alongside: FESPA Global Print Expo, European Sign Expo, Personalisation Experience, WrapFest and Textile. The six-in-one exhibition 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 secured participation from leading corrugated brands – Advantive, Bobst, ePS and Koenig & Bauer – alongside established 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, Marketing & Communication Manager at Bobst, commented: “It’s a key platform to exchange insights, explore industry trends and strengthen relationships which are shaping the future of packaging.”
The Corrugated expo attracted a total visitor attendance of 1,257 from 40 countries. The largest audiences were from Spain, the UK, Italy, Germany, Romania, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, and Ukraine (in descending order). Crucially, the event delivered a high-quality audience of senior industry professionals, with 71% of attendees holding senior roles (directors, CEOs, owners or managers) and 71% possessing decision-making authority. Included among the attendees were leading multinational integrated companies with Group-level Technical Directors and Divisional CEOs from 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.
Exhibitors noted the value of these high-level connections:
Amit Shvartz, General Manager & COO, Scodix, commented: “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 & Innovation Director, Canon Europe, stated: “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, said: “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 the success of the launch, the Corrugated expo will officially return to the event calendar in 2028.