PaintExpo anticipates exhibitors from 26 nations

Five months before the start of the trade fair, PaintExpo 2026 is shaping up to be something special: more than 360 exhibitors have already booked their spot at the world’s leading trade fair for industrial coating technology. This means that around 90 per cent of the available 30,000 square metres of exhibition space has already been snapped up. Particularly pleasing: some 54 per cent of exhibitors are from abroad. Companies from a total of 26 countries will be represented. The countries with the highest number of exhibitors include Italy, Türkiye, France, Switzerland and Poland.

“We are delighted that PaintExpo is once again attracting such strong international interest,” says Carmen Bender, Project Director of PaintExpo. “The fact that companies from countries such as Cyprus, Egypt and Vietnam have also registered this year shows how global industrial coating technology has become. This diversity brings together new opportunities, technologies and markets, confirming PaintExpo’s status as the meeting place for the global industry.

In addition to its proven trade fair concept, PaintExpo 2026 will feature a futuristic innovation: the Friday will be dedicated to a particularly important target group. Future graduates will be inspired by the variety of career opportunities in the paint technology industry – even those from unrelated fields of study. In collaboration with universities within a 200-kilometre radius of Karlsruhe, students from fields such as electrical engineering, process engineering, mechanical engineering and software development are invited to take part. A keynote speech with cross-industry relevance, guided tours to selected exhibitors and practical examples at the stands will demonstrate how versatile a career in coating technology can be. The concept is supported by the PaintExpo advisory board and offers interested exhibitors the opportunity to showcase themselves to potential young talent.

Thanks to the close cooperation between Leipziger Messe and Messe Karlsruhe, exhibitors and visitors will benefit from optimised processes on site next year. Modern infrastructure measures and the reopening of car park P3 will ensure smoother access and a more comfortable trade fair experience overall.

The ticket shop for PaintExpo 2026 is now open. Those who register early can take advantage of convenient online booking, avoid waiting times on site and plan their visit to the trade fair in advance. It is also a good idea for exhibiting companies to inform their customers and partners that tickets can be purchased now: www.paintexpo.de/tickets .