drinktec 2025 – fully on track

World's leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry, drinktec 2025, is fully on track – with only eight months remaining until its opening. All leading companies around the globe have already secured their space for the industry's global economic summit, which will take place from 15th to 19th September 2025 in Munich, and are actively preparing their exhibits. The organization team has reported near-full occupancy of the eleven exhibition halls at the Munich exhibition centre, with only a few spaces remaining in specific areas.

“Preparations for the trade fair are in full swing and we are already able to assure our visitors from all corners of the world that they will once again receive a comprehensive view of all raw materials, ingredients, packaging options as well as solutions and technologies for their product concepts and production needs,” explains Markus Kosak, Executive Director drinktec Cluster at trade fair organizer YONTEX. Internationality remains a significant strength of the fair in 2025. With exhibitors from approximately 60 countries, drinktec will again serve as the definitive platform for showcasing the global range of solutions available to the beverage and liquid food industry.

New formats in the supporting programme

The trade fair organizers are placing special emphasis on the Liquidrome supporting programme. This new format represents a continued evolution of drinktec, enhancing its value proposition: “We see drinktec as a platform created by experts for experts. This naturally includes the exhibitors' presentations at the trade fair and the introduction of new ideas on the future of the industry. With a dedicated space for knowledge exchange in Hall C4, we will place even greater focus on communication between researchers, visitors, and exhibitors,” explains Markus Kosak. In various interactive zones, the future of the beverage and liquid food industry will be discussed with demonstrations, presentations and executive discussions. This format will be rounded off with a networking area for exchange among visitors with exhibitors also invited to participate.

Visitors from all over the world will be able to experience exciting innovations - many of them in action – from exhibitors at the 2025 edition of drinktec. “drinktec offers a unique opportunity to draw the attention of a global audience to cutting-edge technology and its benefits. Its a clear unique selling point of drinktec that the entire value chain is often available here in live operation. Nowhere else in the world can visitors observe the technical details of complete filling and packaging systems, for example, across all performance ranges, from low-tech to high-tech," explains Markus Kosak. drinktec, therefore, serves as a one-stop shop for tackling both current challenges and future prospects in the beverage and liquid food industries.

Highly dynamic framework conditions demand action

Future-oriented approaches are essential across the entire value chain. In the coming years, the diverse range of consumer preferences will continue to influence product offerings in the beverage and liquid food industry. This trend will also be driven by the increasing demand for bespoke product formulations tailored to consumer needs, supported by new ingredients and innovative production processes, such as those for protein production. In order to provide orientation here, the drinktec team is consolidating these emerging trends within the supporting programme, under the main theme “Lifestyle & Health”. Visitors will gain a comprehensive overview of plant-based beverages, with their flavor profiles and associated processing technologies. The use of plant-based side streams will also be explored as a future avenue.

Progress in the digitalisation of business processes remains a broad field of work in the industry. The key topic “Data2Value” is dedicated to these activities in the industry, highlighting how the use of AI tools is expanding the potential applications of data across the value chain. Many tasks in beverage and liquid food production can benefit from the deeper integration of data, including the use of external data and machine learning-based forecasting tools that reveal overarching relationships in product formulation, process technology, and plant operations.

The triad of focal points is completed by the topic area of “Circularity & Resource Management”. Sustainable products and production processes continue to be of paramount importance in consumer surveys. For many beverage producers, these criteria are now integral to investment decisions. Despite some shifts or adjustments to sustainability targets by some global players, the recovery of materials, the efficient use of energy and innovative recycling solutions – often in collaboration with other sectors – remain priority objectives. A prime example of this is wastewater treatment concepts that help optimise water use in production cycles.

The contributions of start-ups, which will feature prominently within the Liquidrome, also play a crucial role in stimulating idea generation among trade visitors.

“We fully support the realignment of the supporting program,” states Richard Clemens, Managing Director of the Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association within VDMA e.V. ”In the current economic environment, the exchange of ideas within the industry and the expansion of the range of future-oriented topics is more important than ever.”