drinktec 2025 – Only 100 days until the opening

Preparations for drinktec 2025 are entering their final and most intensive phase. With strong registration figures, the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry is once again demonstrating its impressive standing. From 15 to 19 September 2025, over 1,000 exhibitors from more than 50 countries will come together in Munich to showcase the latest trends in beverage and liquid food production. Spanning over 73,000 square metres, exhibitors will present solutions and expertise covering the entire value chain, addressing all industry challenges.

Rolf Keller, Managing Director of YONTEX, underlines the importance of drinktec within the global beverage and liquid food market:
"drinktec remains closely aligned with market needs, and this year’s edition is no exception. The strong response to drinktec 2025 is a testament to this strategic alignment."

Markus Kosak, Executive Director of the drinktec Cluster, adds:
"Only a few spaces remain available. We continue to receive enquiries and are working to place them in the most suitable exhibition areas."
This demonstrates once again that drinktec is living up to its reputation as the industry’s leading global trade fair. With the 2025 edition, the industry affirms the breadth of technologies and solutions available internationally for beverage and liquid food production.

The familiar distribution of one-third domestic and two-third international exhibitors will again be maintained this year. “The international exhibitor base is at the core of drinktec’s identity and underscores its strength. For visitors, this means that drinktec is uniquely positioned as the go-to platform for discovering future-oriented solutions tailored to the beverage and liquid food sectors worldwide,” Kosak continues. Once again, since 1951, Munich will serve as the global summit for raw materials, technology, and machinery related to the production and marketing of beverages and liquid foods.

Liquidrome – A vision of the future

Looking ahead, the supporting programme has undergone a conceptual redesign, as Markus Kosak explains:
"We are consolidating our programme in hall C4 with our new format, ‘Liquidrome’. This area will serve as a forum for knowledge exchange, exhibitor presentations, and interaction with academia and research. With Liquidrome, we are laying the foundation for the dialogue of the future."

This interactive space will broaden information access for visitors and offer insights into novel product concepts, the use of innovative technologies, and emerging market strategies. In close coordination with drinktec’s conceptual sponsor, the VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association, the content will be structured around three central themes.

Key topics highlight future prospects

Under the topic ‘Circularity & Resource Management’, topics such as water reuse and wastewater treatment will be addressed. Presentations will explore how global requirements for water conservation can be implemented from various perspectives. Additional focal points include energy recovery, the use of by-products from production processes, and more efficient packaging material usage. The implementation of the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will also be reflected in the lecture programme. 

The second topic, ‘Data2Value’, focuses on process transparency and the integration of machine learning and AI-based applications. Topics include flavour prediction models and predictive maintenance. These approaches also apply to cleaning process design: AI combined with machine learning enables the detection of contamination levels in containers and triggers self-adjusting cleaning cycles accordingly.

The third topic, ‘Lifestyle & Health’, provides inspiration on flavour solutions for low- or no-alcohol beers, alcohol-free wines, and fermented beverages—empowering manufacturers to tap into this growing segment with optimised recipes. Functional drinks enriched with minerals, vitamins, amino acids, fibre, or probiotics are expected to gain market share. The addition of plant-based proteins, some derived from brewing by-products, will also become increasingly important.

Startup zone – Strong participation

Part of the Liquidrome, the Startup zone has seen a particularly strong response this year. “We’re presenting an exciting range of German startups, supported through a stand concept funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). In addition, we’ve successfully attracted numerous international startups,” says Kosak. 

These startups demonstrate clear innovation potential, particularly in IT solutions for the industry. Maintenance management systems, cloud technologies, and other digital solutions are a key focus. Young companies are also concentrating on energy and heat supply for beverage production and the development of innovative additives.

The exhibition team has observed clear momentum in the ingredients and new beverages segment. The Health bar, integrated within the Liquidrome, will showcase concepts for health-promoting drinks—a segment consistently gaining market share, according to analysts. “We are dedicating significant attention to this product category. Manufacturers may need to adapt their production strategies accordingly,” says Kosak.

The team is closely monitoring the activities of researchers and ingredient producers, as forecasts predict global annual growth rates of over 8% in this segment through 2028. The New Beverage Concept (NBC) special area in hall C3 will also present ideas for novel ingredients and flavour variations—even beyond the health-oriented sphere.

Positive global outlook

In recent months, the exhibition team, in cooperation with the VDMA, has conducted an extensive international outreach programme. The drinktec Roadshow remains a proven format for gaining in-depth insights into market conditions through direct dialogue with key global stakeholders. Covering approximately 20 countries across all continents, the roadshow facilitated high-level industry engagement.

During stops in Southeast Asia, China, Japan, South America, Europe, and Africa, the drinktec team reconnected with local industry professionals. “The global response has been overwhelmingly positive. With the support of local associations, we gained valuable insights into the strategic and economic priorities of our target markets. This exchange is absolutely vital to ensuring drinktec remains perfectly aligned,” reflects Kosak.

Participants also expressed strong enthusiasm: for many countries, this is the first opportunity since the pandemic to engage with live innovations and industry news. “All in all, the signs point clearly to growth,” concludes Markus Kosak following the extensive outreach with key industry multipliers.

Photos and further details from the press conference are available in the media download section under 'drinktec Roadshow > DACH'.