With the inaugural meeting of the Exhibitor Advisory Board, preparations for K 2028 have officially begun. The world's leading trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry will take place in Düsseldorf from October 18 to 25, 2028. The Advisory Board supports Messe Düsseldorf in the strategic and conceptual development of the event and provides guidance on key issues relating to the show's positioning, structure and communication strategy. At the opening session, the board unanimously elected Dr. Axel von Wiedersperg, CEO of Brückner Group, as its new chairman. He succeeds Ulrich Reifenhäuser, who chaired the Advisory Board since 2004 and played a significant role in shaping the development of K over more than two decades.
K 2028 sets the course for the next event
Dr. Axel von Wiedersperg brings extensive industry expertise to his new role as chairman of the Exhibitor Advisory Board. The lawyer and industry executive has been a member of the board since 2023 and was already involved in preparations for K 2025 as well as in the strategic development of the trade fair. Since 2009, he has served as managing director of Brückner Group and has gained comprehensive knowledge of the international plastics and rubber industry. He is also a board member of the VDMA Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association.
Advisory board discusses key topics for K 2028
The meeting focused on a review of K 2025 and initial considerations regarding the strategic direction of the next event. Board members analyzed the results of exhibitor and visitor surveys and derived initial recommendations for the further development of K 2028. In addition, the board discussed key industry topics expected to gain further importance in the coming years. These include sustainability, the circular economy, digitalization and new technologies in plastics and rubber processing.
Advisory board represents the entire plastics industry
The K 2028 Exhibitor Advisory Board includes representatives from leading companies and industry associations across the plastics and rubber value chain. Members of the board are:
- Marc Gregor Baier, BBP Kunststoffwerk Marbach Baier
- Dr. Christine Bunte, Plastics Europe Deutschland
- Boris Engelhardt, German Rubber Industry Association (wdk)
- Dr. Stefan Engleder, Engel Austria
- Dr. Guiscard Glück, BASF
- Manfred Hackl, Erema Group
- Jochen Hardt, Covestro Deutschland
- Juliane Hehl, Arburg
- Thomas Holzer, Troester
- Jan Karnath, Reifenhäuser Maschinenfabrik
- Thorsten Kühmann, VDMA Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association
- Dr. Oliver Möllenstädt, German Plastics Processing Industry Association (GKV)
- Eric Schönel, Simona
- Ute Spring, Dow Deutschland Anlagengesellschaft
- Dr. Axel von Wiedersperg, Brückner Group
- Dr. Sascha Witt, Windmöller & Hölscher
- Michael Wittmann, Wittmann Technology
International plastics industry looks ahead to K 2028
Once again, K 2028 is expected to attract the leading companies of the global plastics and rubber industry to Düsseldorf. The event is regarded as the most important international platform for innovations across the entire value chain, ranging from machinery and equipment to raw materials, recycling and processing technologies. Exhibitor registration will open in January 2027. Preparations are already underway for the next edition of the trade fair, which will once again serve as a global meeting point for the industry.
K 2028 builds on the success of the previous event
The last edition of K in 2025 welcomed 3,246 exhibitors from 65 countries across more than 176,000 square meters of net exhibition space. Approximately 169,000 trade visitors attended the event, with 73 percent coming from outside Germany. These figures underline the significance of K as the leading international platform for the plastics and rubber industry. The preparation process now underway aims to further strengthen the exhibition's position as the world's premier industry event.
