During interpack 2026, at Messe Düsseldorf, IPACK-IMA presented the key guidelines of its next edition to the international press. Scheduled to take place at Fiera Milano from 29 May to 1 June 2028, the event was introduced during a press conference held on 8 May, offering a broad overview of the exhibition project: market data, new initiatives, strategic alliances and an increasingly integrated vision for the packaging, processing and innovative materials sectors.
A few days after the closing of interpack, the press conference therefore marked a significant step in the journey towards IPACK-IMA 2028, confirming the role of the exhibition as an international platform capable of connecting technologies, production chains and global markets.
“IPACK-IMA 2028 is a continuously evolving system, built on the idea that innovation is an art, expressed through the ability to listen to markets, anticipate their transformations and provide technical responses of excellence,” said President Valerio Soli. “The platform we have built reflects the ability of our sectors to combine creativity, technology and vision, as well as the exhibition’s capacity to intercept market needs and offer the right answers, always looking to the future: global company, local roots.”
Milan remains at the heart of the project, but with an increasingly international outlook. IPACK-IMA presents itself as the central hub of an ecosystem that includes vertical events, industrial partnerships and a presence in the world’s leading markets.
Pharmintech by Ipack-Ima, organised in collaboration with BolognaFiere and dedicated to the Pharma and Life Science sectors, will take place alongside IPACK-IMA.
Bevertech, created through the partnership with UIV, Unione Italiana Vini, and SIMEI, will make its debut from 17 to 20 November 2026 as an exhibition dedicated to Liquid Food & Beverage and as the first strategic milestone on the road to 2028.
On the international front, the collaboration with Informa Markets and the ProPak network strengthens the presence in the markets of Southeast Asia, India, Africa and South America. This network is complemented by IPACK-IMA’s Business Communities, designed to organise the exhibition offer according to a vertical and sector-specific logic, intercepting the most dynamic areas of packaging and processing: Grain Based Food, Liquid Food & Beverage, Food Fresh & Convenience, and Pharma & Life Science.
The journey towards the next edition is already showing positive signs. “The numerous reconfirmations of participation in the next IPACK-IMA, with a 22% increase compared to the same period in the previous cycle, are not simply bookings: they are acts of strategic trust in a system capable of generating real value in an increasingly unstable global context,” said CEO Simone Castelli. “The visitor is at the centre of every project choice: our goal is that every professional who chooses Milan finds the answers, relationships and tools needed to build their competitive advantage.”
Among the innovations announced for 2028 is the introduction of the Technical Scientific Committee, conceived as the first structured tool for governing the exhibition’s content. The involvement of experts and stakeholders will help define the development trajectories of the exhibition path, strengthening the link between technological innovation, industrial needs and valuable content.
Smart Factory is also set to grow, with complete and fully operational lines and daily live shows, together with IPACK-Mat, the pathway dedicated to new innovative materials. Smart Talks will also move beyond conference rooms and into the exhibition halls, bringing content and knowledge directly to the places where relationships, meetings and business opportunities are created.
This vision will continue beyond the days of the exhibition through Road to IPACK-IMA 2028, a structured programme of events, insights and direct presence in strategic international markets.
The 2028 edition is built on a broad partnership system: UCIMA and Fiera Milano as institutional and operational foundations, Informa Markets and the ProPak network for international presence, BolognaFiere for Pharmintech, and UIV and SIMEI for Bevertech. To complete the exhibition offer, IPACK-IMA also confirms its collaboration with Deutsche Messe and will be held alongside INTRALOGISTICA ITALIA, the event dedicated to internal logistics, contributing to the creation of an integrated and complementary exhibition ecosystem.
The message that emerged in Düsseldorf was clear: IPACK-IMA 2028 aims to bring the world to Milan, offering a platform where technologies, markets and professional relationships can converge to support the evolution of packaging, processing and innovative materials.