PDC 2026: new partnership with the Federal Association of Marketing Clubs

Print Solutions

Print Digital Convention (PDC) is setting an important course for its future development: with the German Marketing Clubs Association (BVMC), the congress trade fair is gaining a new strategic partner and specifically strengthening its appeal to marketing and communications decision makers. At the same time, the participation of renowned exhibitors such as Heidelberg and Konica Minolta signals that the newly aligned event is meeting with broad approval in the market.

The BVMC connects specialists and executives from marketing, communications and sales and promotes practical knowledge transfer and exchange. The partnership underscores PDC’s commitment to positioning print as a strategic component of modern brand communication and further expanding the dialogue between technology providers, users and marketers.

‘The Print Digital Convention is a place where solutions become visible – based on real applications and specific requirements from marketing and communication. The partnership with the Federal Association of Marketing Clubs reinforces precisely this practical approach and expands the dialogue to include a key target group for the event,’ said Rüdiger Maaß, managing director of the Fachverband Medienproduktion e.V. (FMP).

The focus of Print Digital Convention is clearly reflected in the response from exhibitors. In addition to numerous returning companies, other market participants have decided to participate for the first time. Heidelberg is joining the event for the first time this year – a clear signal of the relevance and acceptance of the modernised concept.

‘The Print Digital Convention is an ideal platform for Heidelberg to engage with our customers about the advantages of print in the communications mix and the opportunities offered by hybrid print production. In times of high cost pressure, a shortage of skilled workers, and declining print runs, print shops today need new applications, maximum flexibility, short response times, and maximum efficiency – and this is exactly where our solutions combine the strengths of offset and digital printing, integrated into a workflow with Prinect. With Prinect, we demonstrate how both technologies can be intelligently controlled and operated economically. For our customers, the combination of both worlds means greater automation, faster production processes, new business models, and ultimately higher profitability. With HEIDELBERG, print shops have a strong partner at their side,’ said Kilian Renschler, managing director of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Vertrieb Deutschland GmbH.

Established exhibitors also use PDC specifically to intensify dialogue with new target groups from marketing and communications. Konica Minolta will once again be represented as an exhibitor. ‘The Print Digital Convention is a must for anyone who wants to experience the future of the printing and media industry live. Multichannel publishing, programmatic print and marketing automation are now essential tools for decision makers in industry and commerce to anchor brand messages with a strong response and market products profitably. Konica Minolta actively supports the PDC out of conviction. The convention is an indispensable platform for bringing together the various target groups of modern print communication in one place and thus facilitating the necessary exchange,’ said Werner Theißen, managing director of Konica Minolta Germany and Austria.

We are currently seeing many people feeling overwhelmed or left behind by the rapid developments in the field of digitalisation and artificial intelligence. Many analogue technologies are experiencing a minor renaissance, and the topic of print is also receiving more attention as a result. For this reason, the new concept of PDC is the necessary response to present the possibilities of modern print communication to a broad audience in a practical way. The fact that the event brings together print service providers, print buyers, brand owners and marketers is, in our view, a great added value,’ added Thorsten Kinnen, business development manager commercial printing at Konica Minolta Germany.

With this new partnership and strong support from the industry, Print Digital Convention 2026 continues to position itself as a focused platform for decision makers from the print industry, marketing and creative industries – with a clear focus on application, relevance and dialogue.

PDC will take place from 16 to 17 June 2026 in Düsseldorf.