The top-class conference, which began on March 24, was very popular and the response from the 660 participants was consistently positive. Particularly noteworthy was the premiere of the World Paint and Coatings Week, which proved to be a complete success. The product presentations offered participants a quick and comprehensive overview of the latest innovations and developments in the world of paints and coatings.Every two years, the European Coatings Show occupies eight exhibition halls, six of which are dedicated exclusively to coating raw materials, printing ink raw materials, adhesive raw materials, construction chemical precursors and related services. In Hall 4, everything revolved around laboratory and production technology, testing and measuring technology, application technology as well as environmental protection and occupational safety. Hall 4 A combined all product segments. At this year's event, 1,216 exhibitors from 46 countries showcased their products, with 70 percent of the participants being international companies. The five largest exhibitor countries this year were Germany, China, Italy, the Netherlands and India. The 25,681 trade visitors came from 121 countries. The top five visitor countries were Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey and Poland. The international share amounted to 67 percent. Start-ups and young companies from Germany and abroad also presented their new products to the public and were real crowd-pullers.
European Coatings Show Conference
With 144 presentations and 660 participants, the conference offered intensive knowledge transfer and the latest insights into research and development under the motto "Shaping tomorrow's innovation". The top-class program started on 24 March. This year, there were two keynote speakers for the first time. Dr. Frank Brouwer, specialist for renewable chemistry at Stahl, with his presentation "The Impossible Project: A Journey of Transformation" and Prof. Katja Loos from the University of Groningen, with the keynote "Designing renewable dynamic polymers for circular and advanced applications".
The highlight of the conference was the presentation of the European Coatings Show Conference Award. This year's prize, worth 2,000 euros, honored the work "Predicting Color Changes in Coating Drying Process: An Innovative Approach Using Machine Learning Techniques" by Gaoyuan Zhang, Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences. Another highlight was the ECS Student Award, which was presented this year to Luis Heller, Technical University of Denmark.
Premiere: World Paint and Coatings Week
From 24 to 28 March 2025, the global paint and coatings industry came together for the first time as part of World Coatings Week, organized by the World Coatings Council. This important initiative took place alongside the European Coatings Show and the European Coatings Show Conference. World Coatings Week provided a unique opportunity for industry experts to exchange information on the latest developments, innovations and regulatory trends. In addition, the event is aimed not only at professionals but also at the general public to raise awareness of the essential role of coatings in our daily lives.