The European Coatings Show has once again provided impressive proof of its status as the leading platform for the paint and coatings industry. From March 25-27, 2025, 25,681 industry experts learned about the latest trends and developments in the sector from 1,216 exhibitors from 46 countries.

The high-caliber conference, which started on March 24, was again a popular drawcard and received positive feedback across the board from the 660 delegates in attendance.

Particularly worthy of mention is the premiere of the World Paint and Coatings Week, which proved to be a resounding success. The product presentations offered participants a quick yet comprehensive overview of the latest innovations and developments in the paint and coatings segment.

Every two years, the European Coatings Show fills eight exhibition halls, six of which are devoted exclusively to paint feedstocks, printing inks, adhesives, construction chemical precursors, and associated services. Hall 4 was the venue for laboratory and production technology, testing and measuring systems, application technology, environmental protection and occupational safety, while Hall 4 A housed a combination of all product segments.

At this year’s event, 1,216 exhibitors from 46 countries showcased their products, with international companies making up 70 percent of all participants. The five largest exhibiting 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 contingent was 67 percent.

With 144 presentations and 660 delegates, the conference offered intensive knowledge transfer and the latest insights from the R&D segment under the banner “Shaping tomorrow’s innovation.” This year, there were two keynote speakers for the first time: Dr. Frank Brower, renewable chemistry specialist at Stahl, with his presentation “The impossible project: A journey of transformation,” and Professor Katja Loos from the University of Groningen, with the keynote address “Designing renewable dynamic polymers for circular and advanced applications.”

A highlight of the conference was the presentation of the European Coatings Show Conference Award. This year, the €2,000 prize was awarded for the paper “Predicting Color Changes in Coating Drying Process: An Innovative Approach Using Machine Learning Techniques” by Gaoyuan Zhang from the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences.

Another high point was the ECS Student Award, which this year went to Luis Heller from the Technical University of Denmark. For details of the European Coatings Show Conference, go to: www.european-coatings-show.com/de/konferenz/

Premiere for World Paint and Coatings Week

From March 24-28, 2025, the global paint and coatings industry came together for the first time as part of World Paint and Coatings Week, hosted by the World Coatings Council. This important initiative was co-located with the European Coatings Show and the European Coatings Show Conference.

The World Paint and Coatings Week offered industry experts a unique opportunity to discuss the latest developments, innovations and regulatory trends in-depth. Moreover, the event was not just geared towards industry professionals but was also aimed at the public to raise awareness about the essential role of coatings in our day-to-day lives. For more information on the World Paint and Coatings Week, go to: //coatings.org.uk/page/WorldPaintAndCoatingsWeek

Product presentations provided professional expertise In more than 100 product presentations over all three days of the fair, exhibitors provided valuable information on using their feedstocks, laboratory, production, testing and measuring technology, and on the services they offer. The presentation stages in two halls attracted trade visitors seeking fast and concise information about the latest developments. All presentations were live-streamed. For more information on the product presentations, go to: //www.european-coatings-show.com/de/product-presentations/

“ECS 2025 once again provided us with an outstanding platform for face-to-face dialogue. The discussions we had focused on innovative and more sustainable additive solutions for PFAS-free formulations, which were of great interest to our visitors and reflect the growing global demand for environmentally friendly products. Our fully automated digital laboratory – the HTS system that cuts product development times substantially – also attracted a lot of attention,” said Dr. Stefan Mößmer, managing director marketing and sales, Covestro.

As a virtual continuation of the prestigious European Coatings Show 2025, ECS Reloaded 2026 provides a valuable platform for presenting innovations and trends. On June 16-17, users of the platform can gain detailed insights into the products and familiarize themselves with the latest developments in the sector.

The 2027 European Coatings Show will be held April 20-22, 2027 with the European Coatings Show Conference April 19-21, 2027.