The pandemic-induced hiatus was followed by a reunion at the 2023 European Coatings Show and Conference at Exhibition Centre in Nuremberg, Germany. Despite a nationwide strike by public transport workers on Monday, March 27 that almost crippled public life in Germany, the halls in Nuremberg were packed with enthusiastic exhibitors and visitors. From March 28 to 30, 24,605 coatings experts learned about the latest trends in paint and coatings from 1,017 exhibitors from 42 countries. 

Eight exhibition halls offered trade visitors from the paint and coatings industry information on all the global industry trends and innovations in coatings, printing inks, laboratory, production, testing or measuring technology, adhesives, and construction chemicals. With its focus on sustainability, nanotechnology, and green coatings, the show introduced developers, process engineers, quality managers, and purchasing officers to innovation solutions covering the entire coatings market.

Distinguished speakers from more than 40 countries offered interesting insights into a wide variety of topics. The opening keynote by Wijnand Bruinsma from Akzo Nobel was titles “The Role of Paint and Coatings in a Sustainable Future.” One highlight of the conference was the presentation of the coveted European Coatings Show Award. This year, the award was presented to Dr. Hong Xu and her co-authors Joseph Mauck (Cardolite USA) and James Zhao (Cardolite China) for their work “Pursue Greener – Novel Sustainable CNSL-Based Diluent Designed for High-Performance Low-VOC Protective Coatings.”

The next European Coatings Show Conference will take place on March 24 and 25, 2025.