The 2026 edition of BrauBeviale, held at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre from November 10 to 12, recorded a significant decline in attendance compared with its previous staging in 2024. According to the closing figures published by organizer YONTEX on November 13, the three-day exhibition attracted approximately 27,000 trade visitors, representing a decrease of 12.4 percent from the 30,821 visitors recorded in 2024 (inside.beer, 29.11.2024). Exhibitor numbers also declined, with more than 800 companies from 38 countries participating, compared with 858 exhibitors from 41 countries two years earlier. The official online exhibitor directory listed 817 companies, suggesting a reduction of approximately 5 percent.
The contraction continues a trend that was already evident in 2024, when visitor numbers had fallen slightly from 31,019 in 2023, while exhibitor participation dropped from 953 to 858. However, the 2026 decline was considerably more pronounced on the visitor side, illustrating the difficult environment facing European beverage manufacturers and their equipment suppliers.
Weak beer consumption, pressure on operating margins, and increasingly cautious investment decisions have made companies more selective in their trade fair participation. Some exhibitors responded by reducing their stand sizes, although the organizer has not published comparative figures that would establish the overall extent of this development. In 2024, YONTEX reported 35,403 square meters of net exhibitor stand space, already down approximately 11 percent from the 39,800 square meters recorded in 2023. Unlike in previous years, the organizer's 2026 closing statement did not disclose a comparable exhibition area figure, making it impossible to quantify the latest reduction.
Nevertheless, the smaller scale was clearly reflected in the exhibition layout. While BrauBeviale 2024 occupied nine halls, the 2026 edition was concentrated in eight halls. The traditional central entrance was no longer part of the main visitor routing, with visitors instead directed through the East and West entrances. YONTEX presented the redesigned arrangement as an improvement, organizing the exhibition along the beverage production chain from raw materials to processing, filling, packaging, and logistics. However, for regular visitors familiar with the previous arrangement, the changes required considerable reorientation and altered established walking routes through the exhibition.
Despite the declining overall figures, YONTEX emphasized BrauBeviale's continued importance as a European industry meeting point. Approximately 93 percent of visitors came from European countries, while nearly half of the exhibitors originated from outside Germany. The organizer particularly welcomed renewed participation from Eastern Europe. In 2024, approximately 84 percent of visitors had come from Germany and the European Union. However, the two percentages are not directly comparable because the 2026 figure includes European countries outside the EU.
Rolf Keller, Managing Director of YONTEX, acknowledged that companies have become increasingly selective about the markets and trade fair platforms in which they invest. Nevertheless, he considered the renewed participation from Eastern Europe an encouraging indication of the exhibition's continued importance for business relationships and market development.
The changed economic environment was also reflected in the exhibition's thematic priorities. Whereas the 2024 event had highlighted signs of recovering investment activity, BrauBeviale 2026 adopted the motto "Time for Opportunities", placing greater emphasis on immediately applicable technical solutions, operational efficiency, and business diversification.
For breweries in particular, the potential to use existing production facilities for additional beverage categories became a central theme. Technologies for producing alcohol-free beer, fermented non-alcoholic beverages, functional soft drinks, and aperitif alternatives attracted attention alongside solutions for reducing energy and water consumption. This broader positioning reflects the industry's growing need to develop revenue streams beyond traditional beer as consumer preferences continue to change.
The accompanying program reinforced this approach. At the Main Stage, Charles Nouwen of Peer to Beer addressed opportunities for breweries beyond conventional beer production. Practical demonstrations in the Pilot Area and workshops in the Focus Corner complemented the presentations, while the Discovery Bar featured more than 50 beverage concepts, ranging from functional soft drinks to fermented alcohol-free alternatives and innovative aperitifs.
Kilian Kittl, General Manager of Private Brauereien Bayern, the exhibition's honorary sponsor, stressed the importance of maintaining personal contact and exchanging technical knowledge during economically challenging times. His assessment was echoed by representatives of major equipment and ingredient suppliers, including Thomas Raiser, Managing Director of BarthHaas, and Markus Tischer, Chief Technical Officer of Krones, who emphasized the value of direct customer contacts and collaborative project development.
The latest results nevertheless raise questions about the exhibition's future development. While BrauBeviale remains an important European platform for brewing and beverage technology, the continued decline in visitors and exhibitors suggests that the traditional trade fair model is coming under increasing pressure. A smaller exhibition may offer more concentrated business opportunities, but maintaining sufficient participation from equipment manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and international buyers will be essential to preserving its relevance.
Following the break in 2025, when the international beverage technology exhibition drinktec took place in Munich, BrauBeviale is scheduled to return to Nuremberg from November 9 to 11, 2027. The next edition will provide an important indication of whether the exhibition can stabilize participation and maintain its position as one of Europe's leading meeting points for the brewing and beverage industries.
