XPONENTIAL Europe 2027:
Growth, investment and new focus areas
In this interview, Malte Seifert, Director Metals & Autonomous Technologies at Messe Düsseldorf, discusses the positioning of the trade fair, the hall expansion for 2027 and the growing importance of start-ups and international investors.
Germany as a technology location: Underestimated?
Helsing founder Gundbert Scherf – whose defense start-up is valued at 18 billion euros – says people too often judge the future from the present and are therefore often wrong. How do you assess the future of the sector?
Malte Seifert: Germany and Europe have a strong base of start-ups and high-tech companies such as Helsing, Quantum Systems and Germandrones – they refute the narrative of a location that has fallen behind. Heavyweights such as Rheinmetall and KNDS are also part of this landscape, both represented at XPONENTIAL Europe with broad portfolios of uncrewed systems.
Civilian clusters in autonomous mobility and New Space are also among the international early movers. We should stop talking down our innovation location – internationally, people envy us for institutions such as RWTH Aachen, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Fraunhofer institutes. This breadth is also the foundation of XPONENTIAL Europe.
Start-ups and investors
According to FCF Fox Corporate Finance, more than 5.1 billion euros will flow into European defense start-ups in 2026. How is this capital inflow reflected at XPONENTIAL Europe?
Malte Seifert: Since 2022, investment in European defense start-ups has increased tenfold. From the beginning, we have understood XPONENTIAL Europe as an incubator for innovation and investment. With the XPO+ Launcher, we offer young companies their own area to exhibit, connect with industry leaders and compete for the XPO+ Launcher Award – an ideal springboard to market entry that also functions as a technology lab and financing ecosystem.
The scale of US tech giants
Beyond the European scene, what role do major US tech companies play for the sector?
Malte Seifert: Companies such as SpaceX, Google, Microsoft and Amazon are investing on a large scale and driving global change – in New Space, mobility and logistics. Autonomous systems will change our everyday lives: Amazon Prime Air plans up to 500 million drone deliveries in three years, Waymo robotaxis have covered more than 320 million kilometers in San Francisco with a largely accident-free record and ports such as Singapore already manage their logistics with support from artificial intelligence (AI). As a trade fair organizer, I am pleased that Amazon and suppliers to such projects are represented at XPONENTIAL Europe and on our trade fair advisory boards.
Not a defense trade fair: Balancing defense and civilian applications
Defense trade fairs were long considered taboo in Germany – this has changed only since Russia’s war of aggression. How is Messe Düsseldorf dealing with this shift?
Malte Seifert: XPONENTIAL Europe has never been a defense trade fair. In the first year, the task was to move from the image of a drone trade fair toward a trade fair for autonomous mobility; in the second year, it was to place defense and the protection of critical infrastructure in the context of dual-use technologies. Alongside defense and perimeter protection, agriculture, forestry, logistics and mobility are among our largest visitor groups. Maintaining this balance remains central to sustainable growth.
An additional hall for 2027: What visitors can expect
In 2027, XPONENTIAL Europe will move into an additional exhibition hall for the first time. What is behind this step?
Malte Seifert: Hardly any trade fair topic is currently receiving as much attention from politics, industry and media as our content – from defense and cybersecurity to autonomous mobility and logistics. XPONENTIAL Europe gives this fragmented market a framework for scalable solutions and brings industry, regulators and policymakers together.
That is why we are growing in a targeted way: more space for international companies, an expanded range of topics and new focus areas in maritime autonomy, quantum technology and AI. The close integration with partner formats has proven effective, including the European Drone Forum with UAV DACH e.V. and the German Defence and Innovation Forum with the Bundeswehr – in 2026, delegations from 61 nations attended. We are continuing on this path.
