Surface finishing is no longer the final step. It is where design intent, color intelligence, and technology create durable, meaningful products.
Color Trend Day reveals how to go beyond the finished product — from trend definition to industrial reality.
COLOR TREND
COLOR TREND DAY 2026
After several successful editions exploring the future of color, design, and finishing, Color Trend Day returns — now on the stage of Paint Expo, the leading international trade fair for industrial coating technology.
Paint Expo Karlsruhe | 15 April 2026 | 14:30–19:30
WHY ATTEND
- Go beyond trends
Understand how color, texture, and imperfection shape product identity and value. - Turn design into reality
Learn how design intent becomes scalable, durable surface finishing. - Gain applied knowledge
Real insights from design studios, technologists, and production experts. - Meet the right people
Curated networking with designers, OEMs, and surface-finishing leaders.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
- Designers
- CMF specialists
- OEMs
- Product & production managers
- Quality & technology leaders
| Beyond the Product: Trends, Technologies & Transformation | ||
| 15.00 – 15.30 | Registration / Reception | |
| 15.30 – 15.40 | Opening the Conference: Why “Beyond the Product” matters today | Host: Lara Babalola |
| 15.40 – 16.10 | Beyond Form: How Color and Design Are Redefining European Mobility | Keynote speaker: MODYN |
| 16.10 – 16.30 | Beyond Perfection: Embracing Imperfection as a New Surface Value | Presentation: Yavor Peshev, CEO the sppot |
| 16.30 – 16.45 | Coffee Break | |
| 16.45 – 17.00 | Beyond the Sample: Digital Materials in Coating Specifications | Presentation: Daniel Pelikan |
| 17.00 – 17.30 | Beyond the Product: Optimum Design with Reduced Total Applied cost | Panel discussion: the sppot ecosystem |
| 17.30 – 19.30 | Networking Cocktail | |
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Design & Trends
MODYN · Italian Design Studio
Surface Innovation
Beyond perfection · Tactility · Emotional surfaces
Digital Color
From visual matching to digital color intelligence
REGISTRATION
Free to attend | Limited seats | Registration required
WHEN & WHERE
Date: 15 April 2026
Time: 15:00 – 19:30 (Conference followed by networking cocktail)
Location: Paint Expo 2026: Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre (Messe Karlsruhe), Germany
Conference Room: Hall 4+5, floor 2, The Conference Centre of the Messe Karlsruhe
Past Color Trend Events
Color Trend Day 2025: Brightening Perspectives
Spring marks a pivotal moment for designers as they shape their next collections. To inspire this process, the sppot kicks off its BIG 3 event calendar with a half-day, free online event dedicated to surface finishing and design trends in the European bicycle and sporting goods industry.
Turning Challenges into Opportunities: Think digitalization of your color/finishes and trends – selection processes!
The bike and sporting goods industry stands at a crossroads in 2025, balancing between hope and upheaval. The post-pandemic boom has slowed, revealing a landscape shaped by economic and political uncertainty, climate challenges, and increasingly selective consumers. In times of change, embracing new perspectives becomes essential.
Amidst these shifts, opportunities emerge for brands willing to rethink how they create, consume, and connect in a world where traditional formulas no longer apply.
Color Trend Day 2025: Brightening Perspectives a half-day in expert-led presentations and discussions on colors, shades, and design trends that inspire and evoke optimism.
PROGRAM
| Time | Presentation | Speaker | Company |
| 9.00 – 9.30 | the sppot platform | Yavor Peshev | the sppot |
| 9.30 – 10.10 | The future of design | Mandy van der Heijden | MODYN |
| Q&A Session ‘5 min | |||
| 10.10 – 10.45 | How Digital Materials Support Color Selection Decisions | Danjiel Pelican | TIGER Coatings |
| Q&A Session ‘5 min | |||
| 10.45 – 11.00 | Break | ||
| 11.00 – 11.30 | Color Trends Show: TIGERator – Design perspectives | Danjiel Pelican | |
| Q&A Session ‘5 min | |||
| 11.30 – 12.00 | WBIA Sustainable Supply Chain Project Presentation | Manuel Marsillo | CONEBI |
| Q&A Session ‘5 min |
SPEAKERS
COLOR TREND DAYS BY POSTERAMA
This spring event is dedicated to colortrends, effects, design and innovations for surface finishing technologies of the bicycle and sporting goods industry. During this1 or 2-days event – leading European bike manufacturers, brand executives and experts will get together for ahighly interesting conferencewith a chance to get the hot news and trends from the participating sppot partners during the open space Table-Top presentations.
PROGRAM
28.03.2023
Business Trends Day
- 9:00 – 16:00 – Conference & open space Table-top presentations
- 16:00 – 18:00 – Networking drinks
29.03.2023
Design Trends Day
- 9:00 – 15:00 – Conference & open space Table-top presentations
- 15:00 – 16:00 – Networking drinks
Location: De Stoomhal, Wormer, the Netherlands
Manufacturing is coming home!
In recent years it became clear that the dependency of a long and vulnerable supply chain, with longer lead times, compromises in quality, higher costs, and of course unsustainable processes is coercing the bike industry to change direction. The only Asia-oriented approach is unsustainable in the long run -from the commercial, financial, technical, logistical and environmental perspectives.
Fortunately, the change of thinking was already starting a few years ago and its gaining momentum!Bicycle, eBike, cargo-bike manufacturing is reshoring, near-shoring, friend-shoring for ALL the right reasons. Creating many new opportunities for the producers in Europe aiming to meet the expectations of the consumers with better products at lower cost and a better carbon footprint.
The sppot for the sixth year in a row addresses the bicycle and sporting goods industry with color trends and effects. This year they come bolder, bigger and with more ambitions. Hosted by PosteramaScreen Productions– leading European decal manufacturer,and all partners form the sppot ecosystem: TIGER Coatings–global producer of high quality powder coatings, Berlac AG–leader in development and production of liquid coatings, WAGNER–one of the leading global producers of application systems for coatings, EuroTherm– design and construction of coating systems, Duthoo – care and repair products for surface finishingand Lesta – self learning robots and automations for surface finishing- Color Trend Days are offering solutions to the industry.
Manufacturing is coming home, is the topic of the conference – the business part of the event. Leading bike producers and design studios will present their motives, burdens, results and experience through the reshoring process. Along to the presentations &discussion, guests of the event will have a chance to participate at the open space table-top installations forsmartand sustainable products. All dedicated to find the right technology for the perfect surface finishing of a bike/sporting good.
If you are already teased, there is no better time to secure your seat for Get Technical 2024 in Katowice and discover everything about these innovative products, plus how to implement them in your production process.
COLOR TREND DAYS @ TIGER, APRIL 2022
Three days dedicated to surface finishing solutions: pre-treatment, powder & liquid coatings, application systems and decals.
Color Trends is our annual spring campaign, but for the first year it was a three-day live event. It was an exciting adventure where we welcomed more than 250 visitors at the TIGER’s premises in Wels, Austria.
For the last five years TIGER Coatings and the sppot are aiming to be trend-setters in colors and innovation. This spring we decided to be even braver and to have a live event, despite the COVID-19 limitations that have shaped our lives for more than two years. We were eager to meet our partners, colleagues and customers in person again. And it’s worth it. Color Trend Days were three days full of colors, innovations and networking. It was highly satisfying to meet more than 250 visitors from more than 50 companies in sporting goods, architecture, automotive and other industries from all around Europe.
At TIGER’s premises in Wels, Austria we gathered in one place many experts who presented to the visitors the latest trends in surface finishing technologies. For three days there were open desks to discuss all news and innovations of TIGER Coatings, WAGNER, Henkel, Posterama, Berlac Coatings, Cycle Gets and M8. We were thrilled to talk over various important topics with our guests such as sustainability of products, innovation and digitalization of services.
The main focus of the event was the Color Trends collection of 12 colors.Our guests had the chance to see their application on bike frames and other goods, with and without top coat. TIGER Coatings presented their latest marketing gadget: Magic Box of colors. Posterama’s decals have introduced their innovation on long-lasting shelf life decals. Cycle Gets presented their frames’ design and production opportunities. Berlac were there with their latest color collection of liquid coatings. Henkel were able to promote their pre-treatment solutions specifically designed for the sporting goods industry. And of course, WAGNER were there with their innovation in the applicationsystem.
One of the favorite stations of our guests appeared to be TIGER’s sustainable desk, where they received a full pack of information about TIGER’s green approach in production of powder coatings. The most discussed topic of the event appeared to be powder application on carbon – innovation that the sporting industry expects eagerly. Digital coat selection is already possible and TIGER made a real-time demonstration of this digital approach.
Color Trends Days was planned to be impressive, but we got much more than that. It was a journey of personal meetings and discussions on high professional ground. We received very positive feedback on-site and after the event.
Thanks to all guests and colleagues who made this adventure real. We aim to come back again next year with even bigger and more colorful surprises.
