The evolution of a strong brand

care:xpo – because care deserves more than just a trade fair. It deserves a future.

The care sector is undergoing change – professionally, organisationally and socially. New roles are emerging, professions are converging, and throughout the entire nursing journey, requirements, transitions and responsibilities are shifting.

It is precisely this transformation that ALTENPFLEGE is addressing – and evolving both strategically and in terms of content. From May 2026, the leading trade fair will have a new name: care:xpo. This will create a modern, cross-sector platform for the entire care sector – from long-term care to all related areas of care that work together.

A trade fair that views care as a nursing journey

The Nursing Journey demonstrates how care really works: interconnected, multi-professional and across sectors. care:xpo brings together long-term care with all care settings that overlap with it – outpatient, inpatient, home-based, rehabilitative, post-acute and specialist care.

This is where people, innovations and systems come together to highlight solutions for a modern, networked and sustainable nursing practice.

Premiere in Essen in 2026: the new identity is unveiled

At ALTENPFLEGE 2026 in Essen, we will be unveiling care:xpo’s new corporate design and visual identity for the first time at key touchpoints – a brand that:

Demonstrates commitment
Highlights diversity
Promotes dialogue across sector boundaries

Creates points of reference throughout the entire nursing journey
A logical step towards a trade fair future that reflects the industry’s aspirations.

What remains – and what will improve

Even under its new name, care:xpo retains the qualities that have defined ALTENPFLEGE for decades:

A powerful trade fair experience for the care sector
A central meeting place for decision-makers, managers and professionals
A relevant marketplace for products, innovations and solutions

At the same time, there is scope for a broader range of topics, more networking and more future prospects – particularly for long-term care and all related care sectors.

care:xpo is the platform for everyone shaping the future of care. Every target group will find relevant inspiration, opportunities for exchange and solutions here.

Who’s coming – and why it’s worth it

Why you should attend:
To discover new concepts, technologies and cross-departmental solutions that make your day-to-day work easier and improve the quality of care. care:xpo demonstrates how care can be coordinated throughout the nursing journey – in a practical way and tailored to real-world challenges.

Why you should attend:
Because strategic decisions today must be made across sectors. care:xpo provides guidance on topics such as digitalisation, staff development, structural change and funding – and shows how systems can be designed to be fit for the future.

Why you should attend:
Because the care sector is undergoing a transformation. care:xpo is the place where technologies, ideas and solutions meet real-world needs. Here, innovation and care practice come together directly.

Why you should attend:
Because care is a social responsibility – and high-quality care can only be achieved if systems are interconnected. care:xpo creates spaces where political, infrastructural and strategic perspectives come together.

Why you should attend:
Because the future of care is built on knowledge. care:xpo showcases new professional roles, trends in qualifications and developments throughout the nursing journey – and brings together teaching, academia and practice.

Why you should attend:
Because care:xpo remains the leading marketplace for the care sector – and is expanding even further. This is where supply meets demand, innovation meets practical application, and product solutions address the real challenges of long-term and general care.

Together, we are shaping the trade fair of the future

The transformation into care:xpo is a crucial step towards strengthening the leading trade fair in the long term and expanding its relevance across the entire care sector.

We invite you to join us on this journey – with your ideas, expectations and visions.

Let us work together to create a trade fair that this sector deserves:

A trade fair of the future. A trade fair for the entire care sector. A trade fair that strengthens the nursing journey.