Business News
Statement Werner Matthias Dornscheidt President and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH
Monday 14. January 2008 - on the occasion of the drupa 2008 press conference in Düsseldorf on 14 January 2008
drupa is the No. 1 international print and media industry trade fair. No other event has as profound and all-encompassing an economic and technological influence on the print media industry as drupa in Düsseldorf. But drupa is more than that – its a living myth. For more than 50 years, the print media fair has been the industrys major get-together. Four months before the 14th edition of drupa is due to kick off, the question arises: What will the upcoming fair bring? Can we expect visions or illusions? Will there be groundbreaking innovations? What market-ready solutions and application scenarios will the international producers of software, hardware and machinery unveil? I am confident that over the course of the drupa Media Week you will find answers to these questions.
drupa is unquestionably the only truly global event for the print and communications industry. Every four years, it draws hundreds of thousands of trade visitors from around the world. Those who want to keep up with the global competition know drupa in Düsseldorf is not to be missed. Its here that the latest technologies are showcased and future investments decided. With 1,865 exhibitors, some 400,000 visitors and over 3,300 journalists from all corners of the world, the previous edition of drupa made this abundantly clear.
A particularly impressive statistic in 2004 was the high proportion – 40 percent – of visitors who attended from overseas and notably the Asia Pacific region. Especially when compared to drupa 2000, the increase in visitor interest from China, India and Japan, which in some instances is up by a factor of ten, really grabs attention and reflects developments in the industry.
What the Olympic Games mean to sportsmen and women is what drupa means to the print media industry. This, too, is part of the drupa myth. Every printer hopes to make it at least once in a lifetime to drupa in Düsseldorf. Suppliers of software, hardware and machines develop their strategies around drupa and are sure to put their best foot forward at the fair. You could say that the entire industry marches in time to drupas drum.
To stay with the sporting metaphor – the best of the best go head to head at drupa in the disciplines prepress, printing, finishing and converting. The Düsseldorf Trade Fair Center acts as the Olympic stadium where the contests are staged.
In our age of Internet and digital media, the competitiveness of print is a recurrent theme of discussion. But the facts show print to be as solid as ever. High-quality printed products stand out due to their textural nature, emotional power and consequently great durability. Thats a substantial advantage over many electronic media – whether TV, radio or the Internet. Think for a moment of printing on packaging at the point of sale where purchasing decisions are made. Or take large-format advertising campaigns. Set up at the right location, they grab a great deal of attention.
With over 1,800 exhibitors spread across an exhibition area of more than 170,000 square metres, 400,000 visitors expected and 3,500 journalists from around the world, drupa 2008 will be bigger than ever before. Exhibitor registrations mirror the international market situation and industry developments. Consequently, the leading technology producing nations will also be those most strongly represented at drupa 2008: Germany (some 70,000 m²), the USA (some 13,000 m²), Italy (some 13,000 m²), Switzerland (some 12,000 m²), Netherlands (some 9,000 m²), Japan (some 8,000 m²), the UK (some 7,000 m²), Spain (some 6,000 m²) and Belgium (some 6,000 m²). Up-and-coming industrial countries such as China and India have achieved astonishing growth rates of 300 percent (China: some 7,800 m²) or 60 percent (India: some 2,400 m²).
For more than 50 years, drupas heart has been printing. Its with good reason that drupa is known as the worlds biggest printing house. Whether sheet-fed or web-fed offset, gravure or label printing, digital or screen printing – all the tools of the trade will be highlighted in XXL format at the upcoming edition of drupa. With over 30,000 square metres of space reserved, this product category will be the biggest, trailed by bookbinding and print finishing with more than 11,000 square metres, prepress and premedia (over 9,000 m2) and packaging production/paper converting (over 7,500 m2).
Whats immediately noticeable is the pick-up in commitment by suppliers of digital solutions. Compared to drupa 2004, this thematic area has expanded by about 10,000 square metres of exhibition space. The two new halls, 8a and 8b, to the north of the fairgrounds will play a central role in this segment. Together with the neighbouring Halls 5 and 9, this will be the stage primarily for exhibitors with a focus on this product category (e.g. Agfa-Gevaert, Canon, Eastman Kodak, Epson, Fujifilm, Hewlett-Packard, Konica Minolta, Océ Printing Systems, Ricoh Company, Xerox Corporation).
In view of the scope and complexity of the drupa offerings, a visitor-oriented layout is indispensable. To this end, the drupa halls are grouped thematically, as far as increasing integration allows. The other drupa 2008 pillars are:
? Halls 1 and 2: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, Polar-Mohr
? Halls 3 and 4: printing, materials, services (e.g. Presstek Europe Ltd., Sakurai Graphic Systems Co.)
? Hall 6: PrintCity with MAN Roland, its network partners and other international exhibitors active in print finishing
? Halls 10 to 12: paper converting, packaging production (e.g. Bobst S.A.)
? Halls 12 to 14: bookbinding, print finishing (e.g. Horizon International Inc., Müller Martini)
? Halls 15 to 17: printing machinery, bookbinding and finishing (e.g. Cerrutti Officine, Ferag AG, Goss International, Koenig & Bauer AG, Kolbus GmbH & Co. KG, Komori International, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ryobi, Windmöller & Hölscher KG)
? Hall 12: used machinery market with over 70 dealers
Just as important as the clear breakdown of offerings and comprehensive overview of technologies is an extensive transfer of knowledge. Through our far-reaching specialist ancillary programme, we aim to support drupa visitors -to point them in the right direction, so to speak.
The individual building blocks of the programme are:
The drupa innovation parc serves as a forum for innovative new technologies. With more than 3,300 square metres of floor space and 160 exhibitors in eight different sections, the “dip” is the worlds biggest micro-platform for young, innovative companies making a name for themselves in the digital supplies sector of the print and media industry.
Also making a return will be the Compass Sessions, organised by the Bundesverband Druck und Medien (German Printing and Media Industries Federation). Every day, international speakers will give you the lowdown on current trends, machinery, software, workflows, manufacturing techniques and products. Each Compass Session will have a different thematic slant and pick up on current industry trends.
For greater insight into the various thematic areas, join one of the Highlights Tours. These guided tours bring visitors into contact with expert discussion partners at exhibitors stands. The ten different tours offered will be conducted in German, English and, for the first time, Spanish French and Chinese.
Created especially with print buyers and marketing decision makers in mind, drupacube is the infotainment spot thats anything but ordinary. For a start, it will be located in front of the Congress Center South, directly on the Rhine, and take the form of a two-storey white cube-shaped building. All of which should make it clear that the drupacube is the hot spot for new drupa target groups. An infotainment programme devoted especially to these visitors is being developed in conjunction with the relevant communications, marketing and design associations.
drupa is the industrys convivial get-together – one big print and media festival. But at the end of the day, its only the business that counts. The return on investment has to be right.
Preparations for a drupa visit cant start early enough – buying air tickets, reserving accommodation and making appointments. And Messe Düsseldorf can help visitors with all these plans in their home countries. Much as the football anthem says, with us “Youll Never Walk Alone”. We have a network of 66 foreign representative offices and subsidiaries covering 109 countries. Attendees can contact their local drupa partner who will provide every assistance in their national language.
Please draw your readers attention to the sales of tickets online. Tickets purchased over the Internet will be posted to the buyer. One advantage of tickets bought online is that you get them at a reduced price: A one-day ticket that would cost EUR 55 at the fairgrounds box office goes for EUR 37. The four-day ticket charged at EUR 180 on site in Düsseldorf is available for EUR 120 online. Plus, the service offers an additional benefit – admission tickets ordered online can be used to travel to the fair free of charge on all types of local public transport.
Germany isnt just worth visiting on business. The country in the heart of Europe also has lots of attractions for tourists. You or your readers could discover the romantic fortresses and castles on a boat cruise down the Rhine. Sample German wines, which are popular with many people around the world, where they were made. Make a detour to see the mediaeval cities in France, explore cultural life in Eastern Europe or enjoy Mediterranean dolce vita in Italy or Spain.
Düsseldorf is the perfect stepping stone to many attractions. Take advantage of the excellent transport network to travel by car, plane, bus or train. Some of Europes loveliest destinations are just a hop, skip and jump from Düsseldorf.
And then theres also drupacity Düsseldorf with its distinctive atmosphere. drupa doesnt end at the gates to the Trade Fair Center, many deals and discussions started or closed in the exhibition halls can be crowned with a beer. To ensure that you feel as much at home in Düsseldorf as in the past, we have partnered with many restaurateurs, hoteliers, retailers and service providers to serve up a smorgasbord of special offers over drupas run. These drupa extras run the gamut from menus in English and English-speaking staff through to special drupa articles in department stores and events at shopping malls. A special drupacity guide that lists all of our drupartners and their offerings will be available during the fair. And lets not forget that the Internet, too, will be a source of copious, updated information on this programme.
As you can see, Düsseldorf and drupa are excellently prepared to receive the worldwide drupa community. Let the Olympic Games of the print and media industry begin on 29 May!