EUROPE - Printing industry trade show Drupa will maintain its quadrennial show cycle and lose one weekend of its run in 2016.
Drupa’s move to a triennial cycle was countered by its owner Messe Dusseldorf in October after rumours began circulating about such a change. The German organiser and venue owner said the decision to stick with a four-year cycle was taken by the 20-member Drupa committee on 2 November.
A key reason was the international trade fair calendar build around the four-year cycle of Drupa as the world’s premier print and media event, it claimed.
“Many innovative exhibitors and their successful customers would very much like a more frequent event. However, the supplier industry plans its entire trade fair marketing activities within a global concept,” said chairman of the Printing and Paper Technology Association and president of Global Print, Kai Büntemeyer. The association represents a quarter of the world’s print products market.
“Dependable planning is of the utmost importance here in view of the current economic climate and the situation in international sales markets.”
The show is also dropping a second weekend off its programme, returning from 31 May to 10 June 2016. Messe Dusseldorf CEO Werner Matthias Dornscheidt said the new dates reflected the change in its visitor structure.
“While in the past large groups travelled to the fair, preferably at the weekend, Drupa is now increasingly developing into a B2B fair with a high proportion of top decision-makers,” he explained.
This year, 78 per cent of Drupa’s international visitors and 52 per cent of German visitors came from top management, representing four and five percentage points more than in 2008 respectively.
“With eleven days – one weekend and nine working days – we perfectly cater to the needs of both supply and demand,” Dornscheidt added.
Messe Dusseldorf also announced Claus Bolza-Schünemann, CEO of Koenig and Bauer, as Drupa’s chairman in 2016.
Windmöller and Hölscher’s CEO Dr. Jürgen Vutz was confirmed as Drupa’s vice-chairman and chairman of the Admissions Committee, while president of the German Printing and Media Industries Federation Rolf Schwarz, is second vice-chairman.
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