Print Action - June 2009

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“Hmmm, I should have hired some Go-Go dancers on Segways....”

Zac Bolan

continued from page 23

IPEX 2010 organizers obviously know they are facing a challenge to get buyers out of their offices and onto the show floor. “We need to offer more added value at an event so that their time spent out of the office is justified,” Crawford elaborates.

To enhance the participant experience, IPEX 2010 will offer a number of initiatives such as a My IPEX, a Web-based interactive planning system, an exhibitor co-marketing program, the Champions In Print award and guided tours. Additionally, the 2010 show will feature a Not For Profit Zone that will act as an information source for associations, charities and green campaigners. To address the inevitable tightening of exhibitor marketing budgets, IPEX will be offering exhibitors advice on many areas where greater effi-ciencies and savings can be made.

“It’s important to note that the average amount of an exhibitor’s budget spent on the actual floor space is approximately 25 percent with the remaining 75 percent spent on all other areas such as; stand build, accommodation, catering, resources, power and service costs,” Crawford explains. “In each one of these areas, IPEX has been working with its providers to identify opportunities where exhibitors can make substantial savings.”

“IPEX will not be complacent and has worked harder than ever before in putting together a full suite of marketing tools, including a global marketing tour taking in nine countries,” Crawford reinforces. “Like all services and the many media platforms such as publications, broadcast and events, the strongest will survive and the excellent ones will thrive. We intend to be in the latter category.”

IPEX management has pushed the event start date to May 18th, 2010, one month later than normal, with the hope that Q2 will align with a recovering economic landscape. “There is no question we are in unprecedented times, but we believe that IPEX 2010 could become known as the event that coincided with an improvement in trading conditions and act as a springboard to better times,” Crawford concluded – optimistically.

Cultural marketing approach It would be unfair to use China Print 2009 as a barometer for the health of the

tradeshow industry. Major shows such as Mac World San Francisco and the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas are busy reinventing themselves after major exhibitors have pulled up stakes and moved on to other marketing pastures. However, these shows are targeting common consumers who are notorious for their short attention spans.

The print world is different. In spite of the exodus of many disposable print products to a digital form, we will always need to put ink on paper. Likewise, printers will need tangible equipment to produce this work. The need to update technology or replace aging hardware will continue to drive buyers to tradeshows for years to come as there simply isn’t a better way to compare products side by side.

While IPEX is the biggest show on the horizon, another major event is looming in the not-too-distant future. The G.A.S.C. (Graphic Arts Show Company – producers of Graph Expo) have re-branded their quadrennial event PRINT 09 as MYPRINT (September 11 to 16, 2009, McCormick Place, Chicago – www.print09.com). Like IPEX, they are already publishing that their exhibitor space is more than 80 percent sold. No one knows for certain whether or not attendees will crowd the aisle, chequebooks in hand, but the organizers remain optimistic.

One thing is certain – the extended credit crunch and severely limited capital expenditures of most printers since the middle of 2008 will drive pent-up demand for new gear when the money does start flowing again. Whether or not the economy will accommodate this demand in time for MYPRINT or even IPEX 2010 remains to be seen.

Meanwhile back in Beijing, planning is already underway for China Print 2013. After all, even in a recession, China’s economy is still posting modest growth and the regional print industry is relatively healthy. In a recent interview published in Print21 online (an Australian graphic arts journal), HP Indigo vice president Alon Bar-Shany predicted the major shift in printing to Asia will bode very well for China Print, perhaps even making their next show bigger than drupa!