Despite a fall in visitor numbers, drupa 2016 was a resounding success with excellent business reported in an outstanding investment climate, according to the organisers.
More than 260,000 visitors (2012: 314,248) from 188 countries and 1,900 journalists from 74 countries travelled to Düsseldorf for the 11-day trade show that featured more than 1,800 exhibitors, said show organisers Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, in a statement.
The atmosphere at drupa 2016, the world’s biggest and most important trade fair for print and crossmedia solutions, can hardly be topped: the investment climate is extremely good and has far exceeded all expectations. As the 11-day trade fair draws to a close the 1,837 exhibitors from 54 countries unanimously reported excellent business deals, extremely promising contacts and a positive spirit for the global print industry.
The re-positioning of drupa and its focus on future themes with strong growth potential – such as 3D printing, functional printing or packaging printing – proves to be a real asset. Be it publication, commercial, packaging or industrial printing – printing technology offers matching solutions for all of these applications while opening up new lines of business and business models at the same time.
“The print industry is constantly re-inventing itself and offers a wealth of high-potential facets, and this is precisely what drupa 2016 has very impressively proven," said Claus Bolza-Schünemann, chairman of the drupa Committee and chairman at Koenig & Bauer AG. "We were able to experience a highly innovative industry here in the 19 exhibition halls, one that has succeeded in moving out of the 'valley of tears' and grasping the future by the neck."
Some 260,000 visitors from 188 countries and some 1,900 journalists from 74 countries travelled to Düsseldorf to learn about technology innovations, further developments and new business lines. Visitors’ decision-making competence is extremely high: approximately 75% of all visitors are executives and in a decisive and or co-decisive capacity when it comes to capital expenditure in their companies. Various other indicators produced by the visitors’ survey also underscore very clearly that drupa is a flawless B2B trade fair and platform for business decisions:
¬ 54% of visitors came to drupa 2016 with concrete investment intentions
¬ 29% placed orders during drupa
¬ 30% are planning to place their orders after drupa
¬ 60% found new suppliers at drupa
The development in visitor attendance (2012: 314,248) reflects the worldwide consolidation occurring in the industry. This is why visitors’ high decision-making competence produced a particularly positive effect, all the more as one in two visitors expected their companies’ business to develop very well over the next twelve months.
“Customers – with very few exceptions – no longer come with large delegations or as part of a company outing to drupa," said Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, president & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. "It is rather the top managers that travel to Düsseldorf today – and from 188 countries to this drupa. Totalling 76%, the percentage of international visitors is up 16% from four years ago. This figure can be attributed to Asian visitors: 17% of international visitors came from this continent alone (2012: 13.6%). And here India accounted for the largest share with 5%, followed by China with 3%. The leading European countries were Italy, France, the Netherlands and the UK.
“This means that drupa has enhanced its global market significance and its international rating even further," said Dornscheidt. "It is the unrivalled global No. 1 trade fair for the print and media industries."
As announced during the show, the event will stick to its four-year cycle meaning the next drupa will be held from 23 June to 3 July in 2020.