Industry drupa 2012 tour kicks off

Manuel Mataré, director of drupa 2012, is on the road in Australia and New Zealand talking up the benefits of a trip to Messe Düsseldorf next year.

Promoting the world’s largest graphic arts show he met with Bill Healy, CEO of Printing Industries, (pictured below) to kickstart the official industry tour. He extolled the virtues of experiencing at first hand of the latest in printing technology … what he terms begreifen (hands-on understanding).

He believes the show will come at the right time as a cautious optimism replaces the pessimism that has characterised the recent past. “drupa is not just the pacemaker and growth engine of the industry. It is more than that. It is the heart of the global print media industry,” he said.

The show is booked to capacity with 1,800 exhibitors occupying all 19 halls at the huge fairground. As usual Heidelberg will be the largest exhibitor with two exhibition halls to showcase its wares.

The industry tour is being organised by Eastern Suburbs Travel and will facilitate industry members to meet and share their experiences while in Düsseldorf. A full programme will be available shortly.

The drupa road show with Manuel Mataré is in Sydney today at the Stamford Grand Hotel, North Ryde. Industry professionals such as Steve Dunwell, manroland, Sturt Eastwood, Fujifilm, Theo Pettaras, Digitalpress and Kathy Wilson, Ricoh will give their personal views on a visit to drupa.

Tomorrow (Wed 13th) at Station Pier, Port Melbourne, will provide a platform for notables such as Adrian Fleming, Kodak; Alastair Hadley, Heidelberg; Simon Wheeler, Océ; and Ken Williams, Excel Australasia, to give their opinions.

Never flagging, the peripatetic Mataré will the cross the Tasman for a Friday lunchtime presentation in Auckland at the Barolo Restaurant Langham Hotel, 83 Symonds Street.

A visit to drupa is an important decision for many in the industry. Weighing up the costs in time and money against the benefits of begreifen¬ will occupy many of us over the next few months. But most visitors usually go back again.
So that says something.