Ipex 2014 Farewell - Celebrating the London show at Print21 ANZ party

Andrew Price and Andy Vels Jensen, the well-known Aussie PaperlinX UK management duo, were among the guests at the Print21 Australian & New Zealand party near the end of the London show. While the turnout for the event was not up to the levels of previous Print21 Ipex barbeques, around 40 industry types turned up to celebrate the survival of the show. Once into the snug warmth of the Fox Connaught, a typical British pub in the East End of London, the visitors thawed out from the chilly March weather with the help of lots of good ale and warm food. They were welcomed to the party by bush balladeer and entertainer extraordinary, Lee Hernia. Due perhaps to the presence of Joan Grace and Ruth Clark he kept the jokes only slightly indigo. Trevor Crawford, organiser of Ipex, came along and in a speech thanked the Australians and New Zealanders for their support of the show. He recognised the commitment of those who travelled to London this time without the usual support of industry suppliers. Andrew Price, who took the time off from his Herculean labours at the Augean Stables that is the largest paper merchant in the world to spend some time among the Downunder accents, thanked the industry for its support. Andy Vels Jensen, MD of PaperlinX UK, the former honcho of Heidelberg Australia & NZ also made an appearance and mingled with some of his erstwhile customers. PaperlinX was the Gold Sponsor of the event backed by Screen Australia and Konica Minolta. Overall the visitors were pleased with the substance of Ipex while aknowledging its diminished stature. As they rugged up and prepared to face the bitter East Wind blowing up the Thames, most were prepared to make the trip again in 2018.

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