Ipex, the UK-based international graphic arts trade fair positioned as ‘the largest in the English-speaking world,’ is on from March 24-29. Print 21 is planning a 7-day group tour to Ipex in association with Printing Industries and Print NZ. While smaller in both size and attendance than Drupa, previous Ipex have delivered startling results for exhibitors and visitors alike, such as the global launch of digital full colour printing in 1993 when Indigo and Xeikon wowed the crowds with direct-to press demonstrations.
Click here to register your interest.
This time, the show returns to its spiritual home in London following a thirty-four year stint at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) near Birmingham. With East London’s upgrading for the 2012 Olympics the ExCeL centre in the rejuvenated Docklands area proved to be suitable venue.
What you see and what you won’t
Every Ipex has been better than the previous one and for long-haul visitors from Australia and New Zealand, the time and money investment is always worthwhile. Despite a number of high profile companies dropping out of the show, Ipex 2014 is certain to deliver a key learning agenda as well as a vibrant show floor full of new ideas and technology.
For Ipex 2014, the organizers have focused on an intensive knowledge-sharing program that includes:
- The World Print Summit: Five days of free sessions, case studies and high-profile speakers such as Benny Landa, Frank Romano, Polestar’s Barry Hibbert, St. Ives’ Patrick Martell and many more.
- Masterclasses: Multiple streams across several theatres covering strategies, tactics, technology and best practice for today’s printers.
- Future Innovations: Coordinated by the very capable Gareth Ward of Print Business magazine, topics such as 3D printing, printed electronics, digital packaging print, photobooks and more will be addressed.
- Inspiration Avenue: Kodak veteran and print evangelist Pat Holloway is presenting inspirational examples of real print in a collaborative and social zone. Pat’s own words sum it up: "It’s time to celebrate print’s unique qualities, and to show the world at large how vital print is in the communication mix of the future."
- The Eco Zone: Sponsored by Komori with the aim to educate visitors on the ecological and business-related advantages of reducing their environmental impact. A 5-color Komori B1 press with H-UV coating will feature in this area.
- Cross-Media Production: Informa also runs the Cross Media show and conference and it is co-located with Ipex for 2014.
- The Make Ready Challenge: Open to international teams of two, this is pure competition to find the fastest and best press-ops! A Heidelberg SM52-5 will be made available for teams to compete from a standing start on a 250 sheet job. Cash prizes and heaps of kudos.
Join the Australia & NZ official tour
Print 21 is planning a 7-day group tour to Ipex in association with Printing Industries and Print NZ. It’s a great opportunity to visit the show in the company of industry peers, stay in the same hotel and participate in exclusive visitors functions. A study tour to some of the most innovative and iconic printing facilities in the UK will enable visitors to see how UK printers are dealing with technology change. And then there’s the great Aussie & Kiwi BBQ.
The cost will be $4,500 (approx.) per person inclusive of airfares (from major capital cities), 7 nights accommodation, transfers, ground transport to Ipex from hotel using the Docklands Light Rail, Ipex entry and catalogue and the Great ANZ BBQ, an Ipex institution. There may be additional cost for the study tour component when finalised. Probable departure is Friday 21st March and return Sunday 29th. 10% deposit will be due in December.
Click here to register your interest.
Stay or go?
So in the words of The Clash’s 80s song; Should I stay or should I go? Well, Ipex has always managed to produce a few surprises and the re-molding of the 2014 event appears to have produced some compelling reasons to attend. Certainly, if you want to see and learn from a general portrait of the industry and attend some excellent seminars, and still view a broad array of equipment; Ipex is for you. If you can take a week away from your business it should indeed be well spent.
It’s important for Australian and New Zealand potential Ipex visitors to know who will not be there for two reasons.
- the cost of flying to the other side of the world, staying in London and attending Ipex is higher for us than almost any other group; this cost – typically between $5,000 and $10,000 - must be justified.
- any industry trade fair is the sum of its parts. Exhibitors pour immense resources into presenting their technologies in working demonstrations, with exciting ideas and applications. Existing customers want to meet with their suppliers to discover what is next and cement relationships. Potential customers want to compare and contrast competing suppliers in order to make informed decisions.
Who will be there –and not
At the time of writing the following brands will likely not be present at Ipex 2014, due to either withdrawing from the show or not booking in the first place: Heidelberg, Hewlett Packard, Kodak, Canon, Xerox, Agfa, KBA, Ryobi, Goss, Kolbus, Manroland, Mimaki, Roland DG, Epson, Ricoh, and the company that took drupa by storm; Landa Nanotech, although Benny Landa is speaking at the World Print Summit.
Notable names that will exhibit at Ipex 2014 include: Konica-Minolta, Screen, Xeikon, Fujifilm, EFI, Presstek, Accura, Xingraphics, Esko Artwork, Horizon, Duplo, Hunkeler, GMG, MGI, Morgana, Neopost, Optimus, Hans Gronhi, Renz and Watkiss. There is a sizeable Chinese contingent and, as mentioned, many used machinery suppliers. As things stand, the only new offset presses likely to be exhibited are the Chinese-made Hans Grohni models and Presstek direct-imaging offset, along with the Komori in the Eco Zone. Digital presses fare better with confirmed exhibits from Konica Minolta, Screen, Fujifilm, Xeikon, Riso, MGI, LumeJet and digital label presses from Screen, EFI Jetrion, Domino, Primera and Australia’s Rapid-X on the Impression Technology stand.
So, Ipex still has a traditional trade show floor covering digital and offset, albeit thinner on the ground than the 2010 event. Recognising this, the organizers have sought other reasons to attend the show and have come up with some excellent initiatives that could well indicate the direction that future graphics industry trade fairs will take.
Learning is the new show trend
The opportunity to learn new ideas in isolation of commercial interests is valuable indeed and adds a nice layer of icing onto the trade fair ‘cake.’ Conferences, seminars and forums are traditionally costed for attendance but with the Ipex added content, hundreds of dollars worth of structured programs are freely included.
London of course, is a marvelous city to visit on business with no shortage of entertainment, fine food, cultural centres and shopping. Not far from the ExCel is Europe’s largest shopping and leisure centre at Stratford City – and it’s a Westfield! Australian retail chic meets Euro wallets? March is also high soccer season and West Ham’s ground Upton Park is a stone’s throw away for Irons fans wanting to catch a game, (they are playing Manchester United on March 22nd – two days before Ipex opens!)
If you breeze through the show in three days, there’s always that great metropolis on your doorstep. Who was it said: “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life?”*
So click here to let us know if you’re interested in joining the official tour for $4500.00 (approx). It’s got to be the best overseas trip of 2014.
* It was Samuel Johnson.
