Thunderstorms, torrential downpours and threats of terrorists were not enough to deter over 140 Australian and New Zealand printing industry types from partying the night away at the Leonardo Royal hotel in downtown Düsseldorf.
Battling chaotic traffic and major disruption to public transport after the trade show closed, the party goers poured into the Leonardo Royal Hotel on Thursday night for the biggest and best downunder drupa 2016 bash. Revelling in the opportunity to meet friends and colleagues and network with a wide cross section of Antipodean industry visitors, the party was declared a major success, with lashings of food and good German beer and wine fueling the buzz of the night.
In the usual tradition for the iconic Print21 trade show parties, Andy McCourt, Print21 editor, made the opening speech in the spacious venue. He tried to talk over the increasing roar of talking before throwing open the night. Ruth Cobb, CEO Print NZ and Melbourne-based PR powerhouse, Robyn Frampton, took care of front of house, assisted by publisher, Patrick Howard.
Craig Harrison from PMP NZ was the lucky door prize winner of a Fujifilm XT-10 camera presented by a beaming Lindsay Barnes, general manager of Fujiflm Australia.
With drupa hospitality in full swing throughout the city there were many customer events on the night. Some guests had to cut short their time to attend other affairs, but many came back later in the night, declaring the Print21 party “the best in town.”
This drupa has proved the old adage that no other industry travels so enthusiastically and frequently as Australians and New Zealand printers. Although numbers are hard to pin donw the frequency of running into locals throughout the halls of the Messe, the packed meeting schedules of the visiting exhibitor staffs as well as the big turnout at the Print21 party, are proof enough that drupa 2016 will go down as one of the most popular international trade shows ever for the local industry.
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.
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