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drupa 2008: The Olympic Games of the Print Industry
April 1, 2008 By: Packaging online staff Paperboard PackagingThis show is a must for carton and corrugated printers in the market for new machinery.
drupa is to the printing and paper industries what the Olympic games are to athletes. Taking place every four years, the 2008 drupa trade fair is May 29 to June 11 in Düsseldorf, Germany. There are more than 1,800 exhibitors spread across an exhibition area of more than 170,000 sq meters and 400,000 visitors expected.
 Drupa Pre-Show Coverage |
"These figures once again underscore drupa's status as the world's No. 1 trade fair for the print and media industry," says Werner Dornscheidt, president and ceo of Messe Düsseldorf. "No other event has as profound and all-encompassing an influence on the economics and technologies of the print media industry as drupa in Düsseldorf."
The 2004 show attracted more than 394,332 visitors, featured 1,866 exhibitors and took up more than 1.7 million sq ft of exhibit space.
At drupa 2008, the international supplier industry will present an abundance of innovations, integrated solutions and market-ready refinements that could give printed products the edge in competition between the media.
"The feel, emotional power and high quality of printed products provide a substantial competitive advantage over electronic media, for example, at the point of sale," says Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann, chairman of drupa 2008 and ceo of Koenig & Bauer AG.
On top of that, new growth markets are opening up thanks to electronic printing (primarily in the areas of security printing and brand protection) and networked communications (such as interactive campaigns).
Exhibition space booked by up-and-coming industrial countries such as China and India has expanded at rates of 300 percent (China: approximately 7,800 sq meters) or 60 percent (India: approximately 2,400 sq meters).
For more than 50 years, drupa's heart has been printing. It's with good reason that drupa is known as the world's biggest printing house. Whether sheet-fed or web-fed offset, gravure or label printing, digital or screen printing — all the tools of the trade will be highlighted in XXL format. With more than 67,000 sq meters of space reserved, this product category will be the biggest, prepress and pre-media (more than 34,000 sq meters), followed by bookbinding and print finishing with more than 33,000 sq meters, and packaging production/paper converting (more than 17,500 sq meters).
What's immediately noticeable is the pick-up in commitment by suppliers of digital solutions — again, a reflection of current technological developments. Compared to drupa 2004, this thematic area has expanded by about 10,000 sq meters of exhibition space.
The two new halls, 8a and 8b, to the north of the fairgrounds will play a central role in this segment. Together with Halls 5 and 9, this will be the stage primarily for exhibitors with a focus on this product category.
The other drupa 2008 halls are:
- 1. Halls 1 and 2: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen
- 2. Halls 3 and 4: printing, materials, services
- 3. Hall 6: PrintCity with MAN Roland, its network partners and other international exhibitors active in print finishing
- 4. Halls 10 to 12: paper converting, packaging production (such as Bobst S.A.)
- 5. Halls 12 to 14: bookbinding, print finishing
- 6. Halls 15 to 17: printing machinery, bookbinding and finishing
- 7. Hall 12: used machinery market with more than 70 dealers
Specialist Ancillary Program
The ideal compliment to the exhibitors' technology offerings is the specialist ancillary program. Seminars, workshops, talks, individual tours of the trade fair — as well as special presentations such as the drupa innovation park presented by HP and drupacube — add up to unparalleled knowledge for visitors.
Created especially with print buyers, marketing decision makers and creative professionals in mind, drupacube is the all-new infotainment spot that's anything but ordinary. For starters, it will be located in front of the Congress Center South, directly on the Rhine, and take the form of a two-story, cube-shaped building — all of which should make it clear that the drupacube is the hot spot for new drupa target groups. An infotainment program devoted especially to these visitors is being developed in conjunction with the relevant communications, marketing and design associations. The latest information is available at: www.drupacube.com.
The drupa innovation park (www.dip.drupa.com) serves as a forum for innovative new technologies. With more than 3,300 sq meters of floor space and 160 exhibitors in eight different sections, the "dip" is the world's biggest micro-platform for young, innovative companies making a name for themselves in the digital supplies sector of the print and media industry.
Every day, international speakers at the Compass Sessions (www.compass-sessions.de) will give attendees the lowdown on current trends, machinery, software, workflows, manufacturing techniques, and products.
For greater insight into the various thematic areas, join one of the Highlights Tours (www.highlightstouren.de). These guided tours bring visitors into contact with expert discussion partners at exhibitors' stands. The 10 different tours offered will be conducted in German, English and, for the first time, Spanish, French, and Chinese.
drupa will be open daily between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. (until 5 p.m. on weekends). Admission tickets and catalogs can be purchased in advance on drupa's website at www.drupa.com.
Online tickets are available at a reduced price: A one-day ticket purchased online is €37 ($58.89), compared to Δ55 ($87.53) at the fairground's box office. The four-day ticket charged at €180 ($286.50) on site in Düsseldorf is available for €120 ($191) online. Plus, the service offers an additional benefit — admission tickets ordered online can be used to travel to the fair free of charge on all types of local public transport.
