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More than 394,000 visitors As the gates closed on drupa 2004 in Düsseldorf on Wednesday May 19, organisers were hailing the show as a turning point for the printing and graphic arts industry, with some commentators predicting a "significant upturn ahead for the print media industry".Whilst attendance was down 8 per cent from 428,000 at drupa 2000, more than 394,000 visitors from 122 countries, 3350 journalists from 82 countries and over 30,000 service staff working for the exhibitors made the trip to Düsseldorf.
Senior Printer Magazines Group (PMG) editors, Wayne Robinson and Greg Bruce filed reports from the show which were disseminated via the i-grafix.com eMail newsletter system within hours. The i-grafix.com website clocked record hits and page views during drupa, with companies from as far away as Germany complimenting the PMG news team on the quality and variety of news coverage.
From day one, numerous deals were done, with Heidelberg, Agfa and Esko-Graphics among the exhibitors expressing strong satisfaction with the industry’s response to their drupa presence I terms of orders written.
Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann, drupa president and Koenig & Bauer president and CEO says: "drupa 2000 has gone down in memory as the millennial event – drupa 2004, however, has a more far-reaching significance for the entire industry. It has brought about the return of optimism and a sense of new departures in the international print media industry," summarises
Werner Dornscheidt, Messe Düsseldorf president and CEO was equally pleased with the industry’s response to drupa. "In light of the prevailing economic conditions, this result was a wonderful surprise, even for us," Dornscheidt says. "After all, we couldn’t expect to come within reach of the visitor numbers recorded in the 2000 boom (428,000). This outcome is all the more gratifying!"
International interest in drupa was high with 54 per cent of all visitors visiting the show from abroad, compared to 47 per cent at drupa 2000. Of the international visitors, the 127,655 Europeans represented the largest contingent. However, rapidly gaining in importance were visitors from Asia, who this year numbered 42,552 Asian (20 per cent of the overseas contingent compared to just 9 per cent in 2000).
Whilst the majority of drupa visitors were there to see print-related technology, a growing number – one in four visitors - indicated their interest in packaging production and paper processing, the third largest area at drupa 2004 with 294 exhibitors.
Kai Büntemeyer (of finishing company Kolbus) the new Chairman of the Fachverband Druck- und Papiertechnik im VDMA (specialised section for printing and paper equipment and supplies within the VDMA) says "Visitor response in all segments of the printing and paper processing industry was strong," confirmed "drupa has more than lived up to expectations."
Now that the 13th drupa is over, the organisers are already planning the 14th print media event which will take place in Düsseldorf from May 29 to June 11 2008.
