Ipex 2010 Demonstrates Printing Is 'Back in Business'
- Published: May 28, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, UK | Surveying the mood of exhibitors and visitors at Ipex 2010, Frank Romano, emeritus professor at the Rochester Inst. of Technology and international analyst and Ipex “Champion in Print” for yet the third time, declared “that the printing industry is back in business.”
As of May 25 with only one more day to go for the show, Ipex 2010 experienced a visitor attendance at just under 50,000 from 135 countries, excluding over 20,000 exhibitors, agents, dealers, distributors, OEMs and 400 international media personnel. A report from Ipex organizers claims the international ratio had increased by 8% compared to Ipex 2006, “with overall visitor attendance representing 48%. This makes Ipex more international than any other business-to-business event in the UK.”
The largest overseas visitor groups came from France, Germany, and Netherlands with a 4% overall increase from Western Europe. Notable increases in attendance levels came from Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa as well as China and India. Exhibitors commented on the high level of personnel seniority from both overseas and UK companies with 77% of attendees senior managers, company directors, and owner/managers.
With over 1,000 exhibiting companies from 40 countries, Ipex 2010 provided a showcase for some of the best in printing equipment, workflow, and consumables.
Exhibitors reported record levels of business, with tens of millions of pounds worth of deals closed at the show, for both digital and offset technologies. HP claims it surpassed its revenue and lead generation targets by the fifth day of the show. Xerox sold in excess of 100 digital systems at the show. Canon exceeded targets, with 250 production and light production print engines sold, supported by strong solution sales. Konica Minolta’s order intake surpassed expectations, with orders taken during the first three days covering the cost of participation. Heidelberg reported orders for 140 printing units in the UK alone and AGFA generated more than € 25 million worldwide sales. Finishing specialist Duplo lauded Ipex as the company’s most successful show ever, with more than £2 million worth of orders.
Jessica Gong of Edale Ltd., Fareham, Hants, UK, reports to PFFC, “Ipex was good for us. On Monday through Friday it was busy, and we definitely had a number of good enquiries from the show that were fantastic. It was a last minute decision for us to exhibit, so we didn’t have a machine on our stand, although our partnership with Agfa Graphics with the :Dotrix Modular digital press was showcased, which comprises our Edale base unit with the Agfa print head on top. We also demonstrated the Edale variable length sheeter (VLS-650).”
Among the highlights of the the show during the Opening Ceremony, Trevor Crawford, Ipex 2010 event director and George Clarke, Ipex 2010 president and Heidelberg UK MD, paid tribute to the resilience of the industry and the significant technological developments evident at the show. The ceremony also marked the culmination of the Champions in Print initiative, which saw the Ipex Champions presented with an award and honored for their significant contribution to the industry.
At the event’s mid-point, Ipex announced David Preskett, Canon’s European professional print director, as president of Ipex 2014. David will be the first ever Ipex president from the digital community and will head up a new Ipex Advisory Committee to prepare a world class event which will reflect the needs of the industry in four years time.
Current Ipex president & managing director of Heidelberg UK concluded: “This Ipex has been a huge success. It has been busy, had a real vibrancy and shown itself once again to be a truly international event. Visitors have been informed, entertained and shown glimpses of the future. Suppliers with the right products have generated good sales. Ipex came at a fortunate time in the economic and investment cycle and it will be remembered as the Recovery Show, the most important Ipex ever for our industry.”
