drupa Returns in 2012

   From May 3 - 16, 2012, the worldwide printing industry will again meet at drupa, print media fair, to be held at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany. Exhibit categories will include prepress and premedia, print, postpress, and paper converting, paper and substrates as well as inks and consumables, components, and infrastructure and services and software.

   A special feature at drupa 2012 will be the U.S. Pavilion, organized by Messe Düsseldorf North America (MDNA) and supported by NPES - The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies. The U.S. Pavilion provides a cost-effective means for companies to enter into or to expand their business in the lucrative overseas marketplace.

 When last held in 2008, 1,971 exhibitors from 52 countries unanimously reported an extremely high number of promising contacts and successful purchase deals.  Around 391,000 visitors from 138 countries and 3,000 journalists from 84 countries traveled to the show. Accounting for 59% of the visitor total, international visitor participation increased by 4% compared to drupa 2004. Particularly contributing to this growth were Asian and Latin American trade visitors, with 7% coming from South and Central America and 15% from Asia (2004: 13.6%). The proportion of North American visitors remained constant, at 6%. 

drupa innovation park

A highlight of the show will be drupa innovation park 2012 presented by digi:media (dip), featuring impulse-generating innovations and the latest top themes in the digital printing sector and media industry. Here, particularly young companies, start-up’s, and key sector players with ground-breaking solutions and applications have the opportunity to participate in drupa 2012, print media trade fair, to present their ideas for tomorrow’s markets. “With the drupa innovation park 2012 we are consistently continuing the success story of dip. While in the past the focal point was mainly the technical innovation level, today dip is dealing with the top themes in the sector and increasingly placing the focus on the connection between content, technology and business models,” states Manuel Mataré, Project Director of drupa 2012.

This further development of dip goes hand-in-hand with the conceptual and physical merging with the drupacube, the forum for the communications sector and print buyers. The drupacube – in 2008 located in the outside area between halls 2 and 3 – will be relocated into hall 7A, next to the drupa innovation park in Hall 7.0. This location allows for a still closer combination of technology and content.

“This configuration also means that communicative interaction among visitors and exhibitors and between the exhibitors themselves can be initiated much more effectively. With this we implement digi:media’s basic concept – all target groups involved in their workflow should be brought together - also into drupa. Therefore it is only logical that the drupa innovation park will be presented by digi:media, our successful trade fair premiere in April 2011,” explains Mataré.

digi:media 2011 visitors will recognize the integrated communication concept within dip: presentation stages, meeting points with catering service, and lounges in Halls 7.0 and 7A to promote the interactive dialogue between visitors and exhibitors but also between the exhibitors themselves.

 For more information on drupa 2012, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, 150 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2920, Chicago, IL 60601. Telephone: (312) 781-5180; Fax: (312) 781-5188; E-mail: info@mdna.com; Visit our web site http://www.mdna.com.