A brand new London exhibition is intended to demonstrate and clarify the links between today’s burgeoning media channels: digital print, web, email, SMS and tablet apps.
The beginning of September sees the first Cross Media Show, intended to demonstrate ways of getting your message across by using today’s wealth of electronic and print
channels. It’s being organised by Informa Exhibitions, the people who bring you Ipex, and the venue is the Business Design Centre in the Islington area of London.
‘Marketing departments, the printing industry’s biggest customers, are measuring the results of every penny they spend, and are demanding that print providers demonstrate the effectiveness of each printed product,’ the organiser says. ‘Meanwhile, print providers face the same challenges. For them, it’s a question of making their technology more effective, finding new creative approaches and opportunities to ensure they stay ahead of the game.’
The new show aims to bring together online and offline channels (the latter being print). It’s hoping to attract visitors from across the board of printers, marketers and brand owners.
Seminars
The organiser is promising an impressive line-up of brands to speak at the seminars throughout the two day event. These include: MTV, Microsoft, Expedia, Crew Clothing, BBC Worldwide, Heinz, British Gas, The Guardian, Financial Times, Bauer Media, Oxford University Press, The Week, American Express, Twinings, Shop Direct and Tourism Ireland.
Audra Martin, The Economist’s vice president of customer engagement and operations, will evaluate the role of print versus digital channels for content delivery and examine what this means for customer acquisition and retention.
Ian Bates, creative director at Indicia, the agency behind award winning multi-platform campaigns for very.co.uk and Tourism Ireland, will highlight consumers’ changing relationships with brands and examine how to successfully and measurably allow social interaction into campaigns.
Crew Clothing’s Multichannel marketing director Iain MacDonald will provide 10 practical top tips for planning a multi-channel marketing campaign.
‘Visitors to Cross Media 2012 will hear about the latest trends and technologies that will shape the future of multi-channel marketing,’ says Nick Craig Waller, marketing director of Cross Media 2012. ‘The event will provide an unmissable chance to hear marketers, brand owners, innovative printers and publishers share inspirational case studies, practical tips and knowledge that they can take-away and apply directly to their business.
‘For print service providers planning to attend Cross Media it’s a perfect opportunity to meet with the marketing audience to understand their needs and motivations. Print continues to have a powerful place within the marketing mix but printers need to embrace other channels to respond to the tightening grip on marketing budgets and the constant quest for more personalisation, creativity and higher ROIs.’
Emphasising market education, the show will offer six free seminar theatres covering ‘thought-provoking topics’ presented by key note speakers from global brands. These seminars will feature case studies, workshops and panel debates intended to provide printers, marketers, brands, agencies and publishers with the strategy, tactics and know-how to drive customer engagement, boost sales and maximise ROI even on the tightest of budgets.
The seminar programme comprises:
• Publishing Strategies: Innovative tactics for publishers to monetise content and capitalise on new channels and platforms for content delivery.
• Cross Media: Fresh approaches to integrating digital and traditional marketing channels to drive customer engagement and increase revenues.
• Digital & Direct Marketing 1 & 2: Essential insight into the practicalities of using a combination of channels including mobile, social, online, email and print to achieve marketing and business objectives.
• Print & Innovation: New strategies for printers to transform their business to capitalise on multi-media marketing, the latest printing technologies and digital innovations
• Design & Creative: The latest know-how on how to develop multi-channel creative strategies to achieve engagement, cut through and deliver results.
The Adestra Email Advice Centre on the show floor will provide a an opportunity to gain free email marketing advice from the experts. Each private session lasts 20 minutes and any aspect of a company’s email marketing can be covered, from email templates, to automation and how to re-engage inactive email addresses.
The Print and Innovation theatre will look at the evolving cross media landscape, and the opportunities and challenges posed by digital innovation, including latest printing techniques and technologies. This will include discussions about how printers can adapt their business to facilitate growth, whether they should look to evolve into marketing service providers or not, and what the challenges and opportunities are in a multi-media world.
With the postponement of September’s Digital Print Show at the NEC, Cross Media is the only UK exhibition featuring commercial digital print between now and well into next year, when there will be the Northprint show in Harrogate (also organised by Informa Exhibitions). Digital Print will now take place in September 2013. It is organised by Faversham House, which already has the established Sign & Digital show, held every spring at the NEC.
Exhibitors
At the time of writing there are about 100 companies signed up for Cross Media, but you can keep an eye on any late decision makers here: www.crossmedialive.com/exlist.
The exhibitors are arranged across three zones in the venue – Print, Publishing & Innovation; Design & Creative and Digital & Direct Marketing.
They all meet in the Cross Media Theatre where all platforms will be linked together to show developments in cross-platform technologies, products and services.
At the time of writing there are only four digital press suppliers on the exhibitors list, but that’s hardly a big issue as many printers will probably want to go to learn about ways to work with and take advantage of other media.
The digital press suppliers booked for the show so far are Canon, Ricoh and Xeikon. Canon says it will show what its product line can do in cross media, from photo printing to mobile-to-print and video.
There’s a healthy supporting cast of print related software developers too. Crawford Technologies, a Canadian company, has software and services for high-volume transactional output, including AFP to PDF conversions, transpromo integration and QR codes. DirectSmile is best known for novelty personalisation of images but offers more general purpose variable data software too. FujiFilm, although a press supplier, says it is concentrating on its XMF Colorpath software and how it can manage colour across media. Imprint Business Systems is a long-established MIS developer. Infigo Software is best known for web to print systems, but also has variable data and marketing software. OneVision develops high end PDF preflighting software, plus automated workflows. Pixfizz offers hosted, cloud-based photo products storefront. Red Tie offers web to print template and quotation software in both hosted and locally run forms, plus a new App system. ROI360 is a cross media marketing, web to print and variable data systems supplier, including a distribution agreement with Pageflex. Sefas Innovation makes high end document management software. Shuttleworth Business Systems develops MIS.
Also present will be finishing systems maker WRH Technology (which produces high volume finishing systems under the Ferag brand).
There’s also a couple of paper suppliers: Denmaur Independent Papers and Mondi, plus Easibind, which specialises in plastic binders and related products.
Print service providers with their own stands include Headley Brothers, Pensord, Precision Printing, and Prime Group.
Other media
However, many Digital Printer readers will already know about print-oriented suppliers. If you’re going to the show to learn about working with other media, some of the following will be worth a look.
Adestra, an email marketing solutions provider. AlphaDuplication, which can author, master and duplicate storage media such as CDs, DVDs, USB sticks, with label print services too. Circdata offers mass email services. Clicksquared provides cross-channel marketing software and services delivered in the cloud, which it claims to be unique. Paperhat Consorcio is a print management and creative services company, based in London; it also offers social media and market spend consultancies, and data analytics. Romax offers cross media services across the board, from direct mail and marketing through to design and print, with distribution and delivery. Vertical Leap is a content driven search marketing service, offering search optimisation, pay-per-click services, content editing and social media marketing.
Whitmar Publications, publisher of Digital Printer, is launching a new magazine called Cross Media. The first issue will appear in time for the show and will be promoted on the company’s own stand.
Where and when
Cross Media 2012
Dates: 3 and 4 September
Venue: Business Design Centre
52 Upper Street
London N1 0QH
Opening times:
Monday 3 September – 10.00 – 17.30
Tuesday 4 September – 10.00 – 17.00
Travel: the venue is close to Angel underground station on the Northern Line and only minutes from King’s Cross and Euston main line stations. It is served by several bus routes (4; 19; 30; 34; 38; 43; 56; 73) and is located outside the congestion charge zone if you want to drive. There’s a smallish car park on site and an adjacent Hilton Hotel if you need to stay overnight.
Pre-registration is free, here: www.crossmedialive.com/register
