Informa Exhibitions, organiser of the Ipex 2014 printing exhibition in London, has announced a £1 million international Hosted Buyer Programme. This is a VIP programme that will see about 1000 key prospects from the global print sector invited on an expenses-paid visit to the show.
This announcement was originally planned for later this year. It was brought forward in the wake of the news two weeks ago that Heidelberg was pulling out of the show, having previously taken one of the largest stands going back though decades of presence at Ipex. In July HP also said it would not attend, having been the largest digital exhibitor in recent years. Agfa is not attending either: it remains a major supplier of offset plates but its digital interests are almost wholly concerned with large format sign & display, not commercial print.
Even so, said Trevor Crawford, director of Ipex 2014, around 60% of the exhibitors will be involved in ‘digital’ (a category that includes offset pre-press as well as all-digital printing) and 25% will be involved in post-press. The offset and other processes will form most of the remaining 15%, meaning that ‘conventional’ print will be very much a minority section.
Some 88 confirmed exhibitors and over 65% of the exhibition space at the ExCel centre in London Docklands has been confirmed, said Mr Crawford. This is more than were signed up at this stage in the cycle leading up to Ipex 2010, he said.
At an Ipex press conference in London on Monday Mr Crawford started off by referring to ‘the elephant in the room,’ meaning the Heidelberg pullout. ‘Are we disappointed? Yes, very,’ he said. ‘Are we surprised? In all honesty, no.’
The newly announced Hosted Buyer Programme is intended to help exhibitors by delivering potential big-spending equipment buyers and giving them a personal guided tour of the relevant areas. Peter Hall, managing director of Informa, said: ‘While this programme is new to the graphic arts industry, it has proved to be a very successful format in other communities, and is a well-known initiative to Informa. This investment confirms our commitment to the Informa Print & Media Group and our flagship international event, Ipex.’
The choice of VIP visitors will be determined using Ipex’s ‘intellectual property,’ including members of its focus groups from the industry, trade associations and suppliers.
Ipex 2014 will fund and organise the VIP’s travel and accommodation. Informa says that ‘understanding that this audience is time-poor, our aim will be to ensure that they secure the maximum benefit from visiting the event. To this end, we will provide them with a host of other benefits, which include invitations to a content-rich programme, pre-arranged diary facility to meet with nominated exhibiting companies, a VIP reception, use of a dedicated VIP lounge, and a range of other benefits currently under review.’
According to Mr Crawford: ‘Much has been written and said about the importance of emerging markets, and we are well aware of its importance to our exhibitors. As a result, while the Hosted Buyer Programme is not designed exclusively for this audience it will play a big role in determining the formation of our VIPs.’
Contact: www.ipex.org/2014
