Countdown underway for virtual Drupa
24 Feb 2021 12:52

The online event has a fraction over eight weeks to shape a compelling combination of presentations, engagement and content for the world of print.

Drupa is expected to ramp up the marketing behind Virtual Drupa, once the fourth and final preview day is held tomorrow.

The organiser says that bookings for the digital only show, starting in eight weeks on 20 April, “are already very strong”. However, the participants listed on the Drupa website tell a slightly different story with far fewer than 100 companies listed. Though Bobst, one of the first companies to pull out of the IRL event last year, is on the list are Esko Graphics, Konica Minolta, Kama, Muller Martini, Kyocera and Windmoeller & Holescher. Currently none of the litho press manufacturers is a confirmed participant, though this is unlikely to remain the case for long.

The UK, which has traditionally provided a large contingent for Drupa, is currently represented by Global Graphics and GEW. “We don’t know what to expect from it,” says Jill Taylor, marketing manager for Global Graphics, “though we hope it will be good for us and we know what we are going to do.”

The company is buoyed by its participation in the Global Print Expo, an online only event which is poised to open its second zone of exhibitors in the next few days. It can count on data about who comes to its virtual stand and subjects they are interested in. Global Graphics has also staged its own virtual event, Page 2021, which ran for three weeks rather than the normal three-day open house.

At GEW UK, provider of LED UV technology, marketing manager Duncan Smith is likewise optimistic. “We have done several virtual events,” he says, “some of which have been really good, some not very good at all. It is difficult because online is something that has not been done before. At an exhibition you know what you are paying for, which might be ridiculous amounts of money, but you know what you are going to get. With a virtual event it is a very mixed bag.

“Many events have sprung up so quickly that organisers were still working on it right until the opening. At least Drupa has had a bit more time.”

Other potential exhibitors are weighing the pros and cons, considering the value of an all-in event like Drupa compared to their own virtual shows. Komori for example is preparing for a third virtual day next month having covered commercial printing and then packaging, it will focus on digital printing for the third event. 

Much will demand on Drupa’s ability to create a compelling reason for printers to log on. As well as the exhibition area, there is to be multi tracked conference agenda and a networking plaza. Registration will open in March. “Interaction, networking and lead generation will be driven by matchmaking options among industry experts while continuous conference streaming will deliver fascinating content,” says Drupa.

Taylor at Global Graphics is also looking forward to events later this year, starting with Imprint in Munich in June, Labelexpo Americas the same month, the global Labelexpo in Brussels in September and PrintingUnited in the US later in the year.

Details from Drupa remain sketchy, but with eight weeks to go the pressure is on to impress the world’s printers to the extent that they ring fence time to wander the virtual halls and participate in “knowledge transfer” sessions. That will enquire effort from participants and the organiser. As Smith says: “If they can’t get it off the ground we are all stuffed.”

Prepared on the basis of information from Print Business