Drupa and Ipex at loggerheads over show schedules

The recent announcement by the organisers of  Drupa that they are considering moving to a 3 year cycle for the Dusseldorf event has met with a strong reaction from Ipex organisers Informa.

If the proposed shift from the current 4 year cycle comes to fruition, the next Drupa could take place in 2015, only a year after Ipex 2014 which is scheduled for 26^th March to 2^nd April at London’s Excel Arena, with the possibility of both events being held in the same year in 2018.

 
Such a clash of international print exhibitions would be unsustainable for manufacturers and suppliers, not to mention the cost of attendance by printing companies. This fact is not lost on the event organisers and we are probably witnessing the opening shots in a battle for supremacy over the international printing exhibition calendar.
 
Drupa’s shift to a 3 year cycle came to light last week in a statement by outgoing Director Manual Matare, who indicated that feedback from exhibitors and visitors alike had confirmed a preference for a reduction in both the gap between shows and the events duration, which is set to be cut from 14 to 11 days.
 
Ipex event director, Trevor Crawford, was scathing in his response, stating that the proposed shift  ‘reflects Drupa’s organisers’ interest in aligning its own events, and would not benefit the industry, or its manufacturers.
 
The news regarding Drupa compounds an already difficult run up to Ipex 2014 with major exhibitors Heidelberg, HP and Agfa, all announcing their withdrawal from the London event..