Exhibitor Registration at Drupa 2008 Reflects Industry Developments

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY—01/22/08—Four months before the start of drupa 2008, print media trade fair, the exhibitor registration reflects the international market situation and industry developments. Consequently, the leading technology producing nations will be the most strongly represented countries at drupa 2008: Germany (745,100 sq. ft.), Italy (148,200 sq. ft.), the U.S. (142,600 sq. ft.), Switzerland (130,500 sq. ft.), Netherlands (99,100 sq. ft.), Japan (89,200 sq. ft.), the UK (80,000 sq. ft.), Belgium (70,800 sq. ft.) and Spain (68,600 sq. ft.). Exhibit space booked by emerging industrial countries such as China and India has increased considerably: by 300% for China (84,700 sq. ft.) and 60% for India (25,900 sq. ft.).

With over 1,800 exhibitors on over 1.8 million square feet of exhibit space, 400,000 expected visitors and some 3,500 journalists from around the world, drupa 2008 will be larger than ever before. “These figures once again underscore drupa’s status as the world’s No. 1 trade fair for the print and media industry,” commented Werner M. Dornscheidt, President and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf. “No other event has as profound and all-encompassing an influence on the economics and technologies of the print media industry as drupa in Düsseldorf. What the Olympic Games mean to athletes is what drupa means to the print media industry.”

In the age of Internet and digital media, the competitiveness of print is a recurrent theme of discussion. But the facts show print to be as solid as ever. “Today more paper, cardboard, foil and other materials are printed than ever before. The annual global total is almost 500 million tons,” pointed out Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann, President of drupa 2008 and President of Koenig & Bauer AG. At drupa 2008, the international supplier industry will present an abundance of innovations, integrated solutions and market-ready refinements that could give printed products the edge in competition between the media. “The feel, emotional power and high quality of printed products provide a substantial competitive advantage over electronic media, for example, at the point of sale, in brand communications, personalized mailings and large-format advertising,” added Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann. In addition, new growth markets are opening up due to electronic printing (the keywords here are security printing and brand protection) and networked communications (e.g. interactive campaigns).