News that Heidelberg has decided not to exhibit at Ipex 2014 was described by one commentator as “hardly a shock”. I disagree. Just eight weeks ago in the face of HP’s decision not to participate (having never said it would do so) Heidelberg UK MD Gerard Heanue reiterated the fact that Heidelberg had signed a contract and would be there. A whole eight months ago the company firmed up its plans to exhibit and went public with that commitment, considerably earlier than it had for Ipex 2010. If there had been any inkling that the group had been wavering about attending, why make these statements? So, in my book Heidelberg’s withdrawal can be counted as an unexpected turn of events, driven by a decision from head office. And judging by the reaction from other exhibitors, it has absolutely come as a shock to them. Bosses at Ipex owner Informa must have needed a sit down and a cup of hot sweet tea after hearing this bombshell. After all, it was precisely in order to reassure key exhibitors of the Heidelberg variety that they engaged in an expensive project with structural engineers Knapp Hicks to prove that ExCel’s floors could withstand the weight and vibration caused by heavy printing machinery. From an exhibition owner’s point-of-view, this must surely be uncharted territory. It’s not as if Heidelberg and HP, the two largest exhibitors, had a poor show at the last Ipex: it’s that corporate strategy at both companies has shifted in the light of worldwide economic events and their own requirements to cut costs. This is now both a drama and a crisis for Informa, which has to find ways to reassure the rest of its exhibitors – some of whom are going to be mightily peeved about Heidelberg’s break-clause – that the show can go on. When writing about HP’s decision in June I likened Ipex without HP as like a World Cup with Germany but not Brazil. Now it’s about persuading people that a World Cup without either will still be a sufficient draw.