In the months leading up to Northprint 2011, there was a feeling it was make or break time for the Harrogate show. After a disastrous drop in attendance in 2009, when just 1,600 visitors turned up, down from 4,000 in 2007, many questioned the show’s future. Foremost among the criticisms of the 2009 event was the absence of several big-name exhibitors and the lack of live kit demos. There were also suggestions that the show could move somewhere that was more easily accessible, while others questioned whether it was worth having a trade show in the north at all.

So did Northprint 2011 silence its critics? Trevor Crawford, print group director of Informa Exhibitions, formerly IIR, says that at the start of its planning cycle, it was imperative to breathe new life into the event.

"It was very necessary to make it totally relevant and topical for today’s challenging climate," he says. "In the past two years, there has been an astronomical change in the sector."

This year, attendance figures were up by 40% compared with 2009 to 2,250, a figure that excludes exhibitor personnel and repeat visits. Some 35% of the floor space was taken by first-time exhibitors, and the level of pre-registration was just above 4,000. Crawford says: "We’ve been saying for a while that for 2011, we’d be very satisfied with between 2,000 and 2,500 visitors. We class anything around that as a success. The quality of the attendees was fantastic, and that ultimately is the only true measure of the success of the show."

Over the course of the three days, there were many new launches and deals signed. The first sale of the show went to MIS Solutions provider The PrintSum Partnership, while the show’s largest exhibitor, Ricoh UK, sealed "several sales", including that of its Pro C901 graphic arts edition press on the final day to Cardiff-based Horizon Digital Media. Charles Moloney, Ricoh UK’s marketing director, says it was the most successful UK-specific show Ricoh has run. "The number of companies that we have developed relationships with at the show is very positive,"  he says.

Elsewhere, Address and Mailing Solutions launched two print engines, while Dumor UK launched its entry-level post-press kit. DBC introduced a document feeder for its 620OS laminator, while Technotrans unveiled its reverse-osmosis unit.

First time exhibitor Videojet Technologies used the show to launch its UV curable LC-Pro ink into the UK market. Jon Unwin, graphics sales manager, says the firm had seen several companies in just a few hours.  "We made the decision to go to Northprint for the first time this year because a lot of our customers are based near here," he says. "We’ve had a number of leads out of the show, but more importantly, several of high quality."

Despite these positive reports, though, many people have argued that the show is just not in the right place, and on the opening day of this year’s event, it was revealed Informa was considering moving the show to Manchester for 2013.
At the time of writing, in an online PrintWeek poll just 30% of voters wanted the show to remain in Harrogate, versus a combined 70% that would like to see it moved, either to Manchester (46%), or a variety of other locations (24%).

Opinions at the show were also divided. Visitor Steve Samuels, director at Basildon-based stationery printer Lynhurst Press, doesn’t think moving the 48 miles to Manchester would make much difference: "People are always going to compare shows with Ipex and Drupa, and on that scale there is a lot to live up to."

Lee Whatmough, managing director at WRH Marketing, said he was pleasantly surprised with the show, and that it had exceeded its expectations. "Harrogate is a great location. I would expect Manchester to attract more international customers. But the after-show socialising wouldn’t be the same," he adds.

Kevin Ogden, managing director of Horizon Digital Medi, which signed for Ricoh’s Pro C901 press at the show, says Northprint 2011 was very compact, with a wide range of good exhibitors. "Due to its size, I felt it was very much aimed at a local market within two hours’ travel time. The halls were well laid out and the facilities very good," he says.

In a week’s time, Crawford and his team will send out questionnaires to all visitors and pre-registered visitors that didn’t attend, along with exhibitors. One question included in the research will be where the next show should be. That in itself is indicative of the job Informa has done in turning the event around: the fact it’s asking ‘where’ and not ‘if’ is good news for Northprint and good news for the industry.

30-SECOND BRIEFING
• Attendance figures up from 2009’s 1,600 figure, with 2,250 people attending the event this year. This was below the 2007 level of 4,000 visitors
• 35% of the floor space was taken by first time exhibitors, and the level of pre-registration was just above 4,000
• Address and Mailing Solutions launched two print engines, Dumor UK launched a range of entry-level post-press kit, Creasestream and Multigraf launched respective folding and creasing devices
• Response to Northprint 2011 from exhibitors and visitors was positive, eradicating doubts about the show’s future; Informa says there will now definitely be a show in 2013, but it may not be held in Harrogate
• As part of its plans to continue to develop the show, Informa has mooted a possible move to Manchester