HP and Heidelberg, neither of which will be exhibiting at Ipex 2014, have both thrown their weight behind the show sticking to a four-year cycle. However, Landa Group chief executive and chairman Benny Landa said that he not only supports a switch to three years, but that if it did happen, he would not be exhibiting at Ipex 2014.
"We have made a decision. If Drupa moves to 2015, then we will not be at a global trade show in 2014 as well. If they don’t move to 2015, then we still haven’t made a determination [about Ipex]," said Landa.
Landa added that while he had fond memories of Ipex, thanks to its pivotal role in the launch of Indigo in 1993, he questioned the role of trade shows at a time when the print industry is "facing a new reality".
While those sentiments were echoed by HP and Heidelberg, the two largest exhibitors from Drupa 2012 have a come to a wholly different conclusion on Drupa’s possible switch to 2015, which is subject to a vote by the event's committee at a meeting on 2 November.
HP’s Graphics Solutions Business vice president, marketing and strategy, Sumeer Chandra said: "We strongly want Drupa to stay with four years. Three years is far from ideal. It would be fundamentally different for two reasons, the way R&D cycles work for major platform introductions, which is what we think Drupa has to be about. The second reason is simply budget, a Drupa every three years is going to place a significant burden on all vendors."
The additional burden on resources and the impact on R&D cycles were also highlighted by a Heidelberg spokesperson, who said that while the press manufacturer wanted Drupa to maintain its position as the leading international show, its own focus was increasingly being drawn to shows in emerging markets such as China and Brazil
as well.
"A four-year Drupa cycle fits perfectly with our approach to meet changing customer demands in industrial countries as well as in emerging countries, and clearly supports major product development cycles in our industry of four-to-five years," said the spokesperson.
Neither HP nor Heidelberg would be drawn on the hypothetical impact on the scale of their presence if Drupa was to move to 2015.
For the full responses from the individual companies see these articles:
Heidelberg and KBA urge Drupa to stick to four year cycle
HP says three year Drupa proposal will not benefit anyone
Landa in favour of shorter Drupa cycle
