Duplo has confirmed that it will return to Ipex, having previously announced the cancellation of its 630 sqm stand in March this year. However, speaking at the time the firm said that it would review the decision in November after it had spoken to its customers.
According to Duplo UK managing director, following various discussions with key accounts the overwhelming response from customers was that they regarded the show as an important event in the UK calendar and they "would definitely be going".
"That gave us the green light we needed to go for it, it was by far the most important factor in us returning to the show," Jolly added.
The firm will take 122 sqm stand at the show, around 20% of its former footprint. According to Jolly the reduced presence was largely down to the fact that the company will treat the show "primarily as a UK project".
He added that Duplo would use its Automated Precision House headquarters in Surrey as its demo base for International distributors and customers, shuttling them to and from the show as required.
He said the company would also be using Ipex and Automated Precision House for a number of product launches.
"March 2014 will be a bit of purple patch for our R&D, so we expect to have some new products to be ready for delivery around the same time as Ipex," said Jolly.
Meanwhile, Intelligent Finishing Systems (IFS) has also confirmed a "significant presence" at Ipex. The company, which is the UK agent for Horizon, has confirmed that it will be taking 357 sqm stand at the show. Around 25% of the space it had provisional booked last year, although Ipex event director Trevor Crawford highlighted that in terms of floorspace IFS will still be in the top five.
Bryan Godwyn, IFS joint managing director added: "Ipex 2014 is the key exhibition for IFS in 2014. It’s an opportunity for printers of all shapes and sizes to assess their product portfolio and consider how their next investment might help them expand their business reach."
Godwyn added that he anticipated a number of IFS’s manufacturing partners would use the show to launch new products.
"Duplo and IFS’s decisions are great news, we’ve got the momentum going again and I think a lot of that is because the show is only 5 months away and people are starting to realise that they need to start driving sales and messaging, and Ipex is the perfect platform for that," said Crawford.
"Anyone that thinks this is just going to be a UK show is going to have their expectations exceeded when a high proportion of the visitors that will pour into the show will be international. If you look at our international visitor promotion schedule, we haven’t pulled back on any of that.
"We have got a large number of major brands exhibiting, whom have some exciting innovative solutions as well as engaging and insightful content and I'm confident Ipex is going to be a great show."
