I nforma Exhibitions’ decision to move Ipex to London from 2014 – permanently – has unsurprisingly divided opinion among UK printers and manufacturers.

The show organisers have made it clear that they believe the future of the show to be increasingly international – a fact backed up by recent years’ visitor figures – and that London and the Excel are better equipped to cater to an international audience.

The belief is that London is a more attractive city to visit than Birmingham, with more direct flights in opening more doors, not to mention offering visitors the chance to add a spot of sightseeing to their trip and spend some time in one of the world’s most popular cities.

Informa’s selection of venue has also been deliberately made to give the show more of an ‘Ipex City’ feel, matching one of Drupa’s selling points. With the show declining in size, it has been occupying less and less of the NEC in recent years and there was a risk that Ipex might have started to be dwarfed by its surroundings had it remained in Birmingham.

While the quest for a worldwide attendance is admired, many have questioned whether Informa is casting aside UK customers in favour of internationals. Birmingham is perceived to be central and easy to get to from the whole of the UK, while East London can be a more difficult destination for some.

Obviously, the show had been held in London as recently as the 1980s, so it isn’t exactly a move completely from the left field. However, structural changes within the print industry allied to the current economic climate make the move more of a hassle than it was some 30 years ago.

As Alan Padbury suggests, (see Reader Reaction) trade shows 20 years ago were "jollies", a chance for everybody to get out of the factory, visit London, have a few drinks and a night out in the capital.

Different world
Today, though, that isn’t possible. It would be difficult to justify spending hundreds of pounds on hotels and nights out when the UK economy is still in the doldrums.

David Nestor, managing director of Blackburn-based First 4 Print Finishing says: "We may now opt for Northprint, because of its location, but it probably can’t compete in terms of offering with Ipex.

"It is a real shame for northern visitors, as taking the time to visit the show in London when we are busy might deter me to be honest. Birmingham worked for us in the North, really, as I am sure others will agree – it is centrally located and has good motorway access. We will probably now only visit Ipex with something specific in mind."

Nestor’s views have been echoed, much more strongly, by posters on PrintWeek’s online comment boards (see Pick of the posts), with a large number of printers claiming they will not be attending the event.

However, it isn’t just printers that are unhappy with the move. One vendor, who preferred not to be named, said that there would be a real struggle to get UK visitors on board.

He said: "They are talking about this move increasing the amount of foreign visitors to the event, but I sell machines in the UK, what do I care if there are going to be a lot more international attendees?

"It is going to be a real struggle for people coming down. With Birmingham, people could drive down for the day, have a look around and then come back later in the week. With London they are going to come down, have a hell of a hassle doing so and I don’t think they will come back – I think they will get so annoyed with the commute to the event that they will leave it."

However, Ipex remains a major event in the print calendar – arguably second only to Drupa – and the sheer pull of the show and the excitement it generates will more than likely prevent any mass UK boycott. Manchester-based DXG managing director Duarte Goncalves said: "I always find going to London a faff – the getting there and the parking et cetera. When the show was in the Midlands, it was easier for companies based in Scotland and northern England; also the NEC has a good layout. However, it won’t stop us going."

It may seem a bizarre debate given there are still 34 months to go before the event. But judging by the UK reaction, a lot of eyes will be on the organisers and their plans for UK visitors. In London, Ipex does have the opportunity to go to the next level, a chance to compete with Drupa, which is something it probably wouldn’t have had in Birmingham. But, as many in the sector believe, the quest for international stardom must not be made at the detriment to the UK print industry.

Pick of the posts: the big move
• Stuart Mason It is a shame – every piece of our multimillion-pound investment over the years is secured, usually, at Ipex. We’ll not be in London: nightmare getting there, nightmare getting out. Big mistake from the organiser, in my opinion. I would suspect foreign travellers can get to Birmingham just as easily as London. It’ll be Düsseldorf from now on
• Michael Vernon NEC Birmingham is so central with first-class road, rail and air links. Have you ever tried to get to Excel? Try to get the tube across London or a rail link out of London in the late evening. I challenge Trevor Crawford
• ‘Stanley Dingtype’ It looks like the four-yearly office outing will be moving to Düsseldorf from now on, then. Easier to get to, cheaper, and more relevant. I think the foreign visitor percentage will be topping 75% at the next Ipex, no problem
• Tony Lock There are positives and negatives to this change. In particular, transport issues and hotel costs need to be considered carefully. The NEC halls were a nightmare for some exhibitors as there were huge dead spaces – Excel is an even playing field for all. It does worry me, though, if printers are resistant to this sort of, let’s be honest, minor change and unable to see both sides of the argument and react rationally, are they really able to embrace the major changes that are needed in our industry? If print is going to survive and stay relevant in this digital connected world we live in, change is here to stay
• Martin Lett Let’s be rational: if you are planning to spend several hundred-thousand pounds, location isn’t going to be an issue for the serious investor. Those who are whingeing about it are probably not going to be a real loss to Ipex. If the organisers believe it will work better with the Excel facilities, it will hopefully lead to a better event. Let’s not forget, it is an international show and in that regard moving it 200 miles won’t make any difference