Goss is a new name on the floorplan, and is taking a 63sqm space focused on hospitality and customer engagement.
Jean Segura, vice president of sales for Goss EMEA, described it as “a clear message of commitment to the markets served by the show.”
At the Ipex 2014 Open Day held this week, event director Trevor Crawford said that 45% of pre-registrations were from domestic UK visitors, with 55% of pre-regs from overseas.
Eric Bell, Goss International marketing manager, added: “We know that a tranche of our overseas clients will be there, and at the same time we have a lot of ongoing projects underway with UK customers, so it’s an ideal opportunity to show our commitment to the market.”
Screen Europe has confirmed that it will be showing a number of products from its Truepress Jet high-speed inkjet range at the show, where it has a 285sqm booth. President Brian Filler said Ipex’s timing in spring next year was “perfect”.
“It kicks off the financial year nicely as industry confidence returns and the economy around the world shows signs of recovery,” he stated.
At the Open Day, Informa Exhibitions managing director Peter Hall said: “The Ipex 2014 floorplan will be very different to 2010… but our focus and responsibility to the industry has not changed. We are firmly committed to delivering an event that does justice to the Ipex name and the printing industry here and abroad.”
Crawford thanked the Ipex 360 committee for their input in re-formatting the event. “We have right-sized the show at 42,000sqm, and it’s still huge,” he stated.
“Close to 80% of the available space is sold. I believe we’ve moved from being a trade show to being an event. We have set ambitious targets and we hope to push the average visitor stay from two days to two-and-a-half or three days.”
With four months to go until the show opens on 24 March 2014, Crawford said he anticipated between 450-500 exhibitors would take part, with half that number already confirmed.
Show-within-a-show Cross Media Production will take up 4,000sqm and have its own branding and registration, and Ipex will also feature a new World of Wide Format zone of 1,000sqm, aimed at commercial printers looking to add wide-format print capability.
Ipex also aims to become a hub for related events and social gatherings. The BSI/ISO standards group will hold its meeting there, and Picon and its global equivalents will hold their annual conference during the show. EFI is also set to host a number of user group meetings during the show.
There are plans for a “dynamic youth day” on the Saturday.
St Ives chief executive Patrick Martell, who is president of Ipex, said: “I’ve realised just how well Ipex has responded to the structural challenges across our markets. I’m confident it’s going to be a great show.
Picture shows Hall, Martell, and Will Morris worldwide CEO of Informa Exhibitions.
