Trevor Crawford, exhibitions director at organiser IIR Exhibitions, said 90% of the floorspace at Ipex 2006 was provisionally booked after extensive consultation with exhibitors and visitors.
“Exhibitors’ feedback gave us a clear understanding that they wanted to keep it in the spring. There’s also a clear sense that there are exactly two years in between Ipex and Drupa,” said Crawford.
IIR Exhibitions has booked 11 of the NEC’s halls (1-10 and 3a), totalling 78,000m sq, but could take more if demand for floorspace is particularly strong.
It plans to create a floorplan that mirrors the production workflow with digital, pre-press, press machinery, converting and special equipment.
Crawford said the timing of Ipex 2006 was in accordance with the Eumaprint international calendar of events, and was not concerned by its proximity to Imprinta.
“We always say: ‘Let the market decide.’ If you look at the overall landscape of exhibitions, I don’t think that there’s too much support for national exhibitions. Drupa and Ipex are firmly on the international stage,” added Crawford.
At this year’s Ipex 36% of the exhibition’s 65,541 visitors were from overseas.
A spokeswoman for Imprinta said the show was planned to run from 20-25 February 2006, but that its focus had yet to be
confirmed.
“Imprinta has to be re-launched with broader product categories and products,” she added.
Story by John Davies
Picture: Ipex - 2006 show to be shorter
