Alan Padbury, managing director, Westdale Press "I think I prefer the idea of London although I have not visited this venue. Part of me likes the idea of a change and hopefully a bit less walking. I went to my first Ipex in 1970 at Olympia and Earls Court when I was just 15. These shows will change. There are a lot less people in the industry now and these shows are no longer a jolly, they are a business. The days of halls heaving with apprentices and day-trippers with a free pass seem to be over. Nowadays the show is more about those people who are there to do a piece of work."
Norman Revill, managing director, Manroland GB "This is great news. Moving to London will make it a really special international show; it sets it up to be a major competitor to Drupa. It is right in the centre and everything will still be new because of the Olympics. I think we are going to see a lot of people coming over for four or five days, spending two days at the show and a couple of days in London. It is a no-brainer for me. The only question I had when it was first mooted was the infrastructure, but thanks to the Olympics roads, transport and accommodation are all being improved."
Peter Morris, managing director, Friedheim International "We completely support this decision and our main target for this show will be to get as many UK visitors to the event as we can achieve. I think it will need some work to ensure that UK customers are encouraged to attend and we should do whatever it takes. One thing we could do is have a car park set up somewhere near the M25 with buses to transport people into the show. It should be as easy as possible for UK guys."
Alan Padbury, managing director, Westdale Press "I think I prefer the idea of London although I have not visited this venue. Part of me likes the idea of a change and hopefully a bit less walking. I went to my first Ipex in 1970 at Olympia and Earls Court when I was just 15. These shows will change. There are a lot less people in the industry now and these shows are no longer a jolly, they are a business. The days of halls heaving with apprentices and day-trippers with a free pass seem to be over. Nowadays the show is more about those people who are there to do a piece of work."
Norman Revill, managing director, Manroland GB "This is great news. Moving to London will make it a really special international show; it sets it up to be a major competitor to Drupa. It is right in the centre and everything will still be new because of the Olympics. I think we are going to see a lot of people coming over for four or five days, spending two days at the show and a couple of days in London. It is a no-brainer for me. The only question I had when it was first mooted was the infrastructure, but thanks to the Olympics roads, transport and accommodation are all being improved."
Peter Morris, managing director, Friedheim International "We completely support this decision and our main target for this show will be to get as many UK visitors to the event as we can achieve. I think it will need some work to ensure that UK customers are encouraged to attend and we should do whatever it takes. One thing we could do is have a car park set up somewhere near the M25 with buses to transport people into the show. It should be as easy as possible for UK guys."
