Too soon. It seems that the organizers of Messe Düsseldorf were too optimistic in postponing Drupa 2020 - which was scheduled to take place in June - until April 2021. The list of exhibitors who are withdrawing from this major graphic arts event is growing by the day. After HP last week who would have been the biggest exhibitor at the German event three new digital printing solution providers and several finishing equipment manufacturers have announced the cancellation of their participation: US manufacturer Efi, Japan's Ricoh and Canon, and The Postpress Alliance - which includes Baumann Maschinenbau Solms, Bograma, H+, H+, H+, H+D, H+D, H+D, H+D, H+D, H+D, H+D, H+D, H+D, H+D, H+D, H+D, H+D, H+D, H+D
Virtual events to replace Drupa
Efi made a point of expressing, in a press release, its attachment to Drupa: "Our company has a long and positive history with Drupa, as do I personally, having also run two companies that have been major Drupa exhibitors in the past", says Jeff Jacobson, CEO of Efi, referring to Xerox and Kodak. "But given the lack of visibility on the conditions of the public gatherings early next year, withdrawing from Drupa 2021 is a sad but cautious decision. (...) We all look forward to future Drupa events - and other industry shows - after 2021, when the pandemic will be clearly behind us."
Ricoh points out that he has already planned various virtual events. "During the pandemic, we developed a successful virtual approach to interact with our existing and prospective customers, says in a release, Eef De Ridder, Vice President Commercial and Industrial Printing Group, Ricoh Europe. We will continue to develop this interactivity, in tandem with more traditional methods of launching, promoting and demonstrating our ever-expanding portfolio of solutions and services for commercial and industrial printing"
Drupa trip too risky financially
As for The Postpress Alliance, while it emphasizes health safety, it also concedes that the context does not offer "no guarantee of a profitable stake" .
"The evolution of the pandemic is upsetting the health rules on a daily basis. International travel and travel restrictions are increasing. This drastically reduces the enormous potential of an international audience and undermines the chances of success in Düsseldorf. An in-depth examination of the expected cost-benefit ratio clearly shows that without the presence of intercontinental visitors, the Drupa business model is no longer relevant and therefore cannot be sustained."
On the Canon side, Mark Lawn, Director of Communications Europe, spoke about the professional network LinkedIn : "Drupa has always been an important date on the agenda, and it gave us the means to really show the full extent of Canon's offerings (...). Our schedules have been very much in question in 2020. We've had to adjust projects, rearrange business priorities and we've had to ask ourselves how we can communicate with the print community when face-to-face meetings are compromised."
He assures that Canon will not break communication with its customers and prospects and adds : "We look forward to Drupa's proposal for its virtual event."
Messe Düsseldorf is currently in the process of setting up a new online platform, called Drupa preview, with a showroom, conferences and a space for exchanges between exhibitors and visitors. It is scheduled to open on 27 October, 17 November and 8 December 2020.
As a reminder, previously the manufacturers Xerox, Bobst, Komori, Screen, Manroland, Heidelberg , Kodak or Fujifilm have already announced that they will not participate in Drupa 2021.
