Was Drupa 2021 a Drupa? For the first time since its inception in 1951, the largest trade show for the graphic arts industries was held online (April 20-23) due to health measures related to the covid-19 pandemic. And despite the official success of the event, the feedback we have is much more mixed on this digital version..
Very far from the atmosphere of the 16 previous Drupa, this virtual.drupa edition offered, through a website with a sometimes very complex navigation, conferences, live sessions, appointments and a showroom area.
And it must be said that, despite the presence, among the 212 exhibitors (1,800 at Drupa 2016 to give an idea), of the major graphic arts manufacturers (Heidelberg, Bobst, K?nig & Bauer, Komori, Konica Minolta, HP, Landa and others), very few new products were presented.
According to the reported figures, virtual.drupa still attracted 45,000 unique users over the four days, an average of 11,250 per day (about 23,600 visitors at Drupa 2016). 82% were foreign visitors (i.e. outside Germany).
And the event has about 600,000 page views (but could it be due to visitors completely lost in the event pages?).
This edition will however have the merit, as the organizers point out, of "bridge the gap between the previous and the next face-to-face event in 2024". "virtual.drupa was organized to maintain contact within the industry during the pandemic. The numbers show that we succeeded in doing so." Erhard Wienkamp, Chief Operating Officer of the Messe Düsseldorf exhibition center, said in a statement.
And Sabine Geldermann, the director of Drupa, notes a strong enthusiasm for Drupa 2024: "Many attendees are already reporting that they are looking forward to this industry highlight and the live experiences." Yes yes and yes!
The next Drupa - the 17th or 18th edition? - will take place from May 28 to June 7, 2024, still in Messe Düsseldorf, Germany.
