Drupa 2008 to be biggest ever

10 May 2007



Werner M Dornscheidt, chairman of Messe Düsseldorf, tells Mike Taylor that the next show will be a record breaker


Next year is a drupa year - the giant print media show on May 24-June 11, 2008, will occupy the Düsseldorf Trade Fair Centre's full capacity - including recently added halls. Converting Today is proud to be associated with this major industry event as an official Media Partner. Mike Taylor talked to Werner M Dornscheidt, chairman of Messe Düsseldorf, about what the visitors could expect.

MT: There are already indications that drupa 2008 will surpass the record breaking attendance and exhibitor participation of the event in 2000. Do you have some specific figures already for 2008?

WD: Since the closing date for exhibitor applications on October 31, 2006, it has been clear to us that drupa 2008 will be the largest print media trade fair in the over 50-year history of the event. For example, the entire convention grounds are totally booked out, which consists of 170 000m2 of show space and 1,800 exhibitors. There isn't even one square metre of space left in the newly constructed Hall 8b, next to Hall 8a at the north end of the convention grounds. To give you an idea of the total show space at drupa, imagine an area about the size of 40 soccer fields - and it is going to be filled to capacity in 2008. What's more, we are expecting 400,000 visitors, over 50 per cent of them from outside Germany.

MT: When will the final number of exhibitors be known?

WD: We know right now that the current number of 1,800 will increase, partly because a lot of exhibitors are combined in applications from the Ministries of Economic Affairs in individual countries. They won't be listed as separate exhibitors until the final building layouts have been finalized. We can't announce the actual number until September, 2007, because of our special layout and placement process.

MT: Why was there such a long time between the early application deadline and final notification to the exhibitors that they had been accepted?

WD: The layout and placement procedures I just mentioned illustrate one of the core competencies of the Messe Düsseldorf organization: superior service and personalized attention. We are currently conducting placement interviews with exhibitors, both here in Düsseldorf and around the world, directly on the customer's premises. We believe that each and every exhibitor deserves optimum service and the ideal exhibit space that corresponds with his needs. It's like putting together the pieces of a complex puzzle: finding the right hall and the right environment for individual companies - and some of them, of course, are competitors. We willingly invest time in these personal interviews because it enables each of our exhibitors to achieve their strategic objectives at drupa. It also creates the optimum environment for attendees to locate and visit a maximum number of exhibits.

MT: What can visitors look forward to at drupa 2008?

WD: There will be plenty to see, do and learn - we want them to feel as if they've participated in the Olympics of the print and media industry.

Next month Converting Today will bring you more information on the organizer's plans for drupa 2008. The countdown has begun, and we will be keeping you up to date with all the news every step of the way.



Contact

Drupa 2008
Tel: +49(0)211 4560 543 465





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Drupa 2008

Werner M Dornscheidt Werner M Dornscheidt
Fairgrounds will be full Fairgrounds will be full


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