Take a ‘dip’ in the Drupa Pool
The Drupa innovation parc (dip) is best described as a “microcosm of innovations” and will feature eight different themed sections at the Drupa 2008 exhibition. It is particularly well-suited for startup companies and smaller-sized firms as an ideal venue to highlight their cutting-edge developments.
Established companies will also have a strong presence, but there is an important prerequisite: They must be future-oriented and global. The products in this exhibition space will cover the gamut of printing solutions, from Web-to-print applications to workflow systems through to creative image retouching.
Océ, the official print partner of dip, will provide the Drupa think tank with professional support. In the dip section, exhibition visitors will gain a unique overview of the latest developments in diverse sectors of the printing trade.
Publishing houses, agencies and users will discover upcoming trends and learn how to tap into new opportunities. The dip will be a magnet for attracting new target groups, such as customers in the print media trade and corporate publishers. The innovations presented for the first time at Drupa by these newcomer exhibitors could well become industry standards in the future.
Tomorrow’s Trends
Messe Düsseldorf is committed as a promoter and active sponsor to help the rising stars in the Drupa innovation parc make an influential debut and attract visitor interest. Well-known companies have followed this lead and are actively involved as promoters.
Manuel Mataré, Drupa project manager, describes the dynamic potential of dip. “The basic idea is to give smaller firms, in particular, a strong jump start. For the first time, many smaller, but nevertheless innovative companies will have the opportunity to be represented at Drupa. In the future, their software innovations may be hugely important for the entire industry, as was demonstrated by the dip premiere of 2004.
“It is now difficult to imagine the printing industry without a lot of the applications that were demonstrated for the first time in the dip in 2004,” he continues. “An example of this is Web-to-print, which we were the first to pick up on as a trade fair, and it is now the hot topic around the world.”
Exhibitors will be profiled according to their core business and organized into eight themed sections. Seven of these will be located on the ground floor, in the same location as the dip stage and main meeting area. Hall 7.1 will house the “jdf experience parc.” In this section, applications and systems will be demonstrated in live workflows along with new shows and presentations every day on the main demonstration stage for exhibitors.
Dip 2008 is characterized by a comprehensive scope of topics that directly address the needs of print professionals. Hall 7.0 will include:
The “print buyer integration parc” powered by iClue will present solutions for Web-to-print, print-on-demand, campaign planning tools and online catalog creation, as well as tracking and production integration systems.
A range of applications relating to Web 2.0, such as computer-generated imaging, creative image retouching, professional illustration and modern typography, will be featured in the “creative production parc.”
The “document management parc” will showcase brand new solutions for professional document management, output for transaction printing, Sako applications and conversion solutions.
Visitors to the “pdf + xml production parc” will have direct access to the latest software products dedicated to PDF, XML and Microsoft XPS in addition to PDF applications, PDF forms and PDF output solutions, as well as the XML single source publishing system.
In the “digital picture parc,” the focus will be on professional and creative photography, digital camera applications and photo printing systems.
New digital services and online products, such as ASP applications, Web providing, CRM, media asset, content management and file transfer services, will be the main emphasis of the “online communication parc.”
The “print + publishing parc” will provide up-to-date information about the latest technologies in the field of desktop publishing tools, workflow and editing systems, color management and proofing solutions. Server applications and professional scanning solutions will also be showcased.
The dip tour is a completely new service that will be unveiled in 2008. Interested visitors can take a guided tour around the eight themed sections of the dip, giving them a strategic overview of who’s who in the exhibition area and of all the new innovations. This time-saving service will save exhibition visitors from spending hours searching for what they need and enable them to conduct targeted networking.
Visitors will benefit from a wide selection of discussions, shows and presentations. Numerous exhibitors will present their trends and visions on two stages in the dip. There will also be lively exchanges of ideas and information from international experts, specialists, consultants and journalists. PI
About the Author
Bernd Zipper is a technological and strategic consultant at Essen, Germany-based consultancy ZIPCON Consulting, specializing in PDF, cross-media projects and the strategic use of publishing technologies in the printing and media industry.
Drupa 2008 will be held in Düsseldorf, Germany, from May 29 to June 11, 2008. For more information, call Messe Düsseldorf North America at (312) 781-5180 or visit www.mdna.com.
