Kodak’s 'No Show' at Trade Shows

The latest member to join the exodus from IPEX is Kodak, which says it is also shelving plans to attend Print 13 this September. The company says it will make not attending mainstream print trade shows part of its standard operating procedure.

Industry observers will recall that this is not the first bold trade show move by Kodak. Almost a decade back, when On Demand was still an important show, Kodak announced it would not have any of its big print engines on the show floor. “How can Kodak not have equipment at On Demand?” the critics roared. Competitors were quick to point out that maybe it was because there was nothing to see. But Kodak stayed the course and even at Print 05 their stand was a largely equipment-free zone with an emphasis on workflow tools and software integration. A mistake, perhaps, given what has transpired since then, and there has been Kodak equipment at most shows over the past few years. People do, after all, come to shows to shop and kick tires.