With drupa 2020 postponed because of the coronavirus, the date for drupa 2021 has been announced: April 20-30 in Düsseldorf, Germany.
“We are glad Messe Düsseldorf decided to postpone drupa to 2021,” said Giacomo Farnè, sales representative with Italian exhibitor Pentabox. “drupa is the industry’s key event everyone is waiting for. That’s why it is so important that the trade fair can function without restrictions, that many visitors come and that we can exchange ideas intensively for 11 days.”
Hiroaki Shimosaka, general manager of the graphic systems business division of Fujifilm Corporation, agreed: “We were already in the final stages of preparing for drupa 2020. However, given the current exceptional situation, we believe the decision to postpone was both right and unavoidable. The announcement in March has minimized the economic damage to exhibitors, and we are grateful that the decision was made before the impact could become even more drastic. However, while the coronavirus is causing social distancing and general caution, the communication infrastructure provided by the printing industry, and the role of print remains unchanged. We are therefore preparing for drupa 2021 to be successful, when the extent of the coronavirus has subsided.”
Some exhibitors plan to make the most of the additional time and complete and redevelop further innovations – and thus have a greater presence at the trade fair in 2021. In the meantime, drupa invites its community to take advantage of the website’s various features to present themselves, publish company and product information free of charge and keep up to date via the newsroom and social media channels. These services can bridge the current need for presentation and visibility, as well as provide the industry with targeted information and interaction.
There also are positive comments from countries with strong representation at drupa that are heavily affected by the coronavirus, such as China and Italy; for example, from the Italian Paper Flow Group: “Due to the pandemic, we need to give people and companies the time to regain their strength and wait for confidence to return as the driving force for private and business life. We believe that the postponement of drupa gives everyone the opportunity to regain balance on which to build the future,” said Stefano Monfredini, sales director, Technomac Italia.
The online ticket shop for drupa 2021 is open. For more information, visit www.drupa.com or www.mdna.com.
For further information on visiting or exhibiting at drupa 2021, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America at 312.781.5180 or info@mdna.com. For hotel and travel information, contact TTI Travel, Inc. at 866.674.3476 or 212.674.3477 (fax), email info@ttitravel.net or visit www.ttitravel.net.
