Informa Exhibitions today announces its fresh focus for Ipex 2014, which will be the world’s first and biggest Digital, Print & Marketing Communications event in 2014. Ipex 2014 will integrate Cross Media to showcase the latest print and communications for marketing and publishing campaigns – making it the only international event that brings together the whole print and media supply chain. The organisers will also place a significant focus on delivering a comprehensive, thought provoking and inspirational content programme. This will include the World Print Summit, which will follow the theme of ‘Strategies & Practices of Outstanding Leadership in the Challenging Business of Offline and Online Marketing’, where thought leaders from within and surrounding the print industry will come together to address the big issues and opportunities they face.
The conclusion to shape Ipex into a thought leadership event for the print-centric multi-channel marketing communications industry was made following a review of the results of an independent global market study during Q4 2012. AMR International carried out the research on the key trends impacting the industry and the events that serve it. 114 Qualitative telephone interviews were followed-up by an online survey which elicited 1600 international visitor responses, with the geographical spread representing the UK, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
The results of the research clearly emphasised seven key trends impacting the graphic communications industry:
? consolidation in the Print Service Provider community in developed economies
? offset is changing
? the rapid rise of digital
? printers offering non print-related services
? growth in printed packaging
? growth in emerging markets
? interest in multi-channel marketing communications
The findings have been used by Informa Exhibitions to produce a White Paper*, which provides an executive summary and detailed overview of the research results, its conclusions and future direction of Ipex.
“Informa Exhibitions is 100% invested in Ipex 2014 to ensure we respond to supplier and industry feedback and deliver a world-class international event that truly reflects and addresses the needs of the market it represents,” states Informa Exhibitions Managing Director, Peter Hall. “Ipex 2014 will reflect the medium-term future for graphic communications in developed markets as well as emerging markets in the coming years by placing a clear emphasis on digital and cross media technologies, strategies and solutions to effectively promote the power of print media and its integration in the marketing mix.”
Keith Dalton, Managing Director, Fujifilm Graphic Systems UK: “It is great to see an organiser committed to delivering a print-centric event, but with a strong multi-channel focus, as it is exactly what I believe Ipex’s exhibitors and visitors will respond to and what the industry needs.”
During the Ipex Advisory Committee (IAC) meeting on 24th January, which was attended by a number of major exhibitors, this focus was discussed and agreed. As part of this, Informa tabled for discussion the duration of Ipex 2014. The decision of the committee was to reduce the duration of Ipex 2014 to six days (Monday 24th March – Saturday 29th March 2014).