It's not looking good, says Dr SM-P

Some might say it's a bit like rats leaving the sinking ship, but a sensible analysis needs to be considered to work out why major industry players have decided not to exhibit at Ipex 2014. Unfortunately, Ipex comes at a time when the changes within the industry are manifesting themselves, exacerbated by the tougher economy and leaner operational practices. One wonders, too, about the wisdom of leaving the familiar environs of the NEC; despite its irritating idiosyncrasies, logistically Birmingham is easy with only a hop from airport, railway station and car parks into the exhibition halls.

But the key problem behind Ipex's inability to hang on to some of its leading exhibitors surely lies in the fact that nothing lasts forever. Trends and industry requirements move in cycles and I believe we're now witnessing a greater disparity in who is interested in which process, particularly in the digital sector. This leads to a perceived demand for more targeted events and these, in turn, dilute the potential for mainstream exhibitions that want to cover all industry sectors.

To the graphic arts industry and parallel areas, Ipex has always tried to be all things to all men, providing a strong UK equivalent to drupa, and timed tidily to straddle the dates of the German behemoth. In the digital wide-format sector, neither Ipex nor drupa has ever been the key event as we have FESPA that takes that role and, locally, Sign and Digital UK. But, for a decade of so, the key players have also supported the more mainstream shows, particularly when parts of their portfolios encompass other formats related to the printing industry as a whole.

The Ipex organisers are now in the unenviable position of trying to plug the leak that is causing key manufacturers to cancel. The sad truth is that many manufacturers no longer look at international trade exhibitions as being their primary route to generating leads and networking. Today's communication methods mean that there are now other ways of reaching customers, and these are less time and cost consuming and often more accountable than attending a lengthy event.

Emergency measures necessary, warns Dr Brunner

Should I go or should I stay now? This had to be the question the remaining cohort of Ipex exhibitors were asking when Canon announced its withdrawal from the show yesterday morning. Indeed, it is the question Ipex's own management may well have been posing for several weeks. But there are some routes to making Ipex a success despite recent news:

Open it up to smaller developers and printing companies by cutting the cost of participation;

Encourage the big players to hold their bespoke customer events under the IPEX umbrella;

Change the profit expectation and contribution to Informa overheads;

Cancel the ￡1 million hosting programme;

Spend the ￡1 million in support of the trade press and industry associations;

Develop tangible business deliverables for visitors;

Come up with some leadership ideas for the industry and inspire markets with a viable vision for print;

Put improving business performance and sustainability at the top of the agenda;

Work with trade associations to create incentives for visitors;

Create graphic arts careers workshops and recruitment fora.

If Informa decides not to stick with Ipex it will be a sad end to an event with a marvellous history. If Ipex flounders it will be as a result of a series of shortcomings that have been visible for a while. Not being able to see over the drupa horizon has handicapped Ipex with a lack of its own vision and market insight. The show hasn't really evolved beyond an also-ran, despite attempts to add content dimensions: reasonable ideas but underfunded and feebly executed. The imagination and passion that characterise shows like FESPA and EcoPrint simply haven't been part of the Ipex persona. Recent iterations have been boring reruns, predictable and conventional, serving an industry where those that thrive do so by taking risks, gambling on creative ideas and exploiting technology to invent new forms of print.

Every trade show has its day and there is usually a point at which that first crack in an otherwise successful model appears. At the once renowned Seybold San Francisco event that first crack came when organisers misread the significance of the internet and its role in print. The demise of Newstech came because its owners seemed oblivious to digital media and wider changes in news consumption. For Ipex the crack came when the generally successful 2010 event closed its doors without a compelling enough vision for 2014 – something from which it is now suffering.