Ipex isn't just about the grey boxes. Alongside the scrum of exhibitors that will flock to the Excel London between March 24th - 29th this year, an ambitious, sprawling supporting schedule will aim to ensure that the revamped exhibition more comprehensively meets the needs of its attendees.
It is a diverse mix, incorporating high-level seminars, practical advice for businesses and an entire section dedicated to sustainability. But the flagship show feature is undoubtedly the World Print Summit, designed as a 'senior-level strategic thought leadership programme'. The speaker line-up includes not only a wide variety of topics, but also household names.
The highlight looks set to be a panel discussion on 'Print: doomed or on the verge of a digital renaissance?', hosted by Professor Emeritus Frank Romano of the Rochester Institute of Technology and featuring Benny Landa, making it a must-see for anyone desperate for further snippets on Nanographic printing.
Meanwhile, talks on 'Sustainability - so what? An audience with publishers and printers', featuring Meredith Walsh, the senior purchasing controller for Penguin Random House, and 'A culture shift within the print industry', chaired by David Smith, economics editor of The Sunday Times, promise a welcome change from the usual line-up of print industry figures.
Aiming to offer a yin to the World Print Summit's yang, the Ipex Masterclasses have been targeted at small print businesses, aiming to provide practical advice as a counterpoint to the more esoteric nature of the World Print Summit. Among the sessions, two talks on the importance of modernising sales habits and embracing creative processes could prove insightful, while the masterclass covering hiring and retaining staff might be worthwhile for ambitious business owners to catch.
The Eco Zone will showcase a gallery of products and sustainability initiatives from exhibitors. The inclusion of this area at the show is an important gesture by the organisers, reflecting both the ever-growing demand for effective sustainable strategy and the need to engage and educate a wider audience about the green potential of print.
While the ambition is laudable, the presence of a five-colour offset press GL40 from sponsors Komori as the zone's centrepiece, with its make-ready and associated waste, rather than a run-of-one digital engine, seems to be a curious choice considering the environmental implications.
The most interesting element of the Ipex supporting schedule could be the Future Innovations area. Focused on three of the fastest-growing markets in the industry - printed electronics, 3D printing and photobooks - the zone will not only host live demonstrations but also have experts on hand to provide information and ideas.
With 3D printing, Ipex is looking to consider the sector from a 2D printing perspective, bringing London Graphics Systems (LGS) and Hobs 3D to show how it can be integrated into print houses. Including LGS, which has introduced 3D as a division of its business that sits alongside more typical print offerings, is a clever move to explain the technology to a print audience. That said, there is perhaps a missed opportunity in not using Ipex to truly showcase the wider possibilities that this nascent technology offers.
In the printed electronics area, Novalia's interactive sound posters and demonstrations of Ceradrop's X-Serie are set to be popular, while Printed Electronics's decision to hand out samples of printed circuits at the show is an intriguing move that could grab visitors' attention.
An area for photo-books and associated products seems to have been placed in the Future Innovations zone more because of its status as a growth market than an emerging one. It does, however, deserve a place at the show and it will be interesting to see how the collaboration between Duplo, Konica Minolta, Lumejet and others to create an end-to-end workflow manages to demonstrate the different possibilities of personalisation, web-to-print and automation within this market.
Beyond Ipex's own events, a B51/ISO Standard 'global gathering', an EFI user group, and the PODi (Digital Printing Initiative) European Forum will also take place during Ipex 2014, sideshows that nonetheless reflect that Ipex's pulling power has not been entirely diminished by the high-profile withdrawals of 2012-13.
It is an extensive supporting schedule, which, if pulled off properly, will offer attendees something beyond that which they can find on the show floor. In seeking to make education such a large part of its exhibition, Ipex has gambled on its audience being willing to soak up several diverse sources of inspiration along with some bold thinking on the future of print. Let's hope that happens.