Strong incentives for publishing industry 2.0

By Bernd Zipper

Faster, very modern, and more efficient: attend drupa and discover the latest technologies and trends in the world of print media. Visitors can experience new innovations first hand at drupa, from May 29 to June 11, 2008 in Düsseldorf. The hottest venue at this year’s event is the drupa innovation parc (“dip” presented by HP), Halls 7.0 and 7.1, located at the north entrance to the Messe Düsseldorf. This state-of-the-art exhibition space will be a showcase for around 160 exhibitors. The defining tools of tomorrow will be presented and only the most innovative solutions in the print and media industry will be demonstrated.

dip is best described as a “microcosm of innovations” and features eight different themed sections. It is particularly well suited for start-up companies and smaller-sized firms as an ideal venue to highlight their cutting-edge developments. Established companies will also have a strong presence but there is an important prerequisite: they must be future-oriented and global. The products in this exhibition space will cover the gamut of print solutions, from web-to-print applications to workflow systems through to creative image retouching.

Océ, the official print partner of dip, will provide the drupa think tank with professional support. In the dip section presented by HP, exhibition visitors will gain a unique overview of the latest developments in diverse sectors of the print trade. Publishing houses, agencies and users will discover upcoming trends and learn how to tap into new opportunities. The drupa innovation parc presented by HP will be a magnet for attracting new target groups, such as customers in the print media trade and corporate publishers. The innovations presented for the first time at drupa by these newcomer exhibitors could well become industry standards in the future.

Forecasting for the future
Discovering tomorrow’s trends

Messe Düsseldorf is committed as a promoter and active sponsor to help the rising stars in the dip make an influential debut and attract visitor interest. Well known companies have followed this lead and are actively involved as promoters.

Manuel Mataré, drupa Project Manager, describes the dynamic potential of dip: “The basic idea is to give smaller firms in particular a strong jump start. For the first time, many smaller, but nevertheless innovative, companies will have the opportunity to be represented at drupa. In the future, their software innovations may be hugely important for the entire industry, as was demonstrated by the dip premiere of 2004: it is now difficult to imagine the print industry without a lot of the applications that were demonstrated for the first time in the dip in 2004. An example of this is web-to-print, which we were the first to pick up on as a trade fair and it is now the hot topic around the world.”

The exhibitors will be profiled according to their core business and organized into eight separate themed sections. Seven of these themed parcs will be located on the ground floor, in the same location as the dip stage powered by Océ and main meeting area. Hall 7.1 will house the “jdf experience parc,” powered by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG and organised in collaboration with CIP4. In this section, applications and systems will be demonstrated in live workflows along with new shows and presentations every day on the main demonstration stage for exhibitors.

Overview of the themed parcs in Hall 7.0

dip 2008 presented by HP is characterised by a comprehensive scope of topics that directly address the needs of print professionals:

The “print buyer integration parc” powered by iClue, will present solutions for web-to-print, print-on-demand, campaign planning tools and online catalogue creation as well as tracking and production integration systems.

A range of applications relating to Web 2.0, such as computer generated imaging, creative image retouching, professional illustration and modern typography, will be featured in the “creative production parc.”

The “document management parc” powered by Compart will showcase brand new solutions for professional document management, output for transaction printing, Sako applications and conversion solutions.

Visitors to the pdf + xml production parc” powered by Global Graphics will have direct access to the latest software products dedicated to PDF, XML and Microsoft XPS in addition to PDF applications, PDF forms and PDF output solutions as well as the XML single source publishing system.

In the “digital picture parc,” which will be coordinated by the ADF (digital photography work group), the focus will be on professional and creative photography, digital camera applications and photo printing systems.

New digital services and online products, such as ASP applications, Web providing, CRM, media asset and content management as well as file transfer services will be the main emphasis of the “online communication parc.”

The “print + publishing parc” powered by Agfa will provide up-to-date information about the latest technologies in the field of desktop publishing tools, workflow and editing systems, colour management and proofing solutions. Server applications and professional scanning solutions will also be showcased.

New time saving guided tour
Special dip tour for 2008

The dip tour is a completely new service that will be unveiled in 2008: interested visitors can take a guided tour around the eight themed sections of the dip powered by HP, accompanied by a competent dip employee. This special tour is designed to give visitors a strategic overview of who’s who in the exhibition area and all the new innovations, whilst also providing the option to go directly to a particular specialist area. This time saving service will save exhibition visitors from spending hours searching for what they need and enable them to conduct targeted networking.

Infotainment
Non-stop infotainment

Visitors will benefit from a wide selection of discussions, shows, presentations –numerous exhibitors will present their trends and visions on two stages in the dip presented by HP. There will also be lively exchanges of ideas and information from international experts, specialists, consultants and journalists. Every day there will be new shows and product presentations from exhibitors on the “jdf experience parc stage” powered by Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG and the “dip stage” powered by Océ. Depending on the speaker, these shows and presentations may be in German or in English.

dip Coordinator Bernd Zipper explains: “Short and snappy presentations will be constantly running on the main stage to provide an overview of the innovations to be found in the dip, and the stage in the “jdf parc” will be used for holding seminars. We will also produce a daily newsletter for dip visitors and organise the visitor tour through the dip. These will be geared to particular target groups rather than specific areas.”

The “dip business lounge,” a special meeting area, will offer a space where exhibitors and their customers can discuss business in peace and quiet. A professional oasis secluded from the hustle and bustle of the fair, the dip lounge serves as a meeting point within the drupa innovation parc presented by HP.

Competent selection
All dip solutions meet specific criteria

A team of internationally renowned experts has been assembled to verify that the respective products meet specific criteria to be included in the dip presented by HP. The “dip expert board” will have the final say on whether a solution is one hundred percent suitable to appear in the dip – it must specifically demonstrate innovation in the field of software and applications. Laurel Brunner (Spindrift), print industry consultant, Andy Tribute (What-they-think.com) and John Parsons (Seybold Report), both internationally renowned specialised authors, and Bernd Zipper (ZIPCON Consulting/drupa team), industry expert and technological consultant, will assess all applications beforehand. Careful consideration is being given to the structure of the dip presented by HP in regards to content.

“The range of themes will be decided according to market research and by surveying potential visitors. A precondition is that the presentation must involve an innovation specifically in the field of software and applications,” says Bernd Zipper. “Due to limited space, there is no intention to install large machines. Rather than the size of the presenting company, the deciding factor will be on the idea behind the product, the concept or the production process.”

Future-oriented event

The last drupa innovation parc in 2004 was a resounding success and established groundbreaking trends. Approximately 800 m2 of floor space was dedicated to dip 2004. Total floor space this year has significantly increased to 3,300 m2, demonstrating the rapid advancements of new technologies in the print industry. Manuel Mataré is enthusiastic about the dip concept and its role as a barometer of innovation: “We have consistently improved the dip concept and the number of new exhibitors has increased. In addition to promoting young companies, we also provide a platform to present new, trend-setting market innovations that will attract the attention of new target groups at drupa and indeed across the entire industry. Hall 7 is ideally situated in the middle of the digital events area, directly next to new Halls 8a and 8b where large, global providers of digital workflow solutions will be brought together to exhibit in the same area for the first time.”

Bernd Zipper, born in 1967, is a technological and strategic consultant at Essen-based consultancy ZIPCON Consulting specialising in PDF, cross-media projects and the strategic use of publishing technologies in the print and media industry as well as the industrial environment. His specialist area is web-to-print technologies. His customer base includes manufacturers, users and service providers in the pre-press industry, the media industry and customers from trade and industry. He is an advisor and moderator, but also works as a specialised journalist for numerous trade magazines both in Germany and overseas, including US trade newsletter the “Seybold Report” and the German print and publishing magazines “Drucker” and “Publishing Praxis”, as well as being the author of the “PDF+Print” book series. As a consultant for the international print trade fair “drupa“, he is responsible for the “drupa innovation parc” and the “jdf parc“ as regards the concept and content. Furthermore, he also supports the drupa team when it comes to strategy and trends. His is highly respected by his customers, who consider him a discerning and practically oriented consultant. Bernd Zipper worked in pre-press for 15 years holding various positions from operator to manager and is now managing director and proprietor of ZIPCON Consultinggesellschaft mbH (http://www.zipcon.de) in Essen, Germany.