Asia was the most strongly represented region at drupa 2024, with 22% of the visitor count, after Europe. 80 Indian exhibitors show a quantum jump of 250% over drupa 2016.
Messe Dusseldorf has revealed the official drupa 2024 visitor figures, which fall short by a hundred thousand – not a small number to ignore – when compared with the previous edition, drupa 2016. This time the trade visitors crossing the drupa 2024 gates amounted to 170,000 as compared to 260,000 of 2016 edition. The number of countries represented by the visitors this time also decreased from 183 in 2016 to 174 this time. The percentage of international visitors this time, however, was more than the previous drupa. Even the exhibitors’ number fell from 1825 in 2016 to 1643 this time.
Numbers apart, the industry’s response to the show has been overall positive. Most of the exhibitors have been positive after drupa closed its doors a couple of days back. While chatting with many who attended drupa 2024 (both visitors and exhibitors), the quality of attendees and the amount of business done at the show, seem to be pretty satisfactory, if not overwhelming.
The decrease in visitors can be a consequence of many factors including the changing (and also consolidating) printing and packaging industry. Another reason direly deterring visitors could be: drupa attendance not remaining an affordable business for many potential explorers. For example, stays at the hotels in Dusseldorf. The room rents skyrocketed as the show approached and tumbled as the show dates came closer, probably feeling the lack of visitor arrivals, or is that the ‘rate-surge’ formula nowadays in the digital world? What aggravated the situation was a spate of visa refusals for visitors from India to Europe especially for drupa (not a single member of the PRESSIdeas team was issued a German visa for the show). Many in our fraternity have shared their unpleasant experiences of visa refusals. Asia was the most strongly represented region at drupa 2024, with 22% of the visitor count, after Europe.
drupa 2024 had 80 exhibitors from India, which is a quantum jump of over 250% from drupa 2016. This is contrary to neighbouring China which had fewer exhibitors this time as compared to drupa 2016. 378 Chinese exhibitors participated this time; in 2016 there were 410. This increased presence of Indian exhibitors at drupa 2024 shows the confidence of the Indian print industry per se. With over 458 exhibitors at drupa from China & India alone, it made the region a force to reckon with at the show and there was no dearth of disdain from many westerners at the show over the apparent dominance. This will have to change as the two countries surge ahead in the coming years, more so with the growth already stagnating in the western world while it is surging ahead in India. Remember, change is the only constant!
As informed by the majority of our readers who happened to visit drupa, almost all had a positive surge in their emotions. This positive surge is indeed a great feeling and one must make sure that it gets translated into palpable action and outcomes in our businesses, small or big. With the newfound energy and insights, one must put the best of the technologies available and best of their experience at the show to transform their business models on a new growth trajectory. Post Drupa, it is our duty to harness the technology and solutions we witnessed and help transform our business. Harnessing the global knowledge and bringing that to our businesses is the way ahead now. All the best!
