It’s time to go virtual!

World’s biggest printing industry trade show – drupa – goes virtual! This is the need of the day. A recent market study shows that more than 90 percent respondents affirmed that trade fairs enable them to touch-and-feel the products as well as to build a relationship with sellers which are key factors for making an effective purchase decision as well as restoring business continuity and growth in the economy. But in these unprecedented times when Covid-19 has changed the way we live and do business, exhibitions are now going virtual.

As Erhard Wienkamp, COO at Messe Düsseldorf puts it, the pandemic has caused a great deal of uncertainty among exhibitors and visitors in terms of their attendance at drupa 2021 while travel restrictions and budget constraints have further exacerbated the situation in the printing industry. But to maintain the momentum until next drupa, the organisers will be holding a four-day digital event titled ‘virtual.drupa’, to take place from 20 to 23 April 2021 during the time frame drupa was originally scheduled for.

Even corporates are now moving digital. Konica Minolta has announced that is not participating in any trade shows or in-person events in the near future, but they will be participating in virtual events with their partners.

EFI has been hosting and will continue to host remote events and demonstrations for customers and prospects. The company is holding remote demos every day of the week from its facilities across the globe, covering the entire portfolio of EFI display graphics, industrial inkjet, Fiery digital front end and MIS/ERP workflow solutions.

There are many more doing similar activities online. Once the pandemic is over, people will go for physical exhibitions but it is important to note that technology will play a significant role in enhancing the experience of physical exhibitions in future. It will open up new avenues and there will be hybrid exhibitions in future.

Till then, let’s go virtual!