A spectrum of new and popular products, technologies and services were excelled as major highlights at Sign India 2012 held from January 20-22 at Palace Grounds, Bengaluru. Organised by Business Live, the 11th edition of the show set a perfect platform where staged a wide array of resourceful exhibits from the leading Indian signage biggies engaging largely in manufacturing and distributorship of groundbreaking products and services. JYANESWAR LAISHRAM reports.
Sign India 2012 Bangalore was an ideal platform for those exhibitors looking for an opportunity to meet a cohort of potential customers rushing from different parts of the south Indian state of Karnataka and its neighbouring areas. Participation of 60 companies engaging in varied business activities have made the three-day expo on indoor and outdoor advertising a perfect affair where more than 7,000 visitors got delighted to experience all new array of products and services on display.
Key participants
Those leading exhibitors whose stands stood lucratively to pull the crowd during the expo include: Negi Sign Systems & Supplies Co, Mono Sign Systems, Gita & Company, Aron International, Keith Electronics Pvt Ltd, LIPI Marketing Pvt Ltd, Ninth Avenue, Infiniti Digital Solutions Pvt Ltd, Caldron Graphics, Siare Technologies, Teckwin Sign Solutions Pvt Ltd, Southern Industries, 3M India Limited, Maruti Flex Pvt Ltd, VSM Impex Pvt Limited, Pashupati Enterprises, Graphic Technologies Sign Park Pvt Ltd, JX Enterprise, Glue Farm, Max Flex & Imaging Systems and others.
Every participant at the show articulated their appreciations for the show being an accurate meeting point as well as a platform for diverse aspects. Rajat Mitra, managing director, Caldron Graphics said that the potential of the show is vigorous. “I’m hoping that 2012 should be the year of fruitful period, picking up business to a new level,” he added. Siddharth Doshi of Gita & Company conveyed that their presence at the show was an endeavour to bring visitors to the awareness of the company’s exclusive HEYTex technical textiles and Grafiprint solvent media. Similarly, Vineet Rathi of VSM Impex asserted that their participation at the expo was not for selling products but to find out partners for dealership. “We met some visitors who are capable for the task and they expressed their willingness to work with us,” he added. Presenting its O2 universal ink suitable for all printers, which is now successfully acclaimed all over the industry, participation of Aron International at the expo impressed visitors with the company’s complete range of groundbreaking consumables. “We received good feedbacks upon our back-black Hanwha media designed for corporate customers,” said Navneet Gupta, director, Aron International.
Great expectations foreseen for drupa 2012
Its motto ‘one world-one drupa’ conveys what drupa 2012 is going to present – a vast range of latest products and technologies. This jumbo print and media industry expo to be held from May 03-16, 2012 at Düsseldorf, Germany will witness around 30 exhibitors from India.
A complete fairground with 19 halls transforming into the largest printing plant of the world this year, drupa 2012 is witnessing around 1,800 exhibitors from over 50 countries. This mega international expo is proven to be a perfect platform for versatilities and innovations surging contemporarily across the industry. Contrary to drupa 2008, upcoming edition of the expo will expansively get on to digital solutions, highlighting the mega trend of the technology in the current market.
Big showmen
Global printing and imaging conglomerates like AGFA, Canon, Kodak, Epson, FUJIFILM, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Screen and Xerox would make their ways to the expo in a bigger aspect. Exhibits at the expo would bring in updated range of products and technologies in which a positive trend in the field of post-production could be evident.
Also, the dynamism in the overall development at the expo is the Chinese market, which would reflect a large number of participating exhibitors. With around 11,000 sq m, China’s participation has increased by almost 100 percent compared to the last edition of the expo.
Worldwide promotion
Presentations and press conferences held in Chicago (September 12, 2011), Manila (September 15, 2011) and Tokyo (September 18, 2011) marked the onset of drupa 2012 World Tour. So far, until February 2012, around 60 drupa promotional events have been organised in more than 40 different countries including India. The event formats include trade press conferences in smaller groups, half-day industry workshops and presentations with several hundred participants. The World Tour presents a view on the industry’s megatrends that will be staged expansively at drupa.
Market growth
Now that the traditional markets come to a saturated situation, printing sector in various developing countries get on dynamic developmental phases. In Asia, volume has been increased from 133 billion Euros to 168 billion Euros where China alone has doubled to 49 billion Euros. Some market research institutes estimate the volume in China to be reached 70 billion Euros by 2014. And drupa is coming at the right time where developments have been coupled with successful business ideas for a stimulated future.
AR-based virtual campaigns
Promotional ads for drupa 2012 appearing in around 500 special publications in over 60 countries in the next few months will sport augmented reality (AR) chip, with which readers could download complete info of the expo on their smart phones, tablet, laptop, etc equipped with Junaio software. Using the AR technology, one can directly switch to the drupa website. “This logical linking up of print, internet and mobile systems is the central theme of our whole marketing campaign for drupa 2012 and is a continuous thread throughout all elements,” said Petra Köhler, manager of marketing communication at Messe Düsseldorf. In its marketing campaigns, drupa always picks up the latest print communication technology (trend) suitably matched to the specific needs of the fair.
E-tickets for first time
For the first time, drupa tickets are available online at: www.drupa.com, which provides double benefits for the visitor, saving time and money. The one-day ticket costs 40 Euros online whereas it will cost 65 Euros at the cash desk in Düsseldorf. Through online, ticket for all four days will be of 129 Euros compared to 220 Euros when purchased on the spot. Also, discounted entry fee for students and trainees is cheaper online, just 15 Euros instead of 25 Euros.
