Are You Thinking About drupa?

Every four years an amazing thing happens. Thousand of people converge on Dusseldorf, Germany to see the latest printing equipment, finishing equipment, preprocessing equipment and all of the things that support print, from substrates to software. It's part theatre, part circus, part classroom and part shopping mall. Printers come with shopping lists and vendors come with their latest offerings. This time it takes place from June 16 to 26, and to make the most of it, you need a strategy. This show is big!

Drupa has exhibition halls and education spaces in all sizes. Start by deciding how long you will be there. One day is optimistic unless you have decided that you will only see specific vendors. Two to three days should give you enough time to see your regular vendors and some you may not do business with. This year at drupa there is a space called drupaDNA that focuses on the coming innovations for the print industry, and also featuring other education and workflow demonstrations.

Start your strategic plan by finding out where the vendors you want to see are located. This link https://www.drupa.com/en/Companies_Products/Exhibitors/Search_for_exhibitors will let you enter the name of the vendor. Map out where they are to get your basic path, and then start to look at other vendors who occupy the same halls. Remember that this is a big messe so you will need to allow time for travelling between halls as well as within the halls.

As we get closer to the show you will want to look at the educational opportunities and other special events linked to the show. Your vendors may be making announcements, so check with them to see if there is a best day for you to be at drupa. You don't want to miss their announcements. If you are looking for something specific, like a new workflow tool, a new mail inserter, a new plate provider or a new device, look through the halls and find companies that meet those needs. That search link will allow you to search by type of vendor!

And, finally, have a plan for how to organize the information you collect. Everyone will want to hand you brochures and samples. Some people bring a rolling case to collect everything, and others put it into a shoulder bag. Think about how you want to gather and if you want to take it all home with you or if you want to ship it. There is a shipping depot in the center core that can help! If you have questions about how to approach drupa, ping me at pcm@mcgrewgroup! I have done a lot of drupas!

Feb 18, 2020

Author: Pat McGrew