“ TOUCH THE FUTURE OF PRINTING AT DRUPA 2016” – MR. AUGUSTUS ITUA OF TRADE FAIR SERVICES LTD (MESSE DUSSELDORF GMBH REPRESENTATIVE IN WEST AFRICA)
Drupa is the world’s number one trade fair for print and crossmedia solutions. From May 31 to June 10 this year, printers all over the world will converge in Dusseldorf, Germany to see technologies that will drive the market forward and open up great opportunities and growth potentials worldwide. In this SPECIAL FEATURE INTERVIEW, we speak with Mr. Augustus Itua of Trade Fair Services Limited – the Representative of Messe Duesseldorf GmbH, Germany in West Africa on his company‘s prepartion for the show, what will be new at this year’s drupa and his thoughts on the industry. The exclusive interview is excerpt below:
FROM LAST DRUPA 2012 TILL NOW; HOW DO YOU THINK PRINT BUSINESS HAS FAIRED?
The situation is that the printing industry globally has undergone lots of changes. There has been lots of movement in the area of digitalization. Unfortunately there is a bit of challenge – on printers keeping up with the technical skills needed to harness the potentials of these changes. Having said that, there has been tremendous progress from the last drupa in 2012 till today, its just a matter of keeping up with skill development by the printers.
WHAT DO YOU THINK HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THESE CHANGES?
Through adopting these technological changes, we should not forget that there are some certain areas in this industry that have been practically wiped out because of these changes. In all, printers adoption of these new technologies as well as the market demands are some of the things that have contributed to the changes.
AS THE OFFICIAL DRUPA REPRESENTATIVE IN WEST AFRICA, WHAT SHOULD THE NIGERIAN DELEGATION EXPECT FROM YOU?
As usual we will ensure that we give Nigerian visitors our value-added services both in Nigeria and while in Germany. We will assist them in visa procurement and all travel formalities. We will ensure that they don’t have any stress. All they need to do is just be at the airport. We have perfected our acts of visa procurement assistance, check-in at the airport, transfers from German airport to the hotel and we take them to the fairground during the specific days of our attendance. So they will get full support from us.
WHAT WILL BE DIFFERENT IN THIS EDITION OF DRUPA?
This year theme is ‘Touch the Future’. This year drupa 2016 is based on innovations of today and the opportunities for printers for tommorrow. The growth opportunities in print, packaging production, multichannel, green printing, 3D printing and functional printing will be showcased at drupa. There will be 19 halls with more than 1,800 exhibitors from over 50 countries to present innovative business models, best-practice examples, future-oriented concepts and technological innovations and solutions for your business. As the world’s only trade fair that presents the complete value creation chain – from machine manufacturers and suppliers to IT specialists, right up to crossmedia and financial services providers you will find the entire range of offers and in fact the entire world of printing and the cross media will be at this edition of drupa.
AS YOU NORMALLY DO, WILL THERE BE PRE-DRUPA PRESENTATION FOR NIGERIAN DELEGATES THAT WILL BE ATTENDING THE SHOW TO ENLIGHTEN THEM ON WHAT TO EXPECT BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE EVENT?
Yes of course. We are having a presentation which will take place at Sheraton Hotel & Towers on Wednesday 3rd February 2016. We are working with our Nigerian Cooperating media partner – WHERE To Print magazine – to enlighten participants on what they should expect during drupa 2016, visa processing, travel information and others. As you know, we have a good relationship with the German Embassy so that visa formalities and other issues are addressed professionally. Every discerning printer will be directly invited to the presentation.
WITH HIGH SECURITY ALERT IN EUROPE, HOW PREPARED ARE DRUPA ORGANISERS – MESSE DUSSELDORF?
There’s an assurance I want to give to everybody attending drupa that is security measures have been taken care of by Messe Dusseldorf. As you know, Messe Duseldorf organises trade fairs all year round with adequate security for all participants be it visitors or exhibitors. For your information, we recently organised a Nigerian Trade Fair Delegation to Medica – the world’s largest trade fair for medical practitioners and we did not experience any security threat. No special searches, no threat whatsover. So Nigerians going to drupa should be relaxed and just focus on attending drupa 2016 to further build and develop their businesses.
WITH YOUR EXPERIENCE, WHAT ADVICE WILL YOU GIVE TO NIGERIAN PRINTERS VISITING DRUPA THIS YEAR?
The main advice I will give to them is that they should please bear in mind, that they are going to attend the world‘s largest printing fair. They should be like somebody going to learn. Drupa should be seen as the University of Printing where they will have new ideas, see new possibilities and be kept abreast of latest developments in printing. Let me use this medium to inform our Nigerian Delegates that we are offering highly interractive and educative workshop for Nigeria Delegates. We have series of topics to be facilitated by print experts. The workshop topics include Digital Printing and Standardization with sub-headings; Colorimetry/ Color Management in Print Standardization also with sub-headings and Quality Control in Printing & Requirements of ISO 12647-2:2013. So our Nigerian Delegates are assured of huge benefits from attending this edition drupa 2016.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME SIR
Thank you too.
