The countdown is on and it is already becoming apparent that the “Who’s Who” of the international print and packaging sector will participate in virtual.drupa from April 20 – 23, 2021 at https://virtual.drupa.com. “We are very pleased about the recent registrations from outstanding exhibitors and major global players such as HP Inc. and Landa Digital Printing from Israel. Both companies will enrich virtual.drupa with their impressive range of innovations in the field of digital printing technologies and broad range of applications,” stated Sabine Geldermann, Project Director Print Technologies at Messe Düsseldorf.
Industry pioneer Benny Landa, Chairman of the Landa Group and founder of both Indigo and Landa Digital Printing, is looking forward to virtual.drupa, which he considers: “…is particularly important for our industry in times when face-to-face events cannot take place.”
Heim Levit, General Manager at HP Indigo, added: “We are very pleased to continue our commitment to the printing industry and drupa through our participation as an exhibitor at virtual.drupa this year. While we miss seeing our partners, customers and friends in the industry in a live show, protecting our employees and community remains a top priority. However, the last 12 months have demonstrated the very positive reception of our new NPI portfolio, which continued to drive significant innovation allowing businesses of all sizes to keep growing despite challenging business environments. We encourage everyone to visit virtual drupa and connect with us.”
Most recently, other major and long-standing drupa exhibitors have also confirmed their participation, including Swiss conveying and processing systems specialist Ferag AG, manufacturer of high-performance UV curing systems IST Metz GmbH, leading web offset printing solutions provider manroland goss web systems GmbH and global digital cutting systems specialist Zünd Systemtechnik AG.
virtual.drupa leading event partners
The event partners of virtual.drupa consist of renowned global players, including Leonhard Kurz (Platinum Event Partner), DuPont de Nemours, Electronics for Imaging (efi), Kodak, Komori (Gold Event Partners), BlueCrest, CloudLab, Fujifilm, Hybrid Software, Koenig & Bauer, Mimaki, OQChemicals and Xeikon (Silver Event Partners).
virtual.drupa current status
To date, more than 200 exhibitors from 33 countries have registered for virtual.drupa, including nearly all significant global players. With 46%, European companies make up the largest group. In addition to German manufacturers, the leading exhibitor nations are China, the U.S., Switzerland, Italy and Japan. Over 890 exhibitor representatives have already signed up for the matchmaking function, which enables the arrangement of virtual meetings and direct interaction via a chat function prior to and during the event. Customers from all over the world have shown strong interest in virtual interaction, with about 2,400 international visitors registered for matchmaking and meetings with industry experts. Visitor registration is gaining momentum due to extensive PR- and marketing activities as well as invitations being sent out by exhibitors. Currently, Messe Düsseldorf recorded participants from 145 countries for virtual.drupa. With 80% international participation and strong exhibitor and visitor nations, virtual.drupa is a true reflection of the face-to-face trade show. Among the leading nations on the visitor side are India, the U.S., Great Britain, Belgium, Italy, Japan, Switzerland and Brazil.
43 hours of presentations and web sessions
Comprehensive knowledge transfer is the keyword for virtual.drupa which will be offered during more than 43 hours in keynote speeches, panel discussions, presentations and exhibitor web sessions. Current topics such as sustainability, circular economy, artificial intelligence, platform economy and connected consumer are the focus of the Conference Area.
Keynote speakers: Michael Gale, James Sommerville and Dr. Gabrielle Walker
The keynote speakers will be: internationally renowned best-selling author (The Digital Helix) and pioneer in digital transformation Michael Gale; designer, consultant and former Vice President Global Design at Coca-Cola Company James Sommerville, who is known for his unconventional, future-oriented marketing ideas; and best-selling author (The Hot Topic) and climate change activist Dr. Gabrielle Walker.
Matchmaking tutorials on virtual.drupa.com
In order to facilitate virtual meetings between exhibitors and potential customers, all registered attendees can view relevant tutorials on the virtual.drupa website. It provides an easy guide on how to set up a virtual meeting. Matchmaking tutorials for exhibitors and visitors, ‘how it works’ matchmaking videos and videos about web sessions are available at https://virtual.drupa.com/en/Home/virtual.drupa_Tutorials.
Exhibitor database with up-to-date information
The comprehensive database provides daily updates and information about participating companies. Navigating via the Exhibition Space, visitors can quickly and easily access exhibitors corresponding to their field of interest. To obtain an accurate and relevant selection of exhibitors, users can either enter a company name directly or search by product category or country. The customized exhibitor profile provides information about the company, contact details, products, services, innovations and presentation formats. At this point, users can also make direct contact with exhibitors via a digital business card or connect via the matchmaking tool. https://virtual.drupa.com/en/Exhibition_Space/Exhibitors_Products/Search_for_exhibitors
Exhibitor registration
Exhibitor registration for virtual.drupa is still open and companies can register at short notice. To ensure a successful presence, detailed information and checklists for the three pillars Conference Area, Exhibition Space and Networking Plaza as well as instructions for optimal product presentation in virtual showrooms and target-oriented lead generation are provided with the help of explanatory videos at https://virtual.drupa.com/en/Exhibition_Space/Become_exhibitor/Online_application
About virtual.drupa
From April 20 – 23, 2021, the global print and packaging sector will meet at virtual.drupa, promoting knowledge transfer and networking and activating business with its three pillars “Conference Area,” “Networking Plaza” and “Exhibition Space.” Live web sessions and videos will complement the event, offering more in-depth information and the opportunity to obtain additional details about the products and offers. All live web sessions will be available on demand 24/7 in a video library after the event.
