B2B trade fairs for the packaging & converting machinery sector - can they survive?

OK, so I know this is not the first article of this type you have read! As a publisher within the global corrugated and folding carton converting industry, our readers have for many years - no, decades - relied on trade shows and conferences to keep up to speed with the latest innovations in technology and systems to help run their businesses. They 'need' these events to see the most up to date equipment and of course, network with each other.

The OEMs have all at one time or another used open houses to showcase equipment in the every-other or odd year where there is no Drupa, CCE, SinoCorrugated, SuperCorrExpo etc. The brutal reality is that the OEMs who have the space, the resource and the customer base to leverage an open house, truly benefit from them. For the last 10 years or so, participation at trade shows has been undertaken out of loyalty by the biggest suppliers - and the worry that if you don't attend, your competitors make rumblings that you are in trouble! Its the oldest trick in the book.

Today comes the news that yet another protagonist withdraws from Drupa. Komori is the latest to 'pull up stumps' and joins the likes of Bobst, Heidelberg, Manroland and Xerox. With swelling ranks of the smaller businesses who will no doubt jump ship over the coming weeks (and probably a few more big names too!), surely the position of the show becomes untenable. Of course, one major player who stands by the event is Koenig & Bauer, but you only need to read between the lines to see that the outgoing CEO is also President of Drupa - there is no way his company can be seen to be pulling the plug on their participation. If I was in his shoes, I'd do the same; if I was in his shoes, I'd secretly hope that the decision is made for me. Can Drupa survive? I truly hope so, as it is the focal point for the commercial and packaging printing markets. The brand is strong, the organisation is superb - but maybe they need to do some soul searching to see if a 'new' business model can be created. As it is, the idea of flying to an event - even in April next year - will fill the bravest of travellers with fear at worst, reluctance at best. How can any company commit to spending hundreds or thousands of Euro to participate and yet not fully understand the drastic ramification on foot-fall. No visitors = no more show. I hope that Drupa can address this, and they need to do that SOON.

What has been really interesting to see is how each of the big names that go into reverse on Drupa back things up by saying regional shows and virtual events will be the 'go to' for the foreseeable future. What does this say? It says that there is still a need for education, collaboration and engagement. The future looks a lot different to the global industry now; with less travel, it means more headroom for engagement with our suppliers. More time to review, attend webinars, engage in discussions.

But one thing that is really important to keep an eye on is this - community. I have been fortunate enough to report on this energetic and exciting industry for 25 years now. I have met great and inspirational leaders, seen new technologies deployed, discussed important issues. Now its time for me and my team to pull all the threads together and help create a community where those involved are able to engage with people - not just existing customers; more importantly, find the prospects out there (and I promise there are plenty). Whether trade shows will bounce back to the good old formats of pre-COVID, we will have to wait and see. But what is clear is there is a gap which we need to bridge between 'today' and the 'safe tomorrow' - and the virtual environment, with all the benefits of analytical data capture, is the answer.

I am proud of what we are developing. It won't be for everyone. But for the 29 partners involved in ConneXion, I thank you for sharing our vision and I can not wait to see how this plays out! The names of the partners will start to hit the social media over the coming days. I truly hope that if you make boxes that it will be worth a 'follow' and a 'share' - the reality is that to create a community successfully, we all need to engage to ensure all participants can benefit from the collaboration, education and innovation. Who is ready for the future? I hope that we are.