Pira International’s Great Print Debates, which will be free for all show visitors, will use polling technology for real-time audience interaction and to drive questions to the panel chair.

“The printing industry needs more debate and discussion,” said Romano (pictured), who is professor emeritus at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

“We are at a crossroads in terms of new printing technology, changes in customer marketing and challenges to print. We need to band together to develop new markets, new print products, and new ideas, and convince the world that print is still an important and viable form of communication.”

A variety of experts have been lined up to appear on the debate panels, with a full list available on the Ipex website.

Pira consultant Sean Smyth said: “These debates provide an opportunity for industry players to put their heads above the parapet and think about how their businesses, and their careers, might progress satisfactorily under new conditions.”

Meanwhile, Ipex organisers have claimed the show will host an unprecedented number of wide-format exhibitors.

Vendors already confirmed include Agfa, Canon, Durst, EFI, Epson, Fujifilm, HP, Kodak, Mimaki, Océ, Roland, Screen, and Xerox.

Ipex 2010 event director Trevor Crawford said: “In a climate where market conditions are tougher than ever, the wide-format sector has continued to exceed expectations, so we foresee much interest from a broad spectrum of visitors who will use the event to explore the technical advances and stunning applications achievable with wide-format technology.”

Ipex 2010 will be held at the NEC in Birmingham from 18 to 25 May.

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