Ipex will be back with a fresh and collaborative approach, and a three-year cycle after learning from an unsuccessful 2014 edition. The show is slated to take place in September 2017 with the organiser Informa booking 30,000sqm of space, double that of 2014, but half that of 2010.
Watkiss stand at Ipex 2006
Peter Hall, managing director of organiser Informa Exhibitions, says: “We are fully committed to Ipex and are taking a fresh and collaborative approach to designing the Ipex of the future. “We recognise that several aspects of Ipex 2014 were not successful, but we have learned from these and will consult closely with the market to ensure that Ipex 2017 is a UK-focused, industry-driven event that appeals strongly to exhibitors and visitors.” The last Ipex had multiple exhibitors pull out, including Heidelberg, manroland, KBA, Komori, HP, Landa, Canon, Ricoh and Xerox, leaving the show a shadow of its former self. While the Ipex name will remain for 2017 it seems the international element has gone, with nmidustry wags saying the name should be changed to UKpex. The show will also move back to the NEC Birmingham, after moving to London in 2014. Ipex owner Informa has provisionally booked at 30,000sqm hall at the NEC, which is double the floorspace it sold in 2014, and half that of the 2010 show. The upcoming drupa is five and a half times bigger at 165,000sqm. Organisers had considered turning Ipex into a cut-down annual show but say the three-year cycle will allow it to feature heavily on machinery, equipment and technology and companies investing in showing working machinery. “While I am sure visitors would like to see that every year, at the end of the day it is the manufacturers that make that happen and they are the ones that constrain us to a longer frequency,” Hall says. Originally planned for spring 2018, Ipex will now be held in autumn 2017 with exhibitor signups stating next May.
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