Printech, New Zealand’s largest printing trade fair, has been pushed back to 2012, with event organiser XPO Exhibitions saying it needs more time to get the show in order.
The event, typically every four years, was set to take place on 27 to 29 June 2010 at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland.
PrintNZ president Warren Leslie told ProPrint that the cancellation didn’t necessarily reflect problems in the local print industry.
“I think it’s more a reflection of the key players [exhibitors] deciding where they want their dollars spent,” he said.
“In light of the current economy, they probably looked at it more closely than they have in previous years.”
“The simple matter is if major sponsors aren’t involved in an event like that, you can’t afford to run it,” he added.
Last month, XPO took over the show from DMG World Media, along with several other New Zealand trade events, including EMEX, FoodTech, PackTech, and Build NZ DesignEX.
XPO general manager Richard Bews told ProPrint that “a number of factors” were behind the organisation’s decision not to hold Printech this year.
“The industry told us they weren’t ready for a show at this time. We’re also working closely with New Zealand printing associations and they told us that this year wasn’t the year to be doing it.”
“Obviously, printing is going through significant change right now with the digital era, so we’re coming out with a new format, and we didn’t think we’d be ready to do it this year,” he added.
Bews also denied that the reschedule reflected any particular problems for the NZ print industry.
“Every industry we work across has been affected by this recession, and it’s been felt more in New Zealand than it has in Australia. I wouldn’t say the printing industry is in worse shape than any other,” he said.
XPO have said that several large key suppliers have already confirmed their support for a 2012 event.
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