Only Heidelberg, Currie with Shinohara, Cyber with Ryobi, and Pressnet with Sakurai and Hans Gronhi have presses on the floor. Vels Jensen says, “Clearly not all suppliers agree that PacPrint is an important show to attend in a proper way. To those that don’t have presses here there is an obvious question to their commitment to the industry.”

According to Vels Jensen the next PacPrint may have to be remodelled as a digital show, or as a PrintEx type show with very little actual equipment on the floor and vendors limited to 250 or 500sqm shell stands. He says, “We need to talk and we need to talk early. We can’t be in the same position we faced this year with decisions being made very late. We need an industry discussion about the whole PacPrfint concept.”

Vels Jensen pointed out that the shows owners GAMAA and Printing Industries are both dependent on the revenue from PacPrint, and questioned their viability if PacPrint were to disappear from the calendar.

He also believes that there are far too many industry associations, and sees the current number, of more than 50, as unviable and working against the industry’s best interests. He says, “There should be one body representing the interest of print.”

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