The focus of the Ipex 2010 marketing efforts will be directed at commercial, digital and wide format printers of all sizes.
Under the motto ‘Think, Print, Experience’, the organisers of Ipex 2010 are set to roll out their extensive and diverse marketing campaign designed to position the exhibition as the ‘must attend’ event in 2010 which will offer highly valuable business opportunities for anyone working in the print, publishing and media industry.Ipex’s new creative concefpt, designed to appeal to visitors worldwide, features an eye-catching 3D light bulb image and is supported by the strap line ‘Think, Print, Experience’, chosen to reflect the creative, rich and dynamic nature of the graphic arts industry as well as giving greater emphasis to the value-added opportunities for visitors at Ipex 2010.
“From extensive database cleaning, sourcing new data through our global association programme, list swaps and rentals to far-reaching global visitor research and revamping our website, we’ve invested a lot of time and resources to ensure that our marketing campaign will be extremely targeted and fits the high expectations of our visitors and exhibitors alike,” explains Nick Craig Waller, Ipex 2010 Marketing Director.
He continues: “In addition to our international media relations campaign and direct marketing strategies, we’ve been working closer than ever with our exhibitors. Our research has revealed that exhibitors, who invite their customers directly to their stands before an event, meet three times more new prospects at the show than the exhibitors that do not. As a result, we’ve recently launched an extensive co-marketing programme which consists of numerous free marketing tools that our exhibitors can use to invite visitors directly to their stands. Industry response to this has been incredibly positive.”
Enhancing the visitor experience
Visitors to Ipex will be able to take advantage of a new training and seminar programme at the event. The Printers’ Profit Zone can accommodate up to 100 people and will offer dynamic and interactive sessions focusing on hot topics such as ‘Lead Generation for Printers’, ‘Compensating your Sales Team’, ‘Value Based Selling’, ‘Wealth Protection and Raising Finance’.
For the first time, Ipex 2010 will also feature a Print Services Pavilion to include key recruitment, finance and insurance companies that will offer practical advice on relevant business issues and provide visitors with valuable information on how to run a business most effectively. In addition, one of the key visitor attractions will be the Knowledge Centre area which will feature a number of global not-for-profit industry organisations that will provide an information business hub for visitors. (Note to editors: please see separate press release on the ‘Knowledge Centre’ area)
Offering an important information and planning tool, the Ipex website – http://www.ipex.org/ – will play an integral part in the marketing campaign and is already playing a crucial role in collecting and disseminating information to exhibitors and visitors alike. The increased functionality of the site enables exhibitors to post far greater detail about their specific plans. In addition, visitors have access to the latest exhibitor lists, including up to date product and service information as well as cost-effective travel packages and logistical information.
Research unveiled that over 88% of visitors to Ipex 2006 used the website as a pre-show planning tool. Recent improvements mean that it is an even more user-friendly information portal for visitors to find out about exhibitors at the event. This enhanced content has resulted in web traffic from visitors and exhibitors to the Ipex 2010 website going through the roof: the number of unique users is up 80% and the total page views up 33%, compared to the same point in 2006.
Pre-registration for visitors is now officially available via www.ipex.org/register and the show organisers have confirmed that there will be free entry for all pre-registered visitors to the show.
To help visitors plan their time effectively at the show, Ipex will also launch a new comprehensive, fully customised online visiting tool called MyIpex which will comprise a number of components to maximise pre-show preparation. Furthermore, it will also allow visitors to create personalised site plans, itineraries as well as daily planners and it will also help them to set up appointments.
To improve the visitor experience for international attendees, Ipex will again organise country-specific International Days, focusing on the Benelux region, France, India, China, Germany and Scandinavia. Further information will be revealed over the coming months.
Successfully introduced in 2006, the Agent & Distributor Matchmaking Scheme is free of charge and encourages networking between suppliers and visitors, using the global reach and sophistication of the Ipex website. The Ipex matchmaking initiative will provide exhibitors with a comprehensive list of active dealers in specific locations and allows them to get in contact with any agents or distributors from around the world that they may otherwise not know about.
Additionally, with the growing popularity of social media sites, the Ipex organisers have set up dedicated industry groups on websites such as Twitter and LinkedIn to keep visitors up-to-date about developments but also to reach potential new visitor groups.
“Given Ipex’s status as an international key technology event, we’d expect that our exhibitors’ customers will continue to view Ipex as a major buying and research event. With over 1200 exhibiting companies, visitors will have unrivalled opportunities to see the current and future shape of our industry and plan their investment decisions accordingly. We’ll continue to promote the event globally and this combined with our many business-focussed event features will build a compelling case as to why companies need to visit Ipex to plan for their futures.”
Following in-depth analysis and evaluation of Ipex 2006 visitor as well as exhibitor data, the marketing campaign will focus on the fast-growing/emerging markets of Asia, Eastern Europe, China, South East Asia, India and the Middle-East, as well as mature markets such as France, Germany, Benelux regions, Italy and Scandinavia. The campaign will also target other English-speaking countries such as Australia and North America.
In the UK, the focus of the marketing efforts will be directed at commercial, digital and wide format printers of all sizes as well as Central Reprographic Departments (CRDs), specialist printers and print buyers/brand owners.
The marketing programme comprises public relations, trade press advertising, SMS, Social Media, Co-marketing, online marketing, sponsorship, strategic alliances and direct mail activities worldwide.
Ipex 2010
www.ipex.org
