A world tour to promote DRUPA 2012 world tour reaches Manila next week in what exhibition organisers say is the start of a crucial phase.

Around 60 events in more than 40 countries include presentations and press conferences in Chicago (September 12), Manila (September 15) and Tokyo (September 18) and continue into February next year.

The format ranges from trade press conferences in smaller groups, half-day industry workshops up to presentations with several hundred participants.

Director Manuel Mataré says the tour is an important component of the marketing mix in advance of next year’s Düsseldorf printing trade fair.

“In this way we immediately reach visitors and can provide them with the latest facts concerning DRUPA 2012. But also in a direct dialogue it can be determined what the interests and requirements are.

“This, in addition to personal visitor advertising, is especially an invaluable advantage of the drupa events.”

The event’s ambassadors will have flown more than 237,000 air miles by the end of the tour.

Besides current trade fair facts, the tour presents a view on the industry’s megatrends: “The future of printing lies very clearly in the areas of packaging, printed electronics (RFID) and digital print with personalisation“, says managing director of the Association for Printing and Paper Technology in the VDMA, Markus Heering.

While traditional markets are close to saturation, the printing market in the emerging countries is developing very dynamically. In Asia, the volume has increased from 133 billion Euros to 168 billion Euros; in China alone it has doubled to 49 billion Euros. And these dynamics are not letting up. Market research institutes estimate that the printing volume in China will increase to 70 billion Euros by 2014.

The trade show, from May 3-16, 2012, will occupy 19 halls with the stands of 1800 exhibitors from more than 50 countries. Among these, companies from China will account for 11,000 m2 of stand space, twice as much as in 2008.