For the Press

Final Report photokina 2008: New Dimensions in Image Communication

More than 169,000 visitors from 161 nations view an impressive presentation by the international imaging industry

Vibrant ordering activity generates an outstanding mood among exhibitors

High-quality supporting program and the Visual Gallery impress trade visitors and consumers

photokina brings the fascination of photography into the city of Cologne

After six very successful days, the 30th photokina - World of Imaging concluded in Cologne on September 28. The international photo and imaging industry put on an amazing show in Cologne, as 1,523 companies from 49 countries presented a huge range of product innovations, thrilling the numerous specialist trade visitors and consumers in attendance. As Koelnmesse Executive Vice President Oliver P. Kuhrt stated, photokina thus "reconfirmed its position as the undisputed number one global trade fair for the entire imaging industry. This result was largely due to the tremendous innovation potential displayed by the fair, as photokina showcased not only the latest products but also the technologies and trends that will have a major impact on the market in the coming years." The fair generated a great deal of interest among international trade visitors and professional users from around the world, all of whom came to Cologne to learn more about the imaging technologies of tomorrow and new strategic approaches to the business. With 66 percent of the exhibitors coming from abroad and a larger number of participating countries (2006: 46 nations), the international nature of the fair was also once again enhanced. If visitor estimates for the final day are included, the imaging sector's leading technology and trend show attracted more than 169,000 people to Cologne.

According to Photographic Industry Association chairman Helmut Rupsch, the sector "presented itself in outstanding shape, as companies from the photographic and imaging industry impressively demonstrated their technological and innovation leadership at photokina. As a result, we've entered completely new dimensions in image communication - and this development is increasingly being driven by the tremendous power of images." Rupsch was especially pleased by the significantly higher number of skilled young trade visitors and consumers who attended the fair: "Imaging has finally become a major area of interest among young target groups," he said.

Optimized workflow concept
A concept successfully introduced in 2006 that aligns the hall structure with the complete imaging workflow was optimized by the photokina organizers for the 2008 event. The previous five product areas were reduced to only four this year, representing the entire imaging workflow: Image Capture, Image Processing, Image Storage, and Image Output. Exhibition space for accessory items was also attached to the relevant product segments of the imaging workflow this year. This optimization of the workflow concept met with tremendous approval on the part of exhibiting companies from abroad because they felt that the closer alignment of individual product areas with corresponding accessory groups was much more in line with consumers' information needs. The resulting hall structure was also praised by visitors, who found it made for a clearer overview and thus better orientation.

Many exhibiting companies - among them Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, and Canon - underscored the importance photokina holds for them as a key international sector platform by once again expanding their exhibition space at the event. There were also a large number of new exhibitors at the fair this year - 239. As photokina's organizers pointed out, the renewed participation of software giant Microsoft at this year's fair sent a powerful signal regarding the impact that digital image communication is having on other business sectors. Alexander Hopstein, Senior PR Manager Central Europe for Adobe Systems, said this enhanced impact was also the reason his company decided to present its latest products to a global audience in Cologne: "A fair like photokina offers the perfect backdrop for major product announcements and world premieres. The response at our stand also shows that Koelnmesse has once again succeeded in ideally positioning the leading international digital imaging fair as a trend barometer and an engine of innovation. photokina is the number one fair for us to present our company and its creative products."

Imaging sector booming: Vibrant ordering activity on the part of international buyers
Large numbers of trade visitors began streaming to the stands on the very first day of photokina, putting smiles on the faces of the exhibitors. Michael Langbehn, head of Retail Marketing/PR and Corporate Communication at Panasonic, describes the impact of the fair on his company as follows: "photokina was a huge success for us from both a marketing and a sales policy perspective."

Both the decision-making authority of the trade visitors and their broadly international makeup were singled out for praise. Andreas Lippert, general manager of the Consumer Digital Imaging Group (CDG) and the Film Product Group (FPG) at Kodak GmbH, took a similar view: "Both the number of visitors from the retail sector and the quality of our discussions with them surpassed our expectations by far." Jürgen Schmitz, Country Director Consumer Imaging at Canon Deutschland GmbH, also came to Cologne with great expectations - and was not disappointed: "For six days, we were literally surrounded by thrilled consumers, and our retail partners showed their appreciation for what we had on display by placing a greater number of orders than we had anticipated. In other words, it more than paid off for us to once again be here at the world's leading fair for the imaging sector - photokina in Cologne."

The share of trade visitors at the fair was 63 percent, with 40 percent of them coming from abroad. A total of 161 nations were represented in Cologne, thereby underscoring photokina's tremendous international significance for the sector. The decision-making authority of the trade visitors was also impressive, as initial results of an independent survey show that around two thirds of such visitors (64.2 percent) are either the main procurement decision-makers at their companies or else have decision-making input.

Visitors to photokina were just as happy with this year's fair as exhibitors were with the visitor response. In fact, 88 percent of the visitors said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the range of products and services on display at the fair. Trade visitors' assessments of their success in achieving their goals at photokina were also positive, with some 80 percent of such visitors saying they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the results of their visit, and 95 percent reporting that they would recommend the event to close business acquaintances.

The trends at the fair - for professionals and private users
In addition to highlighting the traditionally popular area of image capture, this year's photokina also reflected the trend toward the increasing importance of segments for accessories and imaging services, such as digital photo frames, photofinishing, online services, and photo books. These segments have also clearly gained in importance in terms of visitor perceptions, as was confirmed, among other things, by the experience of Dr. Rolf Hollander, chairman of CeWe Color Holding AG: "This was a very successful event for our company - interest in our photo books this year was huge, which is probably why we attracted more visitors to our stand than in 2006. Now we're really looking forward to photokina 2010."

Digital reflex cameras attracted a huge amount of visitor attention in the camera segment, with all the major manufacturers displaying their latest models at photokina. Current trends focus on cameras that, in addition to offering high resolutions of up to 35 megapixels, are also capable of producing high-definition video, and are equipped with all the necessary state-of-the-art interfaces, including everything from wireless LAN to Ethernet and HDMI. This year's top trends in the consumer segment included new camera functions such as intelligent face recognition, make-up and GPS functions, and the increasingly integrated and improved networking of camera devices with electronic products and appliances in the home. The software sector wasn't lacking in innovations either, as the new image-processing software displayed at the fair is now offering previously unheard-of possibilities that significantly expand the creative scope of post-processing activities, while at the same time offering improved handling. Hot topics in the professional segment were new high-end digital camera backs with resolutions of up to 65 million pixels, as well as the trend toward large-aperture lenses for professional users, which stand out by virtue of delivering very high-quality images despite a rather small zoom range.

The major professional image output highlights included single-pass inkjet printers, UV-LED printers, and water-based latex inks. Specialist retailers also expressed great interest in the new dry lab systems on display, as these offer them numerous opportunities to generate added value.

Supporting program: Information for imaging professionals and popular events for photography enthusiasts
Along with its presentation of the latest new products and services, photokina 2008 once again featured a top-class supporting program that offered trade visitors from around the globe true added value and brought the fascination of photography closer to end consumers who are enthusiastic about photography. The supporting program's lectures and symposia were especially popular among international trade visitors this year. Highlights here included the International Business Forum "Memories on Demand," the DGPh Presentation Forum "Digital storage - film-based archiving?" and the "The photo market in the drugstore sector - future opportunities" symposium, which was targeted at decision-makers in the sector. Also attracting a tremendous number of visitors were the Impressions XXL and Underwater Imaging World special areas, as well as impressive computer-generated images in the Computer Generated Imaging special section.

Praise from visitors and artists for the Visual Gallery 2008
The Visual Gallery in Hall 1 was once again a major cultural highlight at photokina this year, as it featured 17 individual exhibitions that impressively spanned the fields of photo documentation, photographic design, and artistic photography. Enthusiastic visitors were able to roam over an area of 4,000 square meters to survey the fascinating creative possibilities offered by the technologies presented at photokina. The works presented ranged from pictures taken by famous photographers such as Thomas Hoepker, the American multitalent Dennis Hopper, Bettina Flitner, Esther Haase, and Mercedes Barros to works by up-and-coming artists who participated in the competitions organized by the German Association of Freelance Photographers (BFF) and Canon. "The importance of the more than 170-year history of photography for our cultural development was impressively demonstrated here," said the internationally renowned fashion photographer F.C. Gundlach, who is also an honorary director of the BFF.

Participating photographers also had words of praise for the event. Said Thomas Hoepker, whose retrospective in the Visual Gallery attracted a great deal of interest this year: "I'm very happy that I was able to stage an exhibition here - exactly 50 years after winning a prize in the Jugend photographiert competition for young photographers at photokina in 1958. All the exhibitions here are definitely worth seeing in terms of both their content and their artistic value." photokina cooperation partner BFF was also very satisfied with this year's Visual Gallery, at which the association presented, among other things, its "Brave New World" exhibition that featured an impressive interface between analog and digital photography. "The Visual Gallery makes a very valuable and necessary contribution as a supplement to photokina - we felt very comfortable here with our six exhibitions as part of the larger range of works on display," said BFF Board of Management speaker Barbara Burg.

Grandiose premiere for photokina Party Night
IMMOTION - the photokina Party Night celebrated a grand premiere at this year's fair with some 5,000 excited young guests in attendance. This "experiment" in utilizing music and images to get young people more interested in photokina was a complete success. "I can't imagine a better proof that images truly appeal to every age group," said Koelnmesse Vice President Oliver P. Kuhrt. photokina's organizers believe the success of the photokina Party Night confirms the correctness of their strategy aimed at attracting a younger audience to the event. Participating partners from the industry were also very satisfied with the party premiere. IMMOTION supporters included famous names from the international imaging industry such as Epson, Samsung, Kodak, CeWe Color, and Fujifilm.

Fascinating photos all over Cologne: "photokina: cologne takes photos!"
The fascination of images was apparent throughout the entire city of Cologne during this year's photokina, as a new event featuring image presentations created a festive atmosphere in many parts of town. The organizers of photokina staged this brand-new photo event in 2008 in order to further spread the passion for photography beyond the trade fair grounds to encompass the entire city. Under the title "photokina: cologne takes photos!" the event format perfectly complemented this year's World of Imaging, with visitors to the city being asked to take their own photographs from September 6 to 28, as well as being generally encouraged to become more familiar with the topics of photography and imaging. The event's success shows that the organizers were correct with their bold approach, as nearly all the workshops, photo shootings, and photo city tours conducted in cooperation with Cologne companies and institutes were completely booked, while a large number of people also attended the many photography exhibitions staged throughout the city. "photokina: cologne takes photos!" took place under the auspices of the mayor of Cologne, Fritz Schramma, and was co-sponsored by the city, the 19th International Photoscene Cologne, and various public and private institutions.

photokina 2008 in figures
A total of 1,523 exhibiting companies from 49 countries participated in photokina 2008, where they presented their products and services on a gross exhibition area of 210,000 square meters. The share of exhibitors from abroad rose slightly, to 66 percent (2006: 65 percent). The exhibitor figures can be broken down as follows: a total of 336 exhibitors and 183 additionally represented companies attended from Germany; 652 exhibitors and 352 additionally represented companies came from other countries. If visitor estimates from the final day of the fair are included, photokina 2008 attracted some 110,000 trade visitors and professional users from 161 countries, as well more than 59,000 interested consumers, all of whom took advantage of the various opportunities the fair offered to obtain - at a discount - information on products, applications, sector trends, and visions of the future at exhibitor stands, the Visual Gallery, and the events in the comprehensive supporting program.*

*All figures have been calculated in accordance with the guidelines of the Society for Voluntary Control of Trade Fair and Exhibition Statistics (FKM) and are subject to audit by a certified auditor (www.fkm.de).

The next photokina Cologne - World of Imaging - will take place from Tuesday, September 28 to Sunday, October 3, 2010.

Downloads attached to this press release:

	Final Report photokina 2008: New Dimensions in Image Communication File type: doc Size: 105 KByte
	Rapport final photokina 2008: la communication par l’image a atteint une nouvelle dimension File type: doc Size: 108 KByte
	Informe final photokina 2008: Nuevas dimensiones en la comunicación por imágenes File type: doc Size: 136 KByte
	Relazione consuntiva photokina 2008: photokina 2008: le nuove dimensioni della comunicazione per immagini File type: doc Size: 142 KByte