Leading trade fair in the field of tension between economic and social development
photokina will open its doors again in Cologne from May 27 to 30, 2020. Seldom in its 70-year history has it been so eagerly anticipated as this year. A rapidly changing market environment, as well as social and economic transformation processes, present manufacturers, professionals, and trade fair organizers with great challenges. However, the joy of the picture remains as great as ever, or is even increasing: a paradox that representatives of Koelnmesse GmbH and Photoindustrie-Verband e.V. discussed intensively before and with the journalists present at the European Press Conference in Amsterdam on February 6, 2020. At the same time, the outlook for this year's event shows that emotions, impressions and experiences related to the medium of the picture will once again find a worthy home in Cologne in 2020.
Imaging in its various facets has become an integral part of our daily lives. We use devices such as route planners, smartphones, wearables, televisions, touch displays for buying everything from tickets to burgers. Applications for imaging can be found in healthcare, security and surveillance, automotive, aerospace, architecture/real estate and research in general. Even our communication is in many cases determined only by images, whether we share beautiful moments, impressions, etc. via social networks or news services or upload a gif on Twitter instead of a verbal response. The 1.4 trillion photos taken worldwide each year continue to fuel the success of photo finishers. Providers of photo books, murals, etc. also score points by using AI, new designs and the option to creatively secure beautiful memories for the future.
Industry in contradiction
"Even though market figures sometimes make us forget: We are currently experiencing an absolute heyday for photography," says Kai Hillebrandt, Chairman of the Photoindustrie-Verband. "Never before have more photos been taken, never before have more people been photographers and never before have more people thought about how to stage photos better than today." The market development seems to contradict this: The sales market for the core market camera has recently lost in the double-digit range every year, consolidations move the industry. "Why do we see so little of these fantastic conditions in the market figures? I think that we are still far too little in the way of dialogue with customers and that we do not manage to activate step-up users to a sufficient extent," says Hillebrandt. "It is not only camera and accessory manufacturers who have to find ways of exploiting the huge potential of the photography boom. Photographic services - for example, photo print providers - are also finding opportunities that we would not have dared to dream of just ten years ago," he says, pointing to the opportunities that are available to the industry.
Effects on photokina
This market development also leaves its mark on the industry's leading trade fair, photokina, as Oliver Frese, Executive Vice President of Koelnmesse GmbH, explains: "Trade fairs always reflect the market, and markets change. Numerous other trade fair formats, which have been very successful over many years, also face the challenge of changing in order to meet the new needs of their target groups. It is not only photokina that faces the challenge of countering driving forces such as eventization, digitization and social transformation processes with new concepts. "Ultimately, trade fairs are products that require continuous adaptation or sometimes even a new edition to meet the needs of the market and customers," says Frese.
Koelnmesse as the organizer and the Photoindustrie-Verband as the conceptual sponsor continue to believe in the potential of photokina. "photokina has always been a fascinating place, because this is where manufacturers and their innovations meet an absolutely enthusiastic clientele," says Hillebrandt. "The audience at the fair is unique: Where do you find such loyal, so honestly interested end customers in a density that is only rudimentarily comparable? For this reason, the organizers will take photokina 2020 as a starting point for entering into an open dialogue with all participants in the discourse - associations, exhibitors, trade and private visitors - and for rethinking the trade fair. "As the leading trade fair for the image, photokina must meet the rapidly changing needs and offer an international platform for new topics, growth areas and formats," says Oliver Frese. "At the same time, we face the challenge of reconciling a thoroughly heterogeneous group of stakeholders and their different event interests.
Emotions and experience
With just under four months to go before the next photokina, however, the Cologne-based company is now focusing its attention primarily on a successful 2020 event: "We will experience a photokina that seamlessly continues what photokina has stood for since 1950: Enthusiasm for images and image technologies, intensive discussions with like-minded people, impulses for one's own actions, new knowledge about images for different target groups, product innovations you can touch, inspiration from role models and stars in the industry, photo art," says Christoph Werner, Vice President of Koelnmesse GmbH.
Koelnmesse is investing at the same level as in 2018 and is working with a large team on the new and further development of the event programme. For example, photokina will be officially opened for the first time again, combined with an inspiring keynote address on the subject of transformation by an internationally renowned guest.
Impulses for professionals
The new edition of IMAGING LAB by photokina offers an ideal environment for the presentation and exchange of new concepts, technologies and business ideas. Start-ups, innovation leaders, universities, developers and think tanks come together here to discuss the challenges facing the imaging industry. On display will be innovative technologies from the areas of photo & video, mobile and digital imaging, VR/AR/Mixed Reality, apps, 3D, AI artificial intelligence, software, cloud services, imaging business models and much more. The new central location in Hall 4.2 underlines the importance of the platform and is very well received by start-ups. NRW Minister of Economic Affairs Andreas Pinkwart will continue to act as patron of the IMAGING LAB in 2020.
With the IMAGING INNOVATION CONFERENCE by photokina, a new format has been created within the framework of photokina, where experts from all relevant fields and from all over the world can exchange views on these changes. The range of topics is deliberately very broad, in order to illuminate the entire field of imaging. In combination with a visit to photokina, this creates a holistic picture of the status of the industry - and an important stimulus for your own actions. The IMAGING INNOVATION CONFERENCE is the further development of the annual Business Forum Imaging Cologne, which was last held in March 2019 and has established itself as an important platform for trends and innovations in the international imaging industry since 2009. "We are working on designing the event program for professionals so that they return from photokina inspired, with more knowledge for their own work and valuable new contacts," explains Christoph Werner. In 2020, international experts will continue to delve deep into top topics related to photography and film on the stages: On the Professional Stage, professional photographers from all over the world will provide insights into the topics that not only professional photographers are currently interested in. On the Motion Stage, film professionals will show interesting facts about video editing and production, storytelling, and YouTube as a marketing channel. The new strategic partnership with the German Camera Award complements photokina's range of products and services in the field of videography and film. The award will be presented at the Tanzbrunnen on May 29. The winners will give lectures on their projects at photokina on Saturday, thus providing important impulses for semi-professional and professional filmmakers.
The next step for step-up users
But the organizers also focus on young target groups who enjoy photography but have yet to be introduced to many technologies - and would like to be introduced to them. For this target group, it is by no means just about fun and the quick snap with the smartphone. Since its relaunch in 2017, the Instagram channel at photokina has also been so successful because the concept of curating young international photographers and exploring their working methods is very well received by the target group. This is shown by the increasing number of subscribers and a high engagement rate. "We already geared our marketing towards this target group several years ago, with a noticeable effect on our visitor structure: the proportion of U30 visitors is now 30 percent," says Christoph Werner.
The focus continues to be on strengthening the link between digital offerings and the local experience. New in 2020 is therefore the Creators Lounge in combination with the Rental Point powered by Gearflix. The concept is simple: Creators explain live at the fair and on their channels how they use their equipment and the exhibitors' innovations for their productions. Visitors can then borrow these innovations directly at the Rental Point and try them out with their newly acquired knowledge. "In this way, we are creating new interaction points for visitors on the one hand, and at the same time photokina and its exhibitors are gaining in digital reach," says Christoph Werner, explaining the concept and continues: "Many young creators are very interested in talking about their work at photokina and naturally see photokina as a place-to-be. Our Communities Stage is already almost fully booked.
Interaction and photo experience for the target group under 25 years of age will be offered for the first time in 2020 by photo spots on the exhibition grounds, where visitors can let off steam with a camera - based on successful photo experience concepts that are currently attracting thousands of young visitors throughout Europe.
Photo culture in Cologne
Inseparably connected to the overall photokina experience are photo exhibitions at the exhibition center and in the city. The cooperation with the Festival of the International Photoscene Cologne, which cultivates the long tradition of picture exhibitions in Cologne with a great deal of expertise and a large network of renowned artists, will be intensified once again in 2020. Those who travel to photokina will have the extraordinary opportunity to visit around 100 photographic exhibitions throughout the city of Cologne or to take part in an extensive workshop program. More information is available at https://festival.photoszene.de/.
The German documentary and portrait photographer Manolo Ty is exhibiting photographs from his illustrated book "Pakistan Now", which have already been shown in the National Gallery of Pakistan in Islamabad. In cooperation with the German Youth Photography Award and the German Pavilion at EXPO 2020, the young talent competition "Zukunft jetzt - Mein Bild für die Expo 2020" (Future Now - My Picture for Expo 2020) was launched on the theme of sustainability. The 16 winning pictures (one picture per federal state) will be shown at photokina and in the German Pavilion in Dubai. The Professional Photo New Talent Award powered by Canon and the German Youth Photo Award are also dedicated to young photographers.
Hall occupancy for photokina 2020
In view of the market development, as well as renovation and construction measures at the Koelnmesse exhibition center, the hall occupancy in 2020 will change compared to 2018: Based on the current status of exhibitor registrations and forecasts for the coming weeks, photokina will take place in Halls 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2 and 5.2.
www.photokina.de
