… inspired by PHOTOKINA

Just look at all the emails and comments I’ve received, and what people have been saying to me at Imaging World. “Moving to Cologne? What sort of rubbish is that? The best trade fair ever, and now they’re going to ruin it?” The question marks are important, because everyone was – and still is – rather sceptical. Nobody was prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Then, at lunchtime today, there was a press conference in Nuremberg organised by Ringfoto and Photokina. As is usually the case at such events, those in charge explained that everything is absolutely brilliant, everyone is highly motivated, and they’ve only received great feedback so far.

Then came the journalists’ questions. And I must give great credit to all the journalists present for asking critical and constructive questions. I’ll summarise the results of the Q&A session as I understood them, and also based on what I asked afterwards and was able to find out.

Imaging World was organised by Ringfoto. They hired the Frankenhalle. And they literally had to take care of everything themselves. This ranges from catering for the exhibitors to every single chair that needs to be hired, right through to press releases and, for example, ensuring that the hall layout and the list of exhibitors are ready to hand. Literally every little detail had to be organised by Ringfoto. Three people managed to pull it all off. And one of the three was the boss, Mr Röhrig, who also has other work to do. The two ladies who did the bulk of the work deserve every bit of respect anyone anywhere could possibly muster.

Two months ago, Kölnmesse – the company that runs the exhibition centre in Cologne – took notice of Imaging World and said, “That’s brilliant.” And they got in touch.

So what can Kölnmesse offer Ringfoto? An exhibition centre. A team that can organise a trade fair like this with ease. Global contacts dating back to the Photokina days. Scalability. (This afternoon, the fair was absolutely packed.)

For Ringfoto, this must have seemed like a white knight. Because the spirits they summoned …

So what’s set to change in Cologne?

• The next trade fair is set to be bigger. 15,000 square metres. That’s a bit bigger. Not by much.
• The concept is to remain the same. Relatively small stands, no retail outlets as at Photopia, but manufacturers and distributors such as Brenner.
• Photo walks in Cologne – contacts have already been established with the city, and the aim is to hold the walks in locations that are not normally accessible.
• The aim is to keep stand fees affordable, particularly for small firms. (If you’ve got time on Sunday, you might want to pop along and have a look at the smaller stands in particular. There are some really fascinating people there. Today I made a point of heading straight for the stands where there weren’t any crowds – great contacts and products.)
• The community spirit is set to remain a key focus of the fair. That ‘down-to-earth’ feel of Imaging World. The fact that you suddenly find yourself face to face with the company boss rather than a promoter who, at the slightest silly question, has to call in a technician who hasn’t got a clue either.
• The ‘industry get-together’, which is what gives Imaging World its charm, is to be preserved. Better to grow slowly than become a Photokina 2.0. The relevant division head at Kölnmesse has clearly stated that the Photokina concept dates back to the 1950s and has had its day. The attempt to establish the trade fair as an annual spring event was bound to fail, just as was the attempt to maintain the biennial cycle in the face of changing circumstances. The community-based approach chosen by Ringfoto seems to be the far more modern concept here.
• Playgrounds

The structure of the fair is set to become more professional. Thanks to the larger team and reduced administrative overheads, things that currently have to be driven manually with a great deal of effort and passion will then run almost automatically.

As journalists, we’ve emphasised the family-like atmosphere – precisely that feeling that you can talk to anyone and everyone. And what inspires journalists is, of course, also exciting for interested customers.

Yes, of course, Imaging World was immediately spotted by ‘content creators’ and ‘influencers’. Wiesner was there on Saturday; on Sunday, I bumped into ‘Amazing Nature’. Neither of them knows me, of course, and as they’re paid influencers, it’s not particularly exciting for me to grill them. I’d rather speak to the person who pays them. (Incidentally, none of the ‘influencers’ were at the press conference. It was just the ‘pros’ amongst themselves.)

Over the next few days, I’ll be writing a great many articles about the conversations I had at the trade fair. But the move to Cologne is surely THE big topic.

My opinion: In my view, expanding the trade fair in Nuremberg isn’t feasible. Ringfoto is a purchasing group for photographic retailers, and its job is to look after its members – that is, its retailers. Throughout the year, they organise the ‘Roadshow’ for their retailers, a mini-trade fair. That’s quite a lot of work in itself. Organising an ‘Imaging World’ that is inevitably more international in scope – it’s almost impossible.

The fact that Kölnmesse now wants to get in on the act is raising a few eyebrows – not just mine, but others’ too. However, if you set aside the Franconian local patriotism for a moment, it makes perfect sense. As long as they stick to the trade fair concept of Imaging World. They’ve looked at Photokina, they’ve looked at Photopia and Photo+Adventure, and analysed very carefully why these failed. And they don’t want to make those mistakes again.

And as long as there are journalists who explain to them in good time where they might be going wrong, and as long as they actually talk to these journalists, I’m inclined to give Imaging World a future.

Because of the ‘Inspired by’ bit. The event will still be called ‘Imaging World’. The ‘Inspired by’ appears in small print underneath, and the reason the name features has to do with international markets. Kölnmesse has offices all over the world, and ‘Photokina’ is a well-known brand there that can provide ‘momentum’ for Imaging World. All of a sudden, the trade fair has fitted a more powerful engine and four-wheel drive. I did report after the roadshow in the spring that the Japanese manufacturers had promised to launch their new products at Imaging World. Except – there wasn’t a single innovation to be seen on any of the Japanese stands. The PEN was unveiled weeks ago and it’s anything but an innovation.

If the ‘Photokina’ label is suddenly slapped on it, things look rather different.

I’m feeling optimistic now. Because a few people have really put some thought into it – and are willing to talk to critical minds. If there’s one thing I didn’t see, it was arrogance. And that’s a really good sign to start with.

Why is the cover photo so colourful? The projector and the electronic shutter make it colourful. I could have adjusted it, but I wanted it to be colourful.