Keep on course

scheduled at Düsseldorf May 29th to 11th June 2008, will feature several new collateral events on the purely exhibition side. If in the last issue of Converting we presented the Innovation Park (see our portal www.converting.packmedia.net) we now speak of Compass Sessions, the objective as the name states being to transfer technological and market knowhow on to fair visitors, as well as help them really understand what they are looking for at drupa, hence putting them in a condition to organize a targeted tour of the stands that really interest them. A productive breakfast Organised by Print & Media Forum AG and scheduled at the Düsseldorf.East congress center inside the Düsseldorf Trade Fair Center, the Compass Sessions are two hour intensive seminars scheduled each day, centring on specific subjects that regard the technologies and the new business trends of the print and converting industry. Each session, dedicated to a different subject, is held from 9 to 11: a rapid going into topics of interest, accompanied by an energetic breakfast, constitutes the ideal start to a long and fruitful day at drupa. It goes without saying that these sessions, as well as providing general information, also constitute a chance to meet up and exchange opinions between colleagues.

Thematic maps
It is difficult to sum up the Compass Sessions program in just
a few lines, given their heterogeneous nature: in fact one goes from digital print, inkjet and offset to preprint, from web to print solutions to digital workflow, up to packaging converting. Among the many topics to be tackled, we for example cite that of the printed electronic circuits, organised for Wednesday 4th June by the Organic Electronics Association (http://www.oe-a.org): those taking part will be offered the opportunity of building up an indepth knowledge on a theme today strategic, that also concerns RFid solutions. In general each session consists of four talks each a half-hour long held by sector experts. Enrolment costs 75 Euro, with reductions for the German Printing and Media Industries Federation (BVDM).
The detailed program, with all the modes of registration, will be available as of January 2008 (for information: www.drupa.de). One learns from experience The Compass Sessions of drupa 2008 intend repeating (and even increasing) the success of the same undertaking in the 2004 edition. At the last drupa in fact, over 500 sector operators registered for the Compass seminars that were held throughout the eleven days. Over half those that enrolled were from outside Germany (to once again underline the eminently international character of drupa and the undertakings connected to the same); in turn 39 speakers from five different countries competently and fully tackled a series of different subjects, in fact covering the entire merchandise range of the fair. The most crowded days where those dedicate to JDF, network production, offset printing and preprint.