The Photographic Industry Association reports that the mood within the sector is extremely good. This is supported by the fact that the global camera market is experiencing a record high this year. The market researchers at the Society for Consumer Research have determined that roughly 403 million digital cameras, 52 million camcorders and two billion camera phones/smartphones are in use around the world. These figures include about 140 million digital cameras, 17 million camcorders, and 550 million camera phones/smartphones in Europe. The number of images taken with these devices is correspondingly high. Shutters "click" 1,000 times per second in Germany alone.
photokina also remains one-of-a-kind with respect to its visitor structure. It is the only sector trade fair in the world to reach all of the relevant visitor target groups, from the international specialist trade with its top buyers to both professional and private users.
photokina has also succeeded in reaching out to new exhibitor groups and convincing them of the photokina’s importance. The best example of this is the computer generated imaging segment. photokina presented this topic to a large audience two years ago. Today CGI is a hot topic and a technical innovation to which imaging professionals have to adjust themselves. In reflection of this, World of Imaging is presenting the 1st International CGI Forum this year. Located in Hall 4.1, the Center will present outstanding technology from the segment of computer-generated imaging and provide visitors with the associated know-how.
From the very beginning, photokina has worked closely with hardware suppliers, software developers, creative users, specialized dealers, and highly qualified training centers to establish the International CGI Forum, and is offering a top-level program of seminars, presentations, workshops, and practical examples that will put the current and future developments of this new technology on show. The result is a segment in which many new companies, but also colleges, universities, and service providers will be presenting themselves to the international imaging sector for the first time.
In Hall 5.1, photokina will also be offering a central meeting point for photography enthusiasts under the name "Meet the Communities at photokina." "Meet the Communities" has also been conceived as a marketplace where the organizers of photography festivals, as well as publishers and associations catering to nonprofessional end consumers can present themselves. Above all, photokina hopes to give the representatives of online photography communities and social networks an opportunity to present themselves to their users and potential new customers.
Around a centrally located activity area, the service providers, community operators, and event organizers will have a opportunity to engage in direct dialogue with the people who use their platforms to exchange, present, and discuss millions of photos and videos every single day. Never before has the imaging sector had a presentation and meeting area like this one for Web 2.0 fans. And parallel to the communication opportunities there will also be plenty of information available. Workshops and presentations on the topics that users are excited about will round off the offerings of the event.
The new "Meet the Communities" segment is the result of the systematic use of social media channels, which photokina has used intensively since 2008. photokina is not simply filling additional communication channels, but rather uses the opportunities offered by Twitter, Facebook, and Xing to come into contact with the users, get to know them, provide them with information, and, above all, to engage in discussions with them. photokina quickly recognized that this is where the young users are sending millions of photographs back and forth to one another every day as a matter of course, sharing them, linking them, and commenting on them. These are the photokina visitors of tomorrow. That’s why it’s immensely important for the entire sector to take this target group seriously and stay in touch with it to find out what wishes its members have with regard to photokina and the sector.
Another objective, however, is to get the Internet community interested in experiencing photokina directly in Cologne. Interest is already running high. For example, Internet users will be meeting on the exhibition grounds at a photokina BarCamp in order to discuss current issues and visit the fair. The Twitter community will also be coming to Cologne. The Twitter fans will be meeting in Cologne to listen to presentations by professionals and discuss photography with other users in the community area.
A further new concept will apply to the photography exhibitions at the World of Imaging. Koelnmesse and the Photographic Industry Association went in new directions as they searched for photo exhibitions. They invited interested parties to submit their proposals for photography exhibitions with the aim of being awarded an exhibition area at photokina. According to the organizers, the result is an impressive mix of high-quality photography exhibitions that will touch the emotions, use new forms of presentation, and reflect virtually the entire spectrum of photography.
With photo.Cologne, Koelnmesse will present another new feature for photokina 2010. Under the umbrella brand photo.Cologne, the Internationale Photoszene Köln with its IPK and Koelnmesse GmbH with its Visual Gallery and the city-wide event "photokina: cologne takes photos!" will combine their activities in September 2010. This will provide amateur photographers, professional photographers, and all those who are interested in artistic photography with a unique combination of an event and a cultural highlight focusing on the topic of photography. The mutual objective is to use this umbrella brand to consolidate and further expand the importance of Cologne as a center for photography.
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