* When photokina opens, everyone flocks to Cologne

* In 2010, the who’s who of the imaging industry will gather together in Cologne for the sector’s largest global trade fair

* “Meet the Professionals” at photokina: the trade fair is set to intensify its strong commitment to imaging
professionals

* “Meet the Communities at photokina” — the meeting place for users of social networks

“All the leading names of the international photography and imaging sector will be represented at the 31st photokina from September 21 to 26, 2010 — from A to Z, from Adobe to Zeiss.” This was the core message that Oliver P. Kuhrt, Executive Vice President of Koelnmesse GmbH, conveyed to representatives of the media at a European trade press conference on November 30. “Over the past weeks we have spoken to all the leading companies of the sector. And all the companies have confirmed that photokina 2010 will be at the top of their priority list,” said Kuhrt. All the top players will be coming to Cologne next year.

Without exception, all the large companies have emphasized the importance of photokina and have clearly indicated that they will be playing an active role in the trade fair and that all their activities will come to a head at the sector highlight of the year — photokina. The organizers of photokina 2010 — Koelnmesse and the Photographic Industry Association — estimate that over 1,300 exhibitors from around 50 countries will present their products and services in Cologne. More than 160,000 visitors are expected to come to Cologne from all over the world to find out about the latest products and the trends of tomorrow.

This means that photokina 2010 will once again present the complete spectrum of the global imaging market. Oliver P. Kuhrt described photokina as the only event in the world that presents all imaging media, imaging
technologies, and imaging markets comprehensively and in all their variety — for professionals and consumers alike.

According to the Executive Vice President of Koelnmesse, this also applies in particular to the visitor target groups. In contrast to other events, which only address certain visitor target groups, photokina offers photography products and services to all target groups, from the trade and imaging professionals to end consumers. This has always been the unique selling point of photokina, which clearly sets it apart from other sector events.

Kuhrt also announced a few conceptual changes that will further sharpen the profile of photokina. In the coming year, photokina will intensify its already strong commitment to imaging professionals. The supporting program, which is targeted at professional trade visitors, will also have a new concept. “Meet the Professionals” at photokina will be newly positioned in Hall 4.1 and will be expanded to include those product ranges that are also specifically targeted toward professional photographers and imaging specialists. These will include the topic of computer-generated imaging — or CGI — which is to be expanded into a new sector, offering both service providers and producers of hardware and software the opportunity to present their expertise to an international trade audience.

The product groups Large-format Printing and Fine Art Printing will be of special interest to professionals. This is why photokina 2010 will integrate the suppliers and service providers from this segment into the concept behind “Meet the Professionals” and will position them as closely as possible to one another. The program will be rounded out with numerous workshops, seminars, and presentations on various topics covering the entire creative process of the imaging workflow, from image capture to printing. The professionals will also have an opportunity to engage in discussions and share ideas with the experts. The sharing of views and ideas will be the focus of the new and expanded presentation of “Meet the Professionals” at photokina. The area will allow scope for discussion and will also be the central meeting place for imaging professionals from around the world. With its central stage, it will be both a dialogue platform and a marketplace that brings together everything that belongs together in the world of professional photography. This feature’s central position within the exhibition center will only be a short distance from the camera and printer manufacturers in Halls 2 to 5, as well as the suppliers of professional studio technology and professional equipment in Hall 9.

With a new area “Meet the Communities at photokina” photokina will offer a central meeting point for nonprofessional photography fans, too. “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 and amateur photographers can present themselves.

Around a centrally located event and presentation area, the suppliers, service providers, community operators, and event organizers will have a unique 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.

A further new concept will apply to the photography exhibitions at the World of Imaging. The image as the end product of a creative development process has for many years been the focus of the world’s largest trade fair for the photography and imaging sector. This is why the thematically diverse and highquality photography exhibitions, which date back to the first trade fair, are a very special highlight at every photokina. The organizers — Koelnmesse and the Photographic Industry Association — are well aware of this and would like to strengthen their commitment in this area at the next photokina. At the beginning of 2010, international organizations, associations, publishers, and clubs will be called upon to submit their proposals for photography exhibitions with the aim of winning an exhibition area at photokina.

Together with the Photographic Industry Association, Koelnmesse will decide which of the submitted photography exhibitions will be presented at photokina 2010. By doing this, the organizers are hoping to further highlight the significance of the image for photokina, while also continuing to expand the trade fair’s spectrum of topics and presentations. The terms and conditions of the competition will also be available to download from the photokina website starting in January.
The exhibitions at the Visual Gallery will once again be the artistic highlight of photokina. The Visual Gallery offers more than ten photo exhibitions presented compactly in one place — there’s probably no other place where photography is presented in this form and at this high level of quality, says Kuhrt. In 2010, the Visual Gallery will once again presenting top works by internationally renowned photographers and the work of award-winning up-and-coming young artists. Visual Gallery will present an exhibition of the winners of the Sony World Photography Awards as well as works by the photographer and fashion designer Corinna Gertz and the BFF photographer Thomas Herbrich.

The “Academy meets photokina” area will also be dedicated to young up-andcoming photographers. Academy will be located very close to the Visual Gallery as well as being closely related thematically. Once again in 2010, students and graduates of universities, technical colleges and art academies who have majored in photography can apply to participate in the competition for the Promotion Prizes. The three best entries will win awards having a total value of €15,000. To be eligible for submission, projects must be no more than one year old and suitable for inclusion under the motto “Unlimited – Exploring limits, experiencing limits, and exceeding limits.”

With photo.COLOGNE, Oliver P. Kuhrt presented another new feature of photokina 2010. Under the umbrella brand photo.COLOGNE, Cologne’s international photography scene, the IPK <festival>, and Koelnmesse GmbH
will combine their activities to create the Visual Gallery and the city-wide event “photokina: cologne takes photos!” 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. In addition, Koelnmesse hopes that photo.COLOGNE will also bring the topic of photography and photokina into the city of Cologne and beyond, with the aim of attracting new and young visitors to the World of Imaging.

You can find further information on the individual topic areas in the press section of the photokina website http://www.photokina-cologne.com/.