Ricoh 10in10: Reflections from drupa 2024

drupa has always been the jewel in the print industry calendar, with all the big players in the industry battling it out to capture attention, make sales and better establish themselves in the print market. Big creatives, big stands, and often big budgets were a staple of the show, with memorable spectacles and presentations in each hall. In 2020, all that came to a screeching halt when the show itself got canceled due to COVID.   

Due to the (uniquely) long registration cycle of this show, my impression of drupa 2024 was that many of the booths were conceived in a post-pandemic world with a high degree of uncertainty around the overall attendance and therefore potential ROI. I would say that brands this year felt more cautious in their approach, delivering functional booths designed to demonstrate hardware and capabilities in the most cost-efficient way.  

The sense of theater and drama across the show was perhaps not where it used to be. But that gave us – and our partner Ricoh – an even better opportunity to stand out… 

drupa is something else. The sheer scale far surpasses anything I have ever seen from an indoor exhibition. Not only the size of the overall conference, but of individual builds too. What we set out to achieve on the Ricoh stand was ambitious from the start. We certainly weren’t the biggest stand in the conference by any stretch, but we wanted to make sure we came out fighting and show them physical size doesn’t always matter. It started with an inspiring strategy, followed by a truly imaginative creative design – throw in some mythical creatures and some amazingly talented people along the way – and the results now speak for themselves.   

There aren’t many opportunities to work on something truly unique that tests the limits of materials, suppliers and the imagination. But we set out with a vision – an ambitious vision – to create not just a story, but an immersive world. We ensured we took everyone on the journey, working in partnership with our suppliers in true collaboration to ensure that they were as invested in the creative process and physical delivery of the stand as we were. We introduced new materials, finishes, and construction techniques to ensure that sustainability and creativity worked hand in hand throughout. 

At drupa, there’s a temptation for brands to simply deliver beautiful samples and open the inner workings of their new printer offerings in the hope of bringing in people and sales. But in a crowded international market, brands had to do more than demonstrate that they had innovative offerings to stand out. They had to tell stories.  

Canon took a straightforward approach of highlighting applications at the highest level on labels and packaging, interior decor, publishing and so on. However, they combined that with mise-en-scene for books, art, and an innovative, immersive show focused on the power of print to bring dreams to life. HP created more of a ‘makers’ market’ feel in their take-over of a whole hall. It was cool, colorful, but highly focused on the applications of their print products, not the benefits. Other brands such as BOBST used hands on interactive, physical displays to explain their software offerings, effective attractors in a noisy event space and showed that massive LEDs weren’t the only way to tell complex stories.  

Landa delivered an impressive, immersive show (as always) around a creative concept – the power of nano printing brought to life through music, dance and film. The rest of the stand sported gallery style displays and a successful sustainability installation – an 8ft sq perspex box containing waste from 1000 offset jobs vs a small pile from the same number of jobs from a Landa printer. But, beyond the brand, there was no cohesive theme itself holding their booth together. 

Our approach to Ricoh, with software, services and hardware to bring to life, was to immerse audiences in the potential magic that print creates for customers and clients. The whole stand became a representation of Ricoh’s unique HENKAKU (transformative innovation) proposition with a sample garden, encompassing a stand experience centered on the concept of a Japanese House of HENKAKU theater experience. Our clients’ bold approach resulted in a wonderful, memorable and effective presence. Onwards to 2028!  

When it comes to trade show booths, size matters. Smaller booths have the advantage of zeroing in on core products, while larger booths face the challenge of maintaining a consistent message across numerous touchpoints. Brands need to decide whether to emphasize brand equity or make a bold impact.  

Playing it safe often means sticking to core brand content, creating retail-like environments with clear wayfinding and product messaging. BOBST excelled in this approach with their booth, which made a visual splash using bold red and white colors. Their clean, modern design drew attention and created clear paths around the space. Elevated product demonstration platforms and a responsive 3D printed product display zone kept visitors engaged.  

On the other hand, some brands opted for a more campaign-focused experience, allowing for targeted messaging and standout visitor experiences. Canon’s ‘Power to Move’ campaign is a great example focused on the users of print – they created a deeply human campaign that came to life in their theater experience, with a powerful CSR angle.  

Landa took a different route with their ‘Nano. A Love Story’ campaign. Their low-key approach relied on their reputation to attract audiences. But while their shows were memorable, their booth felt somewhat disconnected from the theatrical experience.  

For Ricoh, we chose a similar campaign-focused strategy. We created an entire promotional campaign around the fictional HENKAKUVERSE, using The House of HENKAKU – our own theater –- to intrigue audiences. Our 8-metre tall entrance portal created a dramatic visual impact, seamlessly connecting visitors with the immersive booth experience and the campaign’s narrative.  

In the end, whether it’s about core content or creative campaigns, the key is to engage and captivate your audience.  

The stands that stood out were the ones that did genuinely interesting things with their own print and materials. Some attendees were no doubt excited by the big shiny machines on a stand, but it was seeing the end results creatively displayed that helped them stand out across a really busy exhibit hall.  

Canon had a couple of lovely examples of 3D relief printing, one to tell the story of a Rhino being shot and how even someone with poor vision could now ‘see’ that story. They utilized this in their theater to incredible effect. Outside the theater, they also had a simple way of hanging print samples on a hanger, almost like clothes on a rail. 

I loved the Scodix stand that had a central ‘chandelier’ made from hung boards that had metallic print that shimmered in the light. Menichetti produced a sustainable glue and built a tree made from card and paper glued together with their product. I also liked the TONLI PAPER stand using their own colored packaging paper in long rolls dropped down a wall to create an eye-catching backdrop.  

Quite a few stands seemed to be making a bit of a sustainability statement too – HP and Kodak didn’t have a floor, which made for an industrial look. But the standout in this regard were Geek Deed. They didn’t even build a stand, but marked out the floor space with some tape and owned the negative space created by adjacent booths. A smart, cost-effective approach with a central product display that caught the eye. 

There was a real mix of approaches to the construction techniques and materials used across the show. Most exhibitors stuck with a completely traditional timber build construction, with paint finishes and vinyl wraps creating the bulk of brand messaging.  

There was, however, a significant shift towards more sustainable ways of designing and creating an exhibition space. This included using large, suspended fabrics to divide up spaces, and most noticeably – cardboard. 

Able to contribute to the production of their booth using their in-house printing capabilities, the exhibitors at drupa have the perfect opportunity to showcase what their printing technologies can accomplish in a real-world application. Unsurprisingly, paper (and cardboard) were the star of the show – but no-one embraced these as well as Ricoh.  

We were incredibly ambitious with cardboard construction techniques. Welcome desks and other furniture pieces were created from fully recyclable cardboard products.  

By bringing together the cardboard engineering expertise of our partners Imageco with Ricoh’s considerable printing capabilities, we were able to encase our space in 300 ‘dragon scales’ – truly immersing our guests inside the HENKAKUVERSE.  

As I was exploring drupa, it was so interesting to see the different content approaches brands had taken. I was drawn in by various different exhibition elements – beautiful displays, exciting interactives, cool technology and great architecture.   

One of the best interactives was for Manroland Goss, providers of complex software and engineering solutions. Knowing that such concepts are difficult to demonstrate, they’d built a beautifully lit model where you could simulate different physical errors and see what the software would deliver. Simple, yet effective.   

At drupa, Ricoh aimed to engage diverse audiences, including print buyers, designers, creatives, and manufacturers. The campaign theme, “Unleash the Spirit of Co-innovation,” highlighted Ricoh’s commitment to partnering with clients to deliver relevant innovation. The immersive theater experience showcased current printing challenges and solutions, captivating delegates and sparking interest in Ricoh’s offerings.  

Despite a smaller footprint, Ricoh effectively showcased its cutting-edge technology. The stand featured large format printers and printheads integrated into the structure, turning the entire booth into a sample showcase. The 1200 sqm exhibit included the central House of HENKAKU, content totems, films, interactive touch screens, and numerous printed materials, effectively communicating Ricoh’s message.   

Ricoh’s strategy was to inspire current and potential clients, demonstrating how they could achieve their full potential with Ricoh’s technology. The approach was well-received, with attendees excited to explore the stand and learn more about the solutions available. Overall, Ricoh successfully created an engaging and cohesive experience, showcasing their newest technologies and reinforcing their co-innovation message.  

In contrast to previous years, there was a sense of creative caution across the vast majority of exhibitors at drupa 2024. Most stands opted for a back-to-basics approach, fueled by a need to demonstrate wares and print tech, to sell reassurance and sustainability over dreams. Arguably a year of ‘tell don’t show,’ you’d have been unlikely to stumble across Cirque du Soleil again (a la drupa 2012).  

Even the Landa show – anchored by the reliably engaging Benny Landa himself – felt somewhat muted. Dubbed Nano, A Love Story – the 40-minute show itself will have impressed those new to nano-tech with its live demonstration. Before Benny’s arrival on stage, the crowd may have been persuaded by the many customer voices that made up the film of impressive testimonials. But beyond Benny, the stand felt disparate and oddly soulless, the line of twenty sound showers displaying the client voices, uncut, empty every time we passed.  

Canon’s welcoming ‘showroom’ centered around The Core, a hidden theatre more intimate than Landa’s two-hundred seater. Briskly shuffled into a slick film experience around The Power to Move (their line for this year), a deeply human segment with visually impaired and blind participants ‘seeing’ images through a raised-image printing technique stood out. But we didn’t feel that it particularly connected to the stand outside.  

With just half the floorspace of 2016, we knew we had to help Ricoh shout louder this year. The ambition: our stand had to become a destination. And, by taking every visitor to an entirely new world – the HENKAKUVERSE – we did just that. We didn’t just build an impressive stand around The House of HENKAKU (our enticing theatrical space), but layered physical and virtual planes around a single, compelling concept and story.  

In the end, we didn’t just show what it was like to ‘Co-innovate’ with Ricoh as a partner – we made people feel it. 

With one of Ricoh’s biggest rivals right next door on a footprint 200% larger, you would expect our 1200 sqm presence to appear insignificant. Fortunately, this wasn’t the case. Most of the big brands, including Canon, Konica Minolta, and Fujifilm, opted for larger floorspace to dominate the exhibition.  

Despite the significant size difference, Ricoh managed to hold its own and attract considerable attention. Our strategic and innovative approach allowed them to stand out, proving that bigger isn’t always better when it comes to impact. The clever use of space, engaging displays, and cohesive message resonated with visitors, demonstrating that effective marketing and presentation can triumph over sheer size.    

If I had to identify the secret to its success, I’d credit much of it to the exceptional creative design. The grand archway entrance acted like a portal to another world—a world meticulously crafted with significant time and effort invested in developing the narrative for The House of HENKAKU.  

This narrative was not merely a backdrop, but a well-thought-out story that tied together the printer avatars with the overarching message of co-innovation. This was then consistently applied across the entire stand, from the visuals to the interactive elements, creating a cohesive and immersive experience. It generated a sense of mystery and intrigue for every potential visitor, drawing them into the story and encouraging them to explore further. The attention to detail and the commitment to storytelling were evident in every aspect, making the stand not just a display, but an engaging journey into the world of HENKAKU.

As a designer, it was clear from my experience at drupa that printers (the humans, not the machines) are very much technicians and engineers at heart, deeply dedicated to the quality and precision of their products and pushing their capabilities further. They facilitate the creativity of others and allow the ideas, concepts and dreams of amazing designers and artists to be fulfilled. The printer / designer relationship should be symbiotic, but can often be overlooked in communications or campaigns.  

For the majority of the stands, the presence of artists and designers was lacking. Technical demos spat out endless reels of uninspiring stock images that drupa attendees have probably seen many times before. Though examples of precision printing absolutely have their place at a print show, an arbitrary shot of a nice bowl of fruit can only inspire so many.    

Ricoh, however, has always celebrated the brilliant possibilities that designers can achieve with their technology. A respected creative presence in the print world, their trust in our concept meant their stand truly stood out amidst a sea of expensive, often unremarkable brand exercises. The use of black juxtaposed against the vibrant series or high-fidelity 3D renders provided immense visual impact, while the simple use of messaging with bold colors for wayfinding allowed for an easy-to-navigate environment. Attendees were unable to look away and became fully immersed within the HENKAKUVERSE.