Canon celebrates major success at drupa 2024 in Düsseldorf

Canon has hailed drupa 2024 as its most successful event to date in terms of customer engagement, investment, and visitor interest.

Despite a decline in visitor numbers compared to the 2016 event, Canon's stand attracted a significant number of current and potential customers drawn to its latest printing solutions and support services, aimed at transforming businesses in a sustainable manner.

Canon reported exceeding its sales lead targets and achieving sales revenue that surpassed projections for the event. Visitor interactions were high, with over 6,000 visitors experiencing "The Core," a multi-sensory, immersive exhibit featuring "World Unseen," an inclusive photography initiative brought to life by elevated prints.

Canon launched its "The Power To Move" campaign at drupa 2024 to showcase the potential of print to generate emotional responses and drive business forward through transformative technologies and expertise. The campaign featured curated workflows and real-life customer solutions. Sales of Canon's web-fed and sheetfed presses were notably strong, with significant interest in the ProStream 2133 web-fed inkjet press and varioPRINT iX3200 sheetfed inkjet press. Additionally, the newly announced varioPRINT iX1700 and B2-format varioPRESS iV7 generated interest, although they will not be commercially available until next year.

Toner technology also garnered substantial investment, with customer purchases of Canon imagePRESS V series colour devices and varioPRINT mono toner devices exceeding expectations. In wide format printing, Canon's offerings including the Arizona, Colorado, and imagePROGRAF ranges saw brisk sales. The colorWAVE and plotWAVE printers for CAD applications also performed well.

Canon's stand highlighted several collaborative initiatives. The "World Unseen" project, featuring elevated prints created on the Canon Arizona, was popular among visitors. The project will tour the EMEA region throughout 2024. The Printworks area featured the Creative Futures winner Bower Collective, demonstrating successful collaborative campaigns tailored to modern B2C business needs.

The Publishing 2030 Accelerator, focused on sustainability in publishing, was also on display. Canon's support for various charitable partnerships was emphasised, including the UN SDG Book Club African Chapter and UK charity Topic Heroes. During the event, Canon, along with its finishing partners, printed and donated approximately 10,000 books and an equal number of postcards, posters, and brochures to global and German non-governmental organisations.

A notable collaboration with German furniture retailer POCO showcased how programmatic print can attract customers and support in-store marketing efforts. Canon also highlighted the use of print to enhance the instore experience through functional product information and decoration using printed products such as wallpapers and furniture liners.

Additionally, Canon hosted a "Girls Who Print" networking event to support diversity within the industry. Canon UK's Country Director for Production, Duncan Smith, said, "drupa is an important industry event for Canon, and it was great to return to the show after nearly a decade. Not only did the 2024 event allow us to showcase our market-leading portfolio of technologies, both those available currently and those coming soon, but it also allowed us to connect with the wider print community and, for those wishing to accelerate their digital print journey, share a glimpse into the exciting possibilities that lie ahead."

Smith added, "By showcasing real-life cases and through collaborations with forward-thinking businesses and numerous technology partners, Canon demonstrated print's power to captivate and to drive change in a number of ways. Together with our customers and partners, we will continue to innovate and shape the future of our industry with innovative business models and new technologies and services."

He concluded, "Yet again, drupa showed itself to be an important meeting point and a wonderful showcase of the versatility of print. We saw visitors from all over the globe coming to the Canon stand to harness the value our technology and business innovation can deliver – and how it enables people and businesses to grow and prosper. For Canon, drupa 2024 exceeded our expectations. We are thankful for the trust so many new customers and partners set in our services and technology for their business, and we are excited about discussing new opportunities with the many new connections made."