Las Vegas, NV—The organizers of the 33rd photokina recently reported the biannual, international photo-imaging fair was a success based on all accounts. “Positive feedback from participating exhibitors and attendees indicated that photokina continues to be the world’s number 1 event for the imaging industry,” noted the Koelnmesse group.
Overall, photokina connected 185,000 attendees with 1,074 exhibitors. Among those making the trip to Cologne were more 80 North American photo-imaging equipment manufacturers and close to 600 attendees from the U.S. and Canada. Among first time U.S. exhibitors at photokina were companies such as Lytro, GoPro and Google.
Following the event, the Koelnmesse’s U.S. office surveyed some of the attendees for their feedback. North American exhibitors cited multiple reasons for their presence at photokina, among them the goal of increasing brand awareness with consumers, easy access to distributors and testing reaction to products from attendees across the globe.
“Building an international distribution channel for photo dealers worldwide is a challenging job for U.S. companies,” commented Lou Schmidt, vice president of Hoodman. “We use this event for face-to-face meetings with distributors and dealers from around the world. We also expose new products to consumers who in turn request our products from their local dealers. The exposure we receive from photokina gives us a great return on our investment.”
The same sentiment was shared by Jim Chi, senior vice president at BlackRapid: “We are a camera accessories brand based in Seattle. Exhibiting at photokina provides an excellent platform from which to expand our international business. The show is unique as we can meet with all of our international distributors and further grow our relationship with our customers.”
U.S. attendees also used photokina primarily for product sourcing. “We find photokina to be very valuable as it enables us to see many of our business partners in one place. Additionally, we usually find new products from companies that are just beginning to bring their product to market,” said Ken Orlando, president of Promark International.
Sean Cranor, president of the U.S. retailer Camera West, looks at photokina as a great way to connect with vendors: “The show has opened new opportunities for us to collaborate. By seeing products firsthand, we can relate our impressions back to our clients, helping with preorder sales.”
The next photokina will take place September 20–25, 2016 in Cologne, Germany. For information on attending or exhibiting, contact Darrin Stern, 773-326-9925, d.stern@koelnmessenafta.com or visit photokina.com.
