Drupacity

Eat, drink, sleep, live: drupa 2004

by Joy English, Assistant Editor

AS MESSE DÜSSELDORF GmbH prepares for drupa 2004, taking place May 6-19 at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany, it is making every attempt to make sure attendees are eating, drinking, sleeping, and living drupa. To do so, it has initiated "drupacity Düsseldorf." Manuel Mataré, drupa project manager, explained, "In an effort to enhance the 'feel good' factor, Messe Düsseldorf is putting in place an extensive service network together with numerous partners from the hotel, restaurant, retail, and art and culture areas who will stage attractive special events and activities exclusively for drupa."

Added touches include everything from "drupaul" and "drupaula"—red-costumed hosts and hostesses greeting attendees as they arrive in Düsseldorf—to attendees receiving a "drupackage" welcome gift in their hotel room. Attendees will also receive an exhibit newspaper, complimentary cocktails at their hotels, and the "drupartnerguide" to restaurants—all in an effort to encourage attendees to embrace the feeling of drupacity.

Once attendees are living the drupa life, they will have more than 17 exhibit halls to explore. They are also encouraged to attend the Compass Sessions, organized by the German Print and Media Industries Federation (bvdm) and conducted by the Print & Media Forum AG. International speakers at these "know-how" events will cover current trends, equipment, software, workflows, production methods and products, with a new focus daily. Each session (with a light breakfast included) will be presented in both German and English from 9-11 a.m. at the Congress Center East. The sessions will also allow attendees to network with fellow colleagues. A preliminary schedule of Compass Sessions is listed at www.compass-sessions.de.

drupa 2004 has also been tagged as the "JDF drupa." The CIP4 Organization, responsible for JDF development, has constructed a JDF program for drupa 2004, with the help of Messe Düsseldorf.