drupa is much more than just a global trade exhibition for the print industry – drupa ranks as a top international fair that identifies important trends, offers insights into future developments and drives inspiration. To provide participants with the best possible visitor experience, drupa invests in top-class knowledge transfer through its five special forums, the drupa Cube being one of them. “educate – engage – entertain” has once again been chosen as the slogan of the drupa Cube for 2020, designed to provide a broad spectrum of highly relevant content that is motivating, highly stimulating and interactive for visitors thanks to the various talk formats. World-renowned speakers are set to create a buzz with a visionary range of topics. Best-selling author Michael Gale and internationally renowned designer James Sommerville will also contribute to the top-class programme with keynotes.
Over 40 sessions – keynotes, C-level sessions, workshops, brand stories and best practice examples, the drupa Cube serves as a source of inspiration and expertise on new digital business models. The content will bring participants up to speed with the global megatrends that have already left their mark and are on course to shape the future. In this respect, digital transformation continues to play a significant role. The focus will be on innovative web-to-print and packaging technologies, the potential of a platform economy with more diversified sales channels and new collaboration models, as well as the changing expectations of connected customers in a social media culture – to the backdrop of the industry’s growing sustainability and circular economy obligations.
“Our primary aim is to put as many ideas as possible out there that participants can successfully implement in their own companies,” says Sabine Geldermann, Director drupa and Global Head Print Technologies at Messe Düsseldorf. “We want to offer a programme that meets their actual needs.”
Practical recipes for success
James Sommerville and Michael Gale, along with representatives of global brands and leading industry experts, are on the starting blocks to share their knowledge with drupa 2020 visitors. With “The Digital Helix. Transforming your organization’s DNA to thrive in the Digital Age”, Michael Gale has written a guide for decision-makers who want to bring their company into line with digital business models. Gale’s book has become an international best-seller. Top brands use his company Inc.digital’s digital helix algorithm to accurately place their marketing and sales investments in digitization projects. The drupa Cube looks at the future of the industry and offers concrete recommendations for activities that will secure a successful digital management as well as important background information on how to take the plunge into digital management. James Sommerville, on the other hand, is no stranger to strengthening brand images. The British star designer dusted off Coca-Cola’s old image in 2013, raised its design language to a whole new level and gave it the face that is still etched in our memory today.
“The print industry has undergone a remarkable technological transformation and can be hailed as a “best case scenario” in this respect – both in terms of changed processes and new business models,” says Michael Gale. “As we access new fields of application, acquire new technologies and capture new vertical markets, we are caught up in the maelstrom of this transition. The print industry must proactively embrace this change. Companies that go digital increase their profits up to five times faster than their competitors; companies that don’t follow this track will therefore find the going incredibly tough. Personally, I find this new market not only important but also very exciting and I’m eager to share my enthusiasm with others. In the drupa Cube, we are putting the spotlight on a number of examples and solutions designed to illustrate strategies for successful corporate management.”
A programme with depth
To give it a clear structure, the drupa Cube programme is divided into five thematic fields. In addition to the Keynote Presentations by James Sommerville and Michael Gale, the Business Evolution lecture sessions focus on global market trends, best practices in sales and marketing, and innovative business models. Print Futures is dedicated to relevant technology trends in print and packaging, along with printed electronics applications. Brand owners and agencies will also share their Brand Stories. In the fifth category, Executive Think Tanks, business leaders are invited to exchange ideas with keynote speakers. Pre-registration is required for these sessions. The complete programme of the drupa Cube, which will take place for the entire duration of the fair from 16 to 26 June, will be available online at the end of February at www.drupa.com/cube-en.
About Michael Gale
Michael Gale is the founder of Inc.digital and best-selling author of “The Digital Helix. Transforming your organization’s DNA to thrive in the Digital Age”. When it comes to digital transformation and artificial intelligence, he is considered one of the top ten influencers worldwide. In his weekly podcast “Futures in Focus”, he talks to experts and
business leaders about future scenarios in the food, packaging, sports or health industries and discusses future ways of managing companies against the background of the digital revolution.
About James Sommerville
Today a star designer, James Sommerville began his career in a small, self-founded design company called “ATTIK” in England before joining Coca-Cola as Global Design Lead in 2013. Sommerville was not only behind the phenomenally successful re-branding of the iconic Coca-Cola trademarks, but also raised the profile of the company’s design department: The team grew from a packaging department to a Global Design Team, which, as a network of creative minds and first-class talents, took a pioneering role in the field of design and helped Coca-Cola achieve significant growth. Since 2019, Sommerville has been using his extended design community as a network for his agency Known.Unknown, which already works with strong, globally renowned brands.
