Now more international en ever: photo and imaging industry on show at photokina 04

Now more international then ever: photo and imaging industry on show at photokina 2014 1,070 suppliers from 51 countries at the World of Imaging

68 per cent of them from abroad

Unprecedented number of new exhibitors

Consumer and professionally orientated photographic and imaging market in Germany again generating well over 20 billion Euro according to Photographic Industry Association

Action cams, filming with still cameras and networking are among the hot topics at the fair

The keen interest from international retailers, professional users and end consumers in photokina is unabated. The organisers of the worlds largest trade fair in the photographic and imaging industry - Koelnmesse and the Photographic Industry Association - are anticipating around 180,000 visitors between 16-21 September who will be finding out about all the latest photo and video products, services, trends and technologies. The entire industry is represented in Cologne. A total of 1,070 companies from 51 countries will be presenting to the international public this year. Overall, that puts the number of exhibiting companies on a par with the previous event while becoming significantly more international with the proportion of foreign companies reaching 68 per cent (2012: 64 per cent).

photokinas importance as an important trendsetter for the industry is also evident from the number of companies who are attending photokina for the first time. With around 180 first-time exhibitors, this figure is higher than ever. They include such well-known companies as google, GoPro, RED and Blackmagic but also young companies such as Lytro, Helipro or startup Panono.

The Photographic Industry Association assumes that the consumer and professionally orientated photographic and imaging market in Germany will again generate well over 20 billion Euro this year. Photo and imaging, according to the Photographic Industry Association, is becoming increasingly multifaceted and thus more broadly based. With around 180 new exhibitors, photokina 2014 reflects the speed at which the photo, video and imaging spectrum is expanding. This recent dimension into which photo and imaging is advancing is accompanied by prodigious value creation across all areas.

This year, in addition to filming using still cameras, the top topics at the fair will include questions covering every facet of networking devices, between themselves and with the Internet, and for the first time a dedicated offering on the trend area of action cams. Photokina 2014 is catering for the trend topics with its special areas including the photokina action zone in collaboration with Red Bull, photokina movie in collaboration with Zeiss, Blackmagic and Marcotec, photokina communities and a comprehensive event and workshop programme.

Actions cams in particular have increasingly developed from a niche offering for sports enthusiasts to an important market segment. photokina embraces this trend and will be unveiling a special highlight for action image fans with the photokina action zone in collaboration with Red Bull. Different manufacturers action cams can be tried out live at specially designed event areas such as sky-shooting or Aqua Zorbing.

photokina communities has also prepared an exciting stage programme for real & virtual communities and exhibitors surrounding the themes of Social Media, Connectivity, mobile apps and action/outdoor cams for visitors under the title be mobile, be in action, be connected. The special area in Hall 9 will be the central port of call for everyone who likes to exchange news and views with others about their photography hobby.

Yet another new business segment is photography using multicopters. With aerial shots being virtually unaffordable until just recently, nowadays a number of professional groups, from roofers to real estate agents and foresters, but landscape photographers as well, are benefiting immensely from these mobile aircraft with camera attached.

Moreover, in 2014 photokina is again providing a comprehensive offering for imaging pros and international specialist retailers. The offerings in the professional filming, computer generated imaging and long distance optical equipment areas, including the weitblick look and see event, will be continued and further expanded. That also applies to the photokina professionals area, which is comprehensively dedicated to the theme of Lucrative business areas for the professional photographer.

Exceptional pictures where ever you look

The image as the creative end product of the industry has always been centre stage of every photokina. Its the same again in 2014: around 30 individual exhibitions in the halls and a high quality combination of fantastic art works in the Leica gallery will impress visitors from around the world and bring home the enormous range of the medium that is the image. The artistic top highlight of photokina 2014 is without doubt the Leica Gallery in Hall 1. This year it is under the music banner. The exhibition connects two mutually enriching and complementary worlds. The exhibition portfolios design is correspondingly wide-ranging. All facets of musical photography are included, from concert photographs via very personal artists portraits to coverage offering enthralling behind the scenes concert insights.

New photokina offer: Art for sale

High-quality photo art can be also purchased at the forthcoming photokina. A new offer of the worlds most important photography and imaging trade fair makes it possible: the photokina sales gallery. Located on the North Boulevard of the fair, for the first time interested visitors will be able to experience high-quality photo art by selected vendors in this new space and purchase the photographs directly on-site. The photokina is thus once again dedicating more space to the artistic side of photography.

photokina is open to

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