With six months still to go before The Digital Show kicks off at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, event organiser IDEA is reporting that exhibitor sales have already surpassed last year's total. Confirmed exhibitors include Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Fujifilm, Leica, GoPro, Adeal, Wacom and Sennheiser, among others.
Floor space is currently 3,000 square metres more than last year (taking up nine bays at the Exhibition Centre) and will be divided into three key areas – general photography, professional photography and digital lifestyle.
Scheduled for 13-15 September, organisers say this year's show will focus on the latest in "creativity, self-expression and connection". In preparation for the show, IDEA has launched a new logo and two new websites – ideaaustralia.com and thedigitalshow.com.au. IDEA Australia CEO Katherine Singson says The Digital Show Melbourne will be all about experiential marketing.
"It will focus on entertainment, education and practicality. We will be encouraging all who attend to embrace the benefits of new technology and unleash their creative selves," Ms Singson says.
Features will include a 300+ person theatre to host keynote addresses from industry luminaries, a "Training Camp" for hands-on lectures and a central piazza to celebrate creativity. This will be the first time the public will be invited from the opening day, which has traditionally been reserved for 'industry only'.
In other news, IDEA Australia has also announced the appointment of 36-year-old Timo Kugler as director of business development. Ms Singson says Mr Kugler's focus will be on developing effective marketing platforms and offering value to consumer technology brands in this quickly evolving market.
More info: www.ideaaustralia.com and www.thedigitalshow.com.au
