Photokina Shuttered Indefinitely Due to the Crashing Camera Market

After 70 years of holding its main photographic commerce present in Cologne, Germany, Photokina could also be no extra. The world’s largest picture commerce truthful has introduced that resulting from a “large decline in markets for imaging merchandise,” will probably be discontinued indefinitely.

Photokina was first held in Cologne in 1950, changing into a biennial occasion in 1966. The present would go on to turn into one of many major venues digital camera producers confirmed off new state-of-the-art merchandise to the world and a central hub by means of which enterprise within the business was performed.

Indicators of bother first emerged just a few years in the past when Photokina introduced in 2017 that the biennial truthful would turn into an annual occasion and diversify past cameras.

In 2018, Photokina introduced that the 2019 version can be canceled to present firms the time to “additional develop the brand new idea for photokina.”

In 2019, main manufacturers together with Nikon, Leica, Olympus, and Fujifilm introduced they’d not be attending Photokina 2020 (although Canon, Sony, and Panasonic affirmed their dedication to the present).

Ultimately, not a single firm would have the ability to attend, as Photokina 2020 was canceled in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic with the purpose of returning in Might 2022. It appears this newest cancellation was the ultimate nail within the coffin.

“In view of the additional large decline in markets for imaging merchandise, Koelnmesse has determined to discontinue organizing photokina at its Cologne location in the meanwhile,” the organizers write in a press launch.

Digital camera gross sales have been plummeting lately, with gross sales plunging as a lot as 50% in 2020, and until issues decide up once more, the numbers simply not make sense for reveals like Photokina.

“Sadly, at current the framework situations within the business don’t present a viable foundation for the main worldwide commerce truthful for images, video and imaging,” says Gerald Böse, President and CEO of the Koelnmesse heart that hosts the present. “This tough reduce after a 70-year shared historical past was very tough for us.

“The pattern on this business, with which we now have all the time had an in depth and trusting partnership, may be very painful for us to witness. However we face the state of affairs with a transparent, sincere choice towards persevering with this occasion, a call to which, sadly, we now have no different.”

Photokina additionally despatched emails out to attendees to share the information and thank them for his or her help over time.

“We wish to thanks very a lot certainly, on your longstanding loyalty to photokina and the keenness that this has concerned,” Photokina writes within the e mail. “We will hardly put into enough phrases the issues we now have skilled collectively, the historical past we now have written collectively, and our appreciation on your work for and participation in photokina.

“We belief that fairly nicely how grateful we’re to you, and the way tough it’s for us to not be planning a photokina with you within the foreseeable future. If not for you, photokina wouldn’t have developed into the good and emotional world-leading commerce truthful it has turn into.

“It’s the reminiscence of those unforgettable snapshots that we are going to all the time cherish – the opening of the exhibition areas, the spectacular premières of latest merchandise to journalists from all around the world and the enthusiastic responses by our worldwide guests. Nothing in need of Imaging Limitless!”

Because of Sam of Solarcan for sending on this tip.