Photokina is still the world’s leading imaging expo, but changes to its structure and a struggling industry may be pushing participants away. In a press release published to the expo’s website, the trade show’s organizer Koelnmesse revealed that Nikon, Leica and Olympus have all chosen to skip Photokina 2020.
The announcement strikes a grim-but-hopeful note, under the headline “Photokina 2020: An Industry in Transformation, a Decisive Chance for the Future.”
“The imaging industry is currently undergoing massive changes, which also have an impact on Photokina as the industry’s leading trade fair – and this in a dimension never seen before,” begins the text. “While on the one hand the classic camera market reports strongly declining sales and turnover figures, the enjoyment of photography continues to grow – with a positive effect on the demand for pictures.”
The release goes on to call on the “major players” in the imaging industry “to make the greatest possible use of this opportunity.” Except that three of the major players—including one of the Big Three—have decided not to use the opportunity at all.
Eventually, Koelnmesse gets to the point of the whole release: the company reveals that Nikon, Leica and Olympus have all cancelled their attendance. Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Sigma, Tamron, Carl Zeiss, Hasselblad and others are all listed as attending, but for some reason, three of the biggest names in imaging have chosen to sit this one out.
“We of course regret these cancellations, but they change nothing for the overall experience of Photokina,” says Christoph Werner, Vice President of Koelnmesse. “The unique mixture of product presentation, networking, experience and continuing training have been making Photokina a very special international event for many decades.”
Photokina is poised to press on without Nikon, Leica and Olympus… even if the expo did take this opportunity to call the camera brands out for cancelling.
