World newspaper publishing expo opens in Vienna

Some 10,000 visitors from more than 90 countries are expected to attend the three-day expo, which covers nearly 11,000 square metres of space at the Reed Messe Wien Exhibition Centre.

"It's safe to say we all arrive here at a particularly crucial moment for our industry. Expo has always served as a platform for innovation and an exchange of ideas among colleagues from all over the world - even with competitors," said Jacob Mathew, president of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), the organiser of the expo.

"This expo also reflects how our industry is changing," he said. "There are nearly 50 first-time exhibitors. As you might expect, many are from the digital arena, thanks to the continued developments in tablets, mobile services and applications, and paid content services. But look for some major announcements this week in print, even new press formats being introduced, major orders being signed, and the continued march towards automation."

New media impact on news industry

Hans Gasser, president of the Austrian Newspaper Associations, also addressed the impact of new media platforms on the news industry.

"Our publishing companies are faced with huge opportunities and tremendous challenges on all platforms," he said. "This is why, in this largest industry gathering, we have to exchange views on the important issues we face. The presence here of so many decision-makers from around the world gives us optimal conditions to do so."

The 41st IFRA Expo is being held in Vienna for the third time. It is also being held this year in conjunction with the 63rd World Newspaper Congress and 18th World Editors Forum, the global summit meetings of the world's press. More than 1,000 newspaper publishers, chief editors, managing directors, CEOs and other senior newspaper executives are already registered for the congress and editors forum, which will run from Wednesday to Saturday following the expo.

The evolving events can be followed throughout the week at http://www.worldnewspaperweek.org/blog.

A free smart phone Newspaper Week app, with news from the events and more, can be downloaded from the Apple Store and Android Market.

The expo was opened by Christian Oxonitsch, executive city councillor of the City of Vienna, Matthias Limbeck, managing director of the Reed Messe Vienna, Gasser and Mathew.