News

You've read the previews, know who you want to see and booked the hotel. Registration is in hand, and everything is ready for your visit to the big show in Düsseldorf. But once you're at Drupa, there are still a few things you need to consider if you're to make it back to these shores feeling that it's been mission accomplished.

You’ve read the previews, know who you want to see and booked the hotel. Registration is in hand, and everything is ready for your visit to the big show in Düsseldorf. But once you’re at Drupa, there are still a few things you need to consider if you’re to make it back to these shores feeling that it’s been mission accomplished.

Survival is the name of the game at an exhibition that sprawls out over 175,000m² and the message is simple: if you fail to plan, then plan to fail. By trying to navigate the myriad stands without having the faintest idea where anyone is can make life difficult, if not impossible.

So the first word of advice when it comes to surviving Drupa is to understand what you want out of the show. If you turn up expecting to see something interesting, then you will miss a lot, explains Murray Lock, managing director at M-partners. Just walking from here to there will take a considerable amount of time.

Time is precious, not just for the visitor, but also the exhibitor. Suppliers may not be too keen to sit down and grab a cup of coffee with you when they have a stand teeming with potential customers. So, with time of the essence, it’s important to be flexible and be able to go back and re-visit exhibitors if necessary.

The organisers warn that it’s not easy getting around a show like Drupa without becoming bewildered. They have come up with the Drupa Highlight Tours, where visitors get a guided tour of industry sectors at the show (Drupa Highlights, PrintWeek, 22 May).

It should really go without saying (though, I will remind you anyway) that such is the size of Drupa, it’s worth investing in a pair of sensible shoes. Many people fail to heed this advice and mangle their feet by wearing high heels or footwear that rubs leaving them with crippling foot pains – dont’ say you haven’t been warned.

Also don’t weigh yourself down with the realms of leaflets and booklets you can pick up from various stands. It’s understandable that if anything catches your eye, then you will instinctively pick it up, but don’t get carried away. Once your small bundle becomes a bulging bag of brochures then it will hold you back. They can feel surprisingly heavy and remember that you’ll have to try and lug it all back on the plane home as well.

And so onto the most dangerous part of Drupa – what to do and where to go in the evening. By ‘dangerous’, we’re talking about alcohol consumption. While it’s good to sample the many bars and pubs of Düsseldorf, it’s not so great to feel like death warmed up the following morning: it could, in all seriousness, hamper your progress around the show.

Do not over socialise, warns Lock. On the other hand, it can take you away from the work environment. Socialising is really important as you can meet all your peers and talk about what you’ve seen at the show.

Spoilt for choice
Lock has booked up bars for a few exhibitors at Drupa. One client, Ipex, is spending its evenings in the Altstadt (old town), which is the best place to go for socialising (see map). There are 260 bars in the area and it has been called the longest bar in the world. It’s here that many of the show’s visitors and exhibitors will flock to after a hectic day visiting the stands.

A lot of the UK contingent will be there every night, says Lock. The old town is best. A lot of people plan their days but from the Altstadt you can plan your evenings.

With so much choice in that part of Düsseldorf, it’s inevitable that you may feel a little delicate the following day. That’s why any survival kit should have paracetamol, Nurofen or Alka-Seltzer to help ward off the previous evening’s excesses.

And you’ll need more to get through the entire show such as a first aid kit including plasters. While you may have comfy shoes, your feet are still likely to need running repairs. Then there’s business cards – Drupa provides a great opportunity to offload that box-full of cards you’ve been hoarding for the past few years.

You will also need a diary to keep track of the many meetings you’ll be having at the show. Add to that your mobile phone charger with a travel plug – keeping your phone fully charged will help others keep track of you when you’re not where you’re supposed (or perhaps want) to be.

Being in the right place at the right time may prove to be tricky at a show the size of Drupa. But if you have a plan in place then you should be able to see everything you need to see and still have time to sample the delights of Düsseldorf. Just remember to be prepared.

The Aldstadt is home to
260 pubs and micro breweries, and it’s likely to be the place where Drupa visitors will mingle and unwind after a long, hard day at the show. Here are a few selected restaurants
and bars that might be worth checking out.

1 Weinhaus Tante Anna Andreastrasse 2,
Tel: 00 49 (0) 211 13 11 63
The word is this restaurant, built in 1953 as the Jesuit Cloister chapel, has plenty of charm. It also boasts a fine wine cellar

2 Zum Schiffchen Hefenstrasse 5,
Tel: 00 49 (0) 211 13 24 21
The city’s oldest restaurant serves sizable portions of food in a building that dates back to 1628. It’s hard to miss as on top of the building is a golden model ship, while inside the décor is ‘rustic’

3 Tir Na Nog Bolkerstrasse 55,
Tel: 00 49 (0) 211 86 81 801
The Irish bar is sponsored by Ipex (just a couple of years away) so expect a sizable UK contingent. The venue is said to be lively and friendly

4 Zum Uerige Bergstrasse 1
Tel: 00 49 (0) 211
One of many micro breweries in the Altstadt, this bar produces its own Alt and Weizen beers

5 Brauerei im Füchschen Ratingerstrasse 28,
Tel: 00 49 (0) 211 13 74 70.
Established in 1848, this micro brewery is home to a bar, restaurant and a conservatory for drinkers to enjoy a glass of beer

6 Brauerei Schumacher Bolkerstrasse 44,
Tel: 00 49 (0) 211 32 60 04
Another brewery, this bar serves beer and food – it also has a garden for drinkers in need of some fresh air

7 Goldenes Einhorn
Ratinger Strasse 18,
Tel: 00 49 (0) 211 13 12 83
One of the first ‘hip’ pubs in the city, it’s also said to be a good choice for coffee and cake in the afternoon. The bar gets lively in the evening

8 Buck Mulligan’s Bolkerstrasse 22,
Tel: 00 49 (0) 211 3 23 80 52
This roomy Irish bar offers live music but can be quite quiet in the early evening

9 Ohme Jupp Ratinger Strasse 19,
Tel: 00 49 (0) 211 32 64 06
This is where some of the great and the good of Düsseldorf meet. The bar is a favourite among lawyers, agency and media types

10 Bazzar-Caffé Heinrich-Heine-Allee 53,
Tel: 00 39(0) 211 32 24 45
It’s said to be one of the most popular coffee houses in town

11 Sutton’s Irish Pub Hunsrückenstrasse 2,
Tel: 00 49 (0) 211 13 39 51
Another warm and friendly Irish bar, it’s often a good choice for watching football – with Euro 2008 getting underway during Drupa, this bar might just prove a popular haunt

12 Zur Uel Ratinger Strasse,
Tel: 00 49 (0) 211 32 53 69
The ‘Uel’ is a a local institution and serves up good, honest pasta, salads and meat dishes

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT DÜSSELDORF
• Every June, Düsseldorf hosts a cartwheeling tournament, which dates back to 1288, when children cartwheeled for joy after the battle of Worrigen – the town was then granted city rights. In 1954 the Cartwheel Fountain was built and is located in the Burgplatz
• The local football team is Fortuna Düsseldorf. The club was regularly in the Bundesliga (first division) throughout the 1990s, but its fortunes have since been on the slide and its now in the Regionalliga (third division). But on the plus side, the club plays its home fixtures at the LTU Arena. The 51,500 capacity stadium is next to the Messe and was opened in 2005 – in time for the 2006 World Cup in Germany
• Düsseldorf is home to the first skyscraper to be built in Germany. The Wilhelm Marx House was erected in 1924 and named after a former mayor.
• The city is divided into 10 administrative districts. Each one has its own elected district council (Bezirksvertretung) and its own district mayor. Each district is further subdivided into boroughs – there are a total of 46 boroughs in Düsseldorf
• 1970s and ’80s electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk was formed by some Düsseldorf-born musicians while power metal band Warlock was formed in the city in 1982. Düsseldorf is also home to punk band Die Toten Hosen
• Locals and tourists gather five times a day to marvel at the glockenspiel, a chiming clock with mechanical figures which re-enact the story of the local dressmaker Schneider Wibbel who insulted Napoleon and was sent to prison. But, instead of going to prison himself, Wibbel sent his apprentice who died in jail. This led to everyone believing Wibbel was dead when in fact he remained very much alive

USEFUL GERMAN PHRASES
Sprechen Sie English? Do you speak English?
Ja Yes
Nein No
Bitte Please
Danke Thank you
Ich verstehe Sie nicht I don’t understand you
Ich verstehe nur Wenig I only understand a little
Können Sie mir bitte helfen? Can you help me please?
Wieviel Uhr ist es? What time is it?
Entschuldigung Excuse me/sorry
Wie bitte? Pardon?
Wieviel kostet es How much is it?
Wieviel Uhr ist es? What time is it?
Guten Morgen Good morning
Guten Tag Hello
Auf Wiedersehen Goodbye
Geten Abend Good evening
Wie geht’s? How are things?
Wo gibt es hier ein gutes Restaurant? Is there a good restaurant around here?
Gibt es hier eine gemütliche Kneipe? Is there a cosy pub around here?
Die speisekarte, bitte The menu please?
Haben Sie ein vegetarisches Menü? Do you have a vegetarian menu?
Bezahlen, bitte The bill please
Ich möchte gern etwas trinken I’d like something to drink
Prost! Cheers!
Es Schmeckte sehr gut It tasted delicious
Wo geht es zum Hauptbahnhof? Which way to the station?
Ein Taxi bitte Taxi please
Was können Si emir empfehlen? What can you recommend?
Haben Sie eine Visitenkarte? Do you have a business card?
Können Sie mir den Weg zur Drupa erklären? Can you tell me the way to Drupa?

PLACES TO SEE
The chances are that you’ll be pretty much locked into the Messe all day. But if you do get a chance to escape, here are a few places in the city that might be worth visiting

The Königsallee
The boulevard was designed by Casper Anton Huschberger in 1802 and originally called Ikastanienalle (Chestnut Avenue). Finally completed in 1804 the Königsalle is noted for the canal that runs through the boulevard’s centre. In 1848, horse manure was thrown at King Friedrich Wilhelm IV and, as a gesture of goodwill, the area was renamed Königsalle (King’s Avenue). Today it’s best known for exclusive and expensive shops. Some of the world’s best known jewellery and fashion brands have stores here

Burgplatz
A Baroque place is all that remains of the castle of the Count of Berg. The palace burnt down in 1872 and the ruins were completely demolished in 1888. Since the opening of the Rhine embankment tunnel in 1995, Burgplatz is once again situated directly on the Rhine. The old castle tower houses the SchiffahrtMuseum (shipping museum), which presents 2,000 years of navigation on the Rhine

MediaHarbour
This is a must-see for connoisseurs of the built environment with famous architects from around the world combining to design the MediaHarbour. It’s an area where companies from advertising, the arts and TV have made their home. The Rhine Tower is situated in the area and is holds the world’s largest decimal clock. Measuring 240m high, it offers an ideal view of the city. The Stadttor (city gate) is situated next to the tower and is the seat of the State Chancellery

EKO-House of Japanese Culture
With a third of all Japanese inhabitants in Europe living in the city, it’s not surprising that Düsseldorf is home to the House of Japanese Culture. Built in 1992, it consists of a Buddhist temple (the only Japanese temple in Europe), a Japanese garden and a house in the country’s traditional style with tea-room

Kuntstsammlung K20 and K21 art galleries
If you can escape Drupa then it might be worth heading to the Altstadt to visit two galleries dedicated to modern art. K21 holds art created since the start of the decade but if you want to see work by Picasso or Matisse then you might be disappointed: K20, which contains examples by the masters, is closed until next year

Goethe Museum
The museum is one of the few Rococo buildings to survive the Second World War bombardment. It displays some of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s original drafts as well as some of the writer’s possessions

Deutsches Kunststoff Museum
If you love all things plastic, then this is the place for you. A museum dedicated
to plastic is situated in the Messeplatz and the collection includes celluloid bowls from the late 1800s, bakelite designs from the 1940s and ’50s as well as a display of plastic art