Photokina GAME OVER: Suspended “Until further Notice”

The Photokina team just announced that photokina has been “suspended until further notice”.

Originally, due to the Coronavirus outbreak, Photokina 2020 had been canceled and postponed to May 2022. But apparently there won’t be any photokina in 2022, and probably never again at this point.

I have been to photokina a few times (2016 report here – 2018 report here) and I always hugely enjoyed it. It’s sad to see this show ending. But to me, the error was made when they dropped their 2 years cycle and decided to take place every year in May. It was the wrong answer to a real problem.

Press Release

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Photokina 2020 Canceled due to Coronavirus Outbreak and Postponed to May 2022

Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, Photokina 2020 has been canceled and postponed to May 2022. Down below you can read the press release.

You might remember, how back in December, FujiRumors told you that Fujifilm will not be at Photokina in May 2020. A few weeks later, Fujifilm confirmed our rumor. So, the news today won’t be relevant for Fujifilm shooters, but it is for the photography industry as a whole.

Interesting to note, that unlike announced earlier, Photokina will skip again a year, and we will have to wait 2 years for the next event.

Photokina Press Release

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Fujifilm Confirms they Will Not be at Photokina 2020 as it “Does not Fit with Timing of Our Exciting New Products Launch”

Last week FujiRumors told you that Fujifilm will not be at Photokina in May 2020.

Pressed by questions, Fujifilm now had to come out publicly about it, and confirmed to Petapixel that:

After considering exhibiting from an overall perspective, including the launch timing of several exciting new products next year, our sales promotion plans, and cost effectiveness, we have decided not to take part in photokina 2020. We will continue to engage with our customers through other avenues including hands-on, interactive events, increasing opportunities to demonstrate the outstanding value and capability of our products and services directly to users, and strengthening the digital presence of our products. The number one priority for Fujifilm is and always will be our customers, and we will continue to make decisions based on the best ways to engage with our community.

Of course there is the sentence, that Photokina in May 2020 does not fit wit the “launch timing of several exciting new products next year“. If that’s correct, don’t expect any exciting announcements in May.

But the main reason for this is one, and only one: save money.

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Photokina 2020: Nikon, Leica and Olympus Drop Out! And Where is Fujifilm?

As you know, I have been to photokina two times (2016 report here – 2018 report here).

Both times it was fantastic, just for the sheer magnitude of the event.

But then, in my opinion, Photokina did an error: they dropped their 2 years cycle and decided to take place every year in May.

I immediately disagreed with decision, and when I said on FujiRumors, that Photokina will now become a smaller, regional show, many in the comments critiqued my idea, saying that Photokina is Photokina, and will always remain the go to place for all manufacturers (and camera vloggers/bloggers).

But at some point I remember even Fujifilm US manager Steve saying that Fujifilm organized big product launches in conjunction with Photokina, but that will be no longer be the case.

Well, turns out I was right… and actually seems to be even worse than I thought.

In fact, Photokina writes:

“We look forward to strong demand and applications from both the new and the classic segments of companies like Canon, CEWE, GoPro, Sony, Panasonic, Kodak Alaris, Sigma, Tamron, Carl Zeiss, Hasselblad, Hahnemühle, Arri, Rode Mikrophones, DJI and Insta360”, says Christoph Werner, Vice President of Koelnmesse. These are contrasted by cancellations, including from Leica, Nikon and Olympus.“

Leica, Nikon and Olympus dropped out of the show. That’s a huge loss for Photokina. Especially Leica and Nikon always had massive booths.

Still on board are Sony, Sigma, Panasonic, Canon and others.

And Fujifilm?

Well, the official Photokina press release does not yet mention Fujifilm, neither in the list of companies, who will be present, nor in the list of those, who dropped out. Whatever that means.

FujiRumors at Photokina 2020?

While going to photokina was always a huge fun, I very likely won’t go there in 2020.

In fact, a visit to photokina always comes during my teaching work job, and it has always been cumbersome to change the lesson schedule to be replaced for several days (and once back from photokina, I had to work A LOT to give back the extra hours my colleagues had to work to replace me).

Photokina is no longer Photokina, and I think it’s not worth anymore all the hassle it brings to me and my colleagues at work.

But you know what?

At least I can say, I was still there, when Photokina was still the epicenter of the photography world.

via SonyAlphaRumors via Photokina

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Photokina 2019 Cancelled: Coming Back in May 2020 and Looking Back at Photokina 2018 with Fujifilm X Photographers Live Stages

Photokina 2019 2020

Kölnmesse has just issued an official press release (PDF here), that Photokina 2019 in May has been cancelled and will come back in May 2020.

It’s pretty sad, but it’ true: Photokina 2018 in September was the last of its kind.

Even US Fujifilm manager Steve said that from now on, Photokina will become more of a smaller regional show. And while in the past Fujifilm (and other companies) organized big launches in proximity to Photokina, it won’t be like this anymore in future.

I personally attended two photokina shows (2016 report here – 2018 report here). It was fantastic, because of the sheer magnitude of the event. Everybody with rank and name was there, and all the latest and greatest gear was launched at photokina. This magnitude will inevitably go lost now.

I don’t think it will be worth for me anymore to travel through half of Europe for a smaller regional show, so that was it. No more Photokina for me.

And to remind us of the good old days, I share the Fujifilm X Photographers Photokina 2018 live stages, which I was lucky to enjoy personally.

Photokina 2018 Live Stages

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