Current thinking out of IDEA and PMA offices points to Australia having an annual consumer-focussed exhibition under PMA’s The Big Photo Show banner, and a biennial show organised by IDEA, probably retaining The Digital Show moniker.
IDEA this week confirmed the recent report in Photo Counter that The Digital Show will be held every second year, ‘to reflect the demands of the market’. It’s believed the decision to run the show every second year was a close run thing at the IDEA AGM.
The 2015 Digital Show will be in Melbourne but IDEA hopes that the completion of the new Darling Harbour Convention and Exhibition Centre will see the event back in Sydney in 2017.
IDEA has a booking pencilled for early September 2015 with the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.
‘The prestigious APPA (Australian Professional Photographer Awards) will remain annual, with the 2014 event set for September in Sydney,’ said IDEA president James Murray.
IDEA will join with the AIPP at Sydney’s Luna Park to stage a ‘compact exhibition’ and a three-day educational program in conjunction with the APPAs, under the banner of “The Digital Playground’. Long-time major sponsor for the AIPP APPAs is Canon.
In addition to the professional/semi-professional photographer segment which the AIPP represents, the Luna Park event will attract the burgeoning enthusiast/’prosumer’ demographic, both to the APPA judging and the exhibition.
‘…Equipment that was once purely the domain of the professional is now bought by a much larger audience of dedicated enthusiasts, sometimes called “prosumers”,’ noted Mr Murray.
In addition, IDEA has applied to the Vivid organisers to once again participate in the mid-winter Sydney arts festival. However, at this stage there is no venue for photographic industry participation, with visiting cruise ships having first claim on this year’s venue, the Overseas Passenger Terminal. It won’t be known if it’s free until two to three months before the Vivid Festival, which kicks off on May 24 and runs until June 10.
The Big Photo Show
Meanwhile PMA is progressing with plans for an Australian iteration of The Big Photo Show, as also previously reported.
PMA and IDEA have been meeting regularly to work through details and avoid the possibility of competing events.
‘The good thing is we are talking on a regular basis. There’s been a lot of discussion going on which is helpful, and I’m pleased that’s happening,’ said PMA director, Peter Rose.
Rob Gatto, IDEA’s vice-president, Professional, who has taken on the role of co-ordinating IDEA’s event activity concurred: ‘We’ve met three times in the past few months, and we are talking more and more,’ he said, adding that it was critical to listen to each other and adapt plans to achieve the best outcome.
It’s probable that the two industry associations will work together on a Vivid-linked event, in which case it will likely be run by PMA as The Big Photo Show for 2014.
PMA director, Peter Rose told Photo Counter that he is also looking at other established events in both Sydney and Melbourne to link with.
‘The Big Photo Show will happen in 2014 provided we secure a venue, support from suppliers and the dollars to hold it,’ he said.
‘There will be limited dollars from suppliers to get the consumers there [to The Big Picture Show] so it would be ideal if we could get something going with Vivid.’
On those years when The Digital Show and The Big Photo Show co-incide, Mr Rose said PMA would seek to run The Big Photo Show in a city other than that in which The Digital Show is to be held, and in the opposite half of the year.
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