photographic trade fairs

Because photography is a business for some and a hobby for many, ‘pure’ trade fairs to which the public is not admitted are rare. Photokina, the biennial trade show in Cologne which has dominated the industry since the 1950s, sees countless amateurs, students, and spouses and children wandering among the stands of manufacturers and dealers; and L. Fritz Gruber, a decisive influence on Photokina from its launch in 1950 until his retirement in 1980, ensured that it would offer a rich variety of photographic exhibitions as well as product displays.

The second most important contemporary show is that of the American Photo Marketing Association (PMA), which leads a peripatetic existence in the USA and is somewhat more trade orientated. Few other events make even the pretence of being only for the trade. Photo East and Photo West in the USA and Focus in Britain are long-running shows that attract a good professional attendance, partly international, and a very large but mainly domestic amateur turnout. There are comparable events in other major cities: Moscow and Delhi are two of the most important, but neither is as long established or prestigious as the older shows.

Few manufacturers now save up their announcements of new products for trade shows, which has led to the disappearance or truncation of some major fairs such as the SATIS/SIPI show in Paris, successor to the Biennale. There are, however, more and more one- or two-day ‘mini-shows’ at conference hotels, for professional and amateur photographers. Many announcements in digital photography are made at electronics shows rather than photographic ones.

— Roger W. Hicks