PHOTOPIA Hamburg – ‘share your vision’: A thrilling festival of images

Sharing the fascination and the opportunities of photography, video filming and other imaging technologies with a wider public – that is the purpose of PHOTOPIA Hamburg, a new trade fair that will celebrate its debut at the Hamburg exhibition complex and across the entire city from 23 to 26 September 2021. Responding to the dynamic development of the photo, video, imaging and visual communications market, Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC) introduces an entirely new, innovative event format combining advanced technology with inspiring art at a festival of imaging under the banner of “share your vision”.

The event concept establishes a holistic engagement system comprising three interwoven components: The “PHOTOPIA Summit" will be an innovative live event on the HMC campus, allowing visitors to actively experience new products and services in an inspiring setting, and presenting future-looking technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Virtual / Augmented Reality in a wide variety of implementations. The “PHOTOPIA Festival", an attention-grabbing programme of exhibitions and visitor activities such as photo walks and workshops for photography, video filming and imaging, will take place throughout Hamburg at the same time; and the third element, “PHOTOPIA 365", will be a unique information and communication platform for the imaging industry.

"With this innovative format we want to let a large audience enjoy the fascination of photography, video filming and other imaging technologies by allowing them to be actively involved," said Bernd Aufderheide, HMC President and CEO. "This event not only provides a platform for professional and hobby photographers, dealers and fans of photo culture but also, and expressly so, for the huge audience of smartphone owners who use their devices to take pictures and to communicate through images on a daily basis."

One key objective for Hamburg Messe und Congress is to differentiate the concept of PHOTOPIA from classical event formats while interconnecting various target groups. This approach is intended to ensure maximum engagement and interdisciplinary interaction for both exhibitors and visitors. To this end, HMC has joined hands with OMR, as an ideal cooperation partner. The organisers of the OMR festival, the leading event for digital marketing and technology, will support HMC in staging PHOTOPIA while involving the international tech and mobile scene.

The idea is to make PHOTOPIA the new meeting place for the pioneers and thinkers of the industry. In addition to encouraging the members of the photography and imaging professions to share ideas and views, there will be side events promoting interdisciplinary interaction with decision-makers representing other industries and technologies. As a commercial and innovation hotspot, Hamburg provides an ideal backdrop for this event. Not only is the famous port city a centre of imaging and photographic culture. PHOTOPIA will also take place in parallel with the Reeperbahnfestival, Europe's biggest club festival where photographers cannot only find great motifs but also benefit from synergies with young, urban visitor audiences. What is more, the NEXT Conference, one of the top events of the digital industry, will bring together decision-makers, thinkers and creative minds from around the world in Hamburg at the same time.

About PHOTOPIA Hamburg

The first-ever PHOTOPIA Hamburg will take place at the Hamburg exhibition complex from 23 to 26 September 2021, accompanied by a Festival held throughout the city. It will be an annual event. PHOTOPIA will attract exhibitors from the entire world of imaging, showcasing products and services related to photo and video recording, editing and processing, storage, displaying and sharing, including software and technology companies and many start-ups. It is open to all photography and filming professionals and enthusiasts. Apart from dealers, professional photographers, semiprofessionals, hobby photographers and photography enthusiasts, the target audience expressly includes smart phone owners who like to use their devices for recording, editing and sharing photos and videos. Exhibitors will be able to register from the beginning of September 2020. Apart from PHOTOPIA Hamburg, HMC has been hosting the highly successful FOTOHAVEN HAMBURG for the past three years, which is part of the oohh! FreizeitWelten trade fair. Open to the general public, it has since become a major meeting place for northern Germany’s photo community. It mainly focuses on travel and outdoor photography and is geared towards ambitious and aspiring hobby photographers.

For further information on PHOTOPIA Hamburg please visit www.hamburg-messe.de/photopia-hamburg.