The opening also congratulated Dan Gelbart, founder of Creo, as the latest to win the award.
Benny Landa, Professor Frank Romano, Lord Bob Gavron, John Crosfield and Mike Gordon were all able to attend and collect awards honouring their contributions to the industry. Dr. John Warnock and Dr. Charles Geschke had their awards collected by representatives from Adobe and Kodak.
JK Rowling, authoress of the hugely successful Harry Potter series, will also receive her award at a later date. She received the second ever Champions award for the boost to the printing industry granted by the 400 million copies of her books have sold worldwide.
Benny Landa of Indigo, who won the first Champions of Print award in 2008, spoke on behalf of all the winners: “It’s a great honour to be speaking on behalf of all Ipex Champions whose creativity and commitment have shaped all areas of our continuously evolving industry.
“It is especially thrilling for me to return to Ipex, since, after all, it was at Ipex seventeen years ago that Indigo first made its debut. I am fascinated to see how Ipex continues to be a watershed event for entrepreneurs, product developers and visionaries, giving them – and their future customers – an unrivalled opportunity to meet and exchange insights,” he said.
Ipex Event Director Trevor Crawford and Ipex President and Heidelberg MD George Clarke both expressed their gratitude to everyone who made the journey to Ipex despite the travel difficulties, and congratulated Gelbart and the previous winners.
Crawford said: “ We’re delighted to have the Ipex Champions opening the event. Ipex has always had a reputation for being more than an exhibition. Yes, first and foremost it is a business show but it is also a showcase for all that is great about our industry.
“For that reason, two years ago we launched the ‘Champions In Print’ initiative to honour a group of people who have made a significant contribution to the development of the printing industry.”