[Mistral75]

From the CP+ email requesting to register in order to attend:

新製品展示はもちろん、プロの写真家・カメラ愛好者やビジネスユーザーから、女性、初心者も、
写真や動画を楽しく学べる企画を実施！

Translation: 'In addition to the exhibition of new products, professional photographers, camera enthusiasts and business users, as well as women and beginners, will be able to enjoy learning about photography and video in a fun way!'

I love the place devoted to women in their segmentation...

[texandrews]

From the CP+ email requesting to register in order to attend:



Translation: 'In addition to the exhibition of new products, professional photographers, camera enthusiasts and business users, as well as women and beginners, will be able to enjoy learning about photography and video in a fun way!'

I love the place devoted to women in their segmentation...

Extremely Japanese. It's one reason I think it's partly (just partly, though) a mistake to read too much into market reports about the Japanese market. Not so much the sexist bit, but the insular attitudes.

[JPT]

There have been some interesting tweets from the photographer Kimio Tanaka about CP+ 2022.

In the weeks since I started this thread, the number of infections in Japan (esp. Tokyo/Yokohama) has increased exponentially, and availability of intensive care beds is getting strained. The government has issued a "Quasi State of Emergency". So while it is not anything worse than other countries, there is a lot of hesitance to travel and mingling with others at the moment.

We already knew that the checks for visitors to CP+ 2022 would be quite strict. The registration site explains that you need to show documentary proof of vaccination against COVID, a negative test from within 24 hours (or pay to have one on the spot), and some kind of photo ID. I wonder how many people have registered so far, but there's no public information on that.

According to Tanaka-san's tweets, the participating companies are considering extra checks to enter their booth areas, and measures like making people wear rubber gloves to touch the cameras. At the same time they are having trouble finding staff willing to man the booths. They cannot force their employees, so they are struggling to get together enough volunteers.

He also mentions that it costs tens of millions of yen (probably an understatement) to pay for these booths, so there is a lot of expense they have got themselves into that could go to waste if the event is cancelled.

I think it is just his speculation, be he seems to be expecting a decision next week on whether the event will go ahead. Certainly, the CP+ organisers will have some kind of idea of how many people have registered to attend compared to other years by now, so they probably know whether it is worth proceeding.

It will be a shame if it is cancelled, and I really hope it will happen as soon as the pandemic is over. However, it does sound like to Ricoh made the right decision in not going through the expense of planning for an event that is going to be much less fun than usual, even if it does go ahead.

[Kunzite]

Ricoh Imaging just temporarily closed their Osaka Square because one employee tested positive...

[jersey]

There have been some interesting tweets from the photographer Kimio Tanaka about CP+ 2022.

Ricoh was alway good at cutting down unnecessary PR expenses, was always a step or two before rest of photographic crowd. Even three if we count Olympus overspending for nothing. In current situation not spending money is the best idea ever, I suppose even if CP+ is not canceled not that many people will come and it would be wasted money anyway.

I wait for their own online presentation if (and that is big question) it is available for foreigners.

[JPT]

. . . and it's cancelled. It's going to be online only, meaning all the expense the other companies went to to plan booths has gone down the drain.

I haven't seen an English version yet, but here is the cancellation announcement in Japanese.
https://www.cpplus.jp/download/2022_pr_0207.pdf

Presumably any products that were planned by the participating manufacturers will still be released anyway.

[texandrews]

So, good call Ricoh.

[biz-engineer]

CP+ 2022 in person fair is cancelled , but CP+ online in maintained.