Industry majors KBA, Ferag, ABB and alfa Media are among exhibitors signed to "return" to the IfraExpo/DCX event in Berlin next year.

And to make it easier for those with minimal distances to the show, dates have been rescheduled to October 10-12 to "spare weekend travel".

The 47^th IfraExpo event at Messe Berlin is the first under a new partnership between WAN-Ifra and DCX. Project manager Alena Kluge says there is already a strong showing of "renowned" exhibitors on the floor plan: "We are well on track to offer publishers and news media a compelling platform for action, training and networking.

"Pooling WAN-Ifra's industry knowledge with Publishing Exhibition's trade fair know-how has brought about the much needed revitalisation of IFRA and DCX."

Publishing Exhibition chief executive Alexander Petsch says a number of workshops have been held with exhibitors to come up with the changes: "Passing on the fire instead of preserving the ashes - that is our vision for a successful continuation of the World Publishing Exhibition."

WAN-Ifra's Print World and Digital Media World conferences will continue, along with specialised Deep Dives presentations and guided tours. Additionally " that allow visitors to meet with selected exhibitors to dig into specific topics of interest, have also proven their value. These will be complemented by two new "content stages" - one in the IfraExpo part of the show and one at DCX - for "practice-oriented" presentations.