Consumer-Driven Photography Group to Exhibit at Photokina
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No. 0029 - Released August 28, 2006 The 1,600 suppliers from 50 countries at this year's "World of Imaging" Photokina in Cologne, Germany will be joined by the fastest growing international community of Nikon-oriented photographers on the Internet. Nikonians have been attending the world's largest photography trade show for more than 40 years. They just didn't have an internationally recognized name, or a global Internet web-site to help them get organized — until now. It was the Cologne, Germany Photokina in 1960 when the famous Nikon F appeared with praise from a new breed of fans. These fans had to wait nearly 40 years to define themselves under the name Nikonians. The biggest difference between the first Photokina held in Cologne, Germany in 1950 to the 2006 edition is that Nikon is now a major participant and the brand's users have organized to form a powerful international community. This year, they are not just fans and supporters of the Nikon brand. They are actively promoting excellence in photography by sharing their knowledge through the Nikonians community.
"We started five years ago as a group of Nikon enthusiasts," said Bo Stahlbrandt, co-founder of Nikonians. "In that time we wanted to make sure we shared news, information and advice not only on Nikon products, but also the very large industry that supports the craft. Photokina is expected to gather more than 160,000 visitors from 140 countries under a theme of "modern image communications." The Nikonians founders understand that phrase and also recognize its origins. "It's all about photography," said Stahlbrandt's friend and Nikonians co-founder J. Ramón Palacios. "In our case we started by concentrating on photography with Nikon cameras and lenses; but we have always understood the importance of evaluating and sharing information about the products and services that surround us. As the digital era began, photography expanded and it is now more and more clear that will now share its future with IT and telecommunications, somehow nurturing each other. The Nikonians community is itself an example of that." With opening day for the Photokina just a month away, the Nikonians site has enhanced their international résumé, with the unveiling of new forums that add Filipino and Spanish Café to their existing English and German abilities. The Nikonians booth is significant on many levels. User communities that favor a certain brand of product are using the Internet to influence their "purchase power" perspectives. The Nikonians community has established a reputation for making their purchasing decisions through forums and articles which share the facts, while concentrating on a friendly approach. The Nikonians booth will feature raffle opportunities for a Markins Q3 ball head and a Gary Fong Lightsphere II per day. Visitors to the Nikonians booth will also learn more about the Apple Aperture program and have a chance to try the latest Wacom Intuos tablet. Model shooting opportunities will be provided by Elle photographer Pascal Baetens, and Nikonians wildlife award wining expert Claus Brandt will be on hand to provide shooting lessons. The Nikonians Photo Pro Shop will be represented with hands-on opportunities to try products from Markins, Kirk and Katz Eye. A wide range of Nikonians unique accessories such as hats, T-shirts and professional camera straps will not only be displayed, but also presented as daily give-aways. Also available will be opportunities to join Nikonians, and take advantage of their exclusive camera insurance program known as NikSecure. The insurance program will be part of a daily raffle, which will provide coverage for 5,000 (Euro) at no contest to the lucky winners. The Nikonians Booth will be in Hall 2.1 / Booth A015 Nikonians® - Worldwide Home for Nikon® Photographers Founded in the year 2000, Nikonians® is the friendly home for Nikon® enthusiasts on the Internet. With more than 55,000 members from 140 countries and over a million unique visitors per month, it is the largest community of its kind. The community is not affiliated to Nikon Corporation. Nikonians® is a registered trademark of Nikonians.org. Nikon® is a registered trademark of Nikon Corporation. |
