What is the response from the international exhibitors as well as visitors for FESPA Global Print Expo 2023? How many brands will showcase their latest technologies?
We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response from exhibitors and visitors so far. Across four and a half halls of the Messe Munich, over 550 confirmed suppliers are set to showcase the latest technology, software, consumables and media innovations for screen, digital and textile printing, and signage and visual communications.
This includes hundreds of solutions on display for textile printers and garment producers, such as direct-to-film and direct-to-garment printers, garment embellishment, dye sublimation, fabrics and inks. Confirmed exhibitors in the textile space include Brother, Epson, INO, Mimaki, Polyprint, Roland, ROQ and SISER.
As nowadays the focus of producers is on faster production, how do you see the digital printing market in the next five years?
In conversation with our community, three trends regularly surface.
Firstly, automation and process optimisation will continue to play a big role over the coming years for businesses wanting to maximise production efficiency. The industry has gone from strength to strength in the past year, however, printers are still faced with challenges such as increasingly shorter turnaround times and rising energy and labour costs. As a result, we’re seeing a shift to streamlined and automated processes to save time, energy and resources, as well as reduce waste which I believe will continue to drive business and investment decisions for years to come.
The spotlight also remains on sustainability, as corporate brands continue to put pressure on their print and signage partners to offer more ‘planet-friendly’ production and media options, and for them to demonstrate the environmental changes they’re making as a business.
Thirdly, personalisation has been a key topic for many years. Forward-thinking print businesses have seen the opportunity for personalisation that came with the shift to digital production, however many have yet to fully grasp its true commercial value. We’ve now reached a point where the creative and technical capability is matched by widespread and immediate demand.
What’s FESPA’s new offering for the exhibitors and visitors this year?
We’re excited to launch our brand new event, Personalisation Experience which will be co-located with FESPA Global Print Expo and European Sign Expo 2023.
Set to help attendees grasp the true value of customisation to their business, Personalisation Experience will comprise an experiential showcase of personalisation-enabling products and solutions from a range of suppliers, and a multi-day conference programme.
With a line-up of knowledgeable speakers, delegates will learn about the psychology and behavioural science that makes personalisation so appealing, and how the digital printing transformation is enabling customisation. Moderator and FESPA’s Personalisation Ambassador, Richard Askam will be joined by a host of industry experts to share insight into the personalisation opportunity, including:
• Debbie McKeegan, CEO of TEXINTEL & FESPA’s Textile Ambassador, who will highlight the opportunity that personalised print provides across apparel, sportswear and interior décor.
• Peter Cross, Customer and Retail Expert, who’ll delve into the mindset of the modern consumer and why it’s essential to build meaningful customer relationships to differentiate your brand.
• Justin Cairns, Head of Offline Production at Ogilvy UK, who is set to talk through award-winning case studies showing how creativity can take personalisation in print to the next level.
Within Personalisation Experience, visitors can also access ‘Personalisation Zone’, a lounge and retail space where delegates can go through the process of defining, ordering, and collecting personalised items.
Which types of technologies, processes, and applications that are used across the global speciality print sector will be highlighted at FESPA this year?
Visitors can explore an array of technology, software, media and consumable innovations across the entire wide format supply chain, including digital wide format roll-to-roll and flatbed printers, end-to-end solutions for textile and packaging production, screen printing carousels, substrates, inks and more!
A huge number of our exhibitors will showcase automation and workflow software that enables print businesses to speed up production, reduce operator intervention and minimise waste.
And with the demand for sustainable production rising, delegates will see sustainable technologies, more eco-conscious consumables and reusable/ recyclable substrates.
Alongside Personalisation Experience, the vast majority of exhibitors in the halls of FESPA Global Print Expo 2023 have also signalled that they will highlight personalisation-enabling solutions on their stands.
I believe that no matter where in the world you are, the beauty of a live event is that you never know what you’ll come away with. It could be a new technology or software to streamline your production or fresh insights on future-proofing your business. To see the full exhibitor list and find out more about the solutions on display this year, visit: https://www.fespaglobalprintexpo.com/.
We have heard about the FESPA event in the Middle East, please tell us what makes FESPA launch an exhibition in the Middle Eastern market.
The decision to launch a new event reflects the needs of our growing community in this area, and both suppliers and printers have been expressing a strong appetite for a content-led FESPA event in the Middle East for some time. It’s a market that continues to show solid year-on-year growth, with key sectors such as tourism and property demonstrating healthy post-COVID recovery, alongside the region’s renowned core industries.
The event, hosted at the Dubai Exhibition Centre from 29 to 31 January 2024, will provide an important, targeted sales and marketing platform for suppliers in this region, and a place for printers to explore the latest solutions, learn about new opportunities in the industry, and network with like-minded business owners.
For more information on FESPA Middle East, visit: https://www.fespamiddleeast.com/
