The event is targeting visitor numbers of 23,000 professionals from the industry, making it, potentially, the largest wide-format print event of the year
Splashdown
The days of the traditional trade show are over. A simple collection of companies presenting their technology will no longer draw crowds from the industry. In these tough times, to justify a day (or three) away from the office, people want more from exhibitions; they want to learn and be inspired, to see the latest innovations in technology alongside ground-breaking business intelligence. And that is exactly what is on offer at FESPA 2013.
Located at the Excel Centre in London, FESPA’s flagship exhibition is set to run from June 25th to 29th. With more than 650 exhibitors and a visitor target of 23,000 print professionals, FESPA 2013 promises to be this year’s largest focused event for the wide-format print industry. Print solution providers will descend on London from 125 different countries, providing an international platform to demonstrate and view the latest technology, industry information, and business solutions. Managing director of FESPA, Neil Felton tells SignLink what can be expected from this year’s event.
“What you’re going to see at the show is a huge amount of content that will help printers deliver. We will highlight a wide variety of applications to take your business to the next level. We’re spending three times more on our features than we did in Barcelona.”
Top vehicle wrappers from around the world will compete to win the coveted title of
'Wrap Cup Champion,' displaying the most creative designs in their sector
Indeed, the six show features on offer promise to be highlights of the exhibition. These include the Jet Set Conference, Print Inspiration Runway, and the ever-popular Wrap Cup Masters Series, all of which run at various times throughout the event.
Sign of the times
As traditional printers and sign-making companies are seeing a greater and greater overlap between the services they offer, so must trade shows begin to cater to both these areas of the wide-format print sector. This year, running alongside FESPA 2013, is an exciting new exhibition focused specifically on the sign industry. The European Sign Expo is a joint venture between FESPA and the European Sign Federation, and is more than just a feature; it is a stand-alone event in its own right. Your FESPA visitor badge will give you full access to the expo, where you can discover the latest developments in sign and graphic solutions.
It is a natural progression for FESPA to develop a sign exhibition to serve the European market; sign-makers are already part of FESPA’s global community”
Neil Felton comments: “It is a natural progression for FESPA to develop a sign exhibition to serve the European market; sign-makers are already part of FESPA’s global community. As the convergence between the sign and print sectors continues, we want to guide graphic producers and their customers on how they can maximise the impact and effectiveness of signage.”
This three day event, running from June 25th to 27th, is the only inter-national exhibition taking place in 2013 that is purely for the sign industry. Exhibitors from across the UK and Europe will be there to deliver the latest innovations in digital and traditional signage.
An aeronautical theme runs throughout FESPA 2013;
visitors can attend the ‘Jet Set Conference’ or visit
the ‘Print Inspiration Runway’
Signs Express managing director, Craig Brown remarks: “We are delighted to hear FESPA has launched the European Sign Expo in London. This event is the ideal platform for us to encourage our network of 70 sign production centres to visit the show and keep up to speed with industry trends, as well as enable us to facilitate meetings and create further networking opportunities.”
The European Sign Expo has also recently acquired Screenmedia Expo, the UK’s longest running digital signage exhibition, which will be contributing to an exciting new show on digital out-of-home media and signage. This decision reflects the growing trend for traditional sign-makers and wide-format printers to diversify into digital signage.
Conference call
Business intelligence is now a huge part of the trade show experience, and FESPA 2013 is unlikely to disappoint. The show features on offer include business development conferences and academies, all designed to help companies expand into wider markets.
Tying into FESPA 2013’s aero-nautical theme, FESPA’s Jet Set Conference aims to ‘help your business reach greater heights’. A variety of presentations and workshop sessions will be on offer everyday, all free to attend at stand B75N. They will be addressing key areas of opportunity for the print industry today, placing particular emphasis on small and medium-sized companies, aiming to help them expand their businesses. Topics that will be covered include technology issues, market opportunities, sustainability, and digital signage.
Continuing the theme, Print Inspiration Runway will exhibit inspiring pieces of print, showcasing the latest special effects and clever applications. A 300sq m area will comprise a wall for mounting printed items, as well as floorspace for free-standing applications. Amongst the wide variety of print on display, the runway will include a specific section on sign-making, exhibiting retail frontage, directional, corporate, and roadside signs.
(Above and below) The European Sign Expo will display inspirational examples of
both digital and traditional signage
The Promotional Product Business Academy offers another chance for companies to gain tips and advice on expanding their businesses. Delivered by a partnership between FESPA and CTCO, it aims to highlight the business opportunities of the promotional products market. In order to inspire companies to embrace these oppor-tunities, up to 20 businesses will be showing a range of promotional products that are available, on top of an in-depth presentation covering case studies of successful practitioners. As well as this top business know-how, visitors are offered a complimentary one month subscription to european-sourcing.com, an online hub for traders in the promotional product area.
Andy Hancock, technical director of Mexar, argues that these features are a crucial part of the exhibition and helps justify the cost of attending: “The format and content are what make the show so successful,” he explains. “The extra show features, in particular the conferences, add value to your visit, and are a great source of market intelligence.”
A competitive advantage
As well as offering support and advice on how to expand into wider markets, FESPA 2013 provides a platform to gain inspiration from the best in the business, through competitions recog-nising achievement in the industry.
The FESPA Hall of Fame is one such competition. It aims to highlight deserving printers from around the world, who are voted for by their peers as ‘inspirational role models’; this could be for anything from pioneering a technological innovation to holding a leading stance on sustainability. Not only is it great to give credit where it is due, the FESPA Hall of Fame is an excellent opportunity to make new contacts. Voting is open until June 7th and can be done through the event's website.
The extra show features, in particular the conferences, add value to your visit”
Last but certainly not least is the Wrap Cup Masters Series. Arguably the most exciting feature of FESPA, the Wrap Cup returns for another year, showcasing the most impressive vehicle wrapping from around the world. Qualifying competitions have been taking place on a global scale, culminating in the live final at FESPA 2013, where the Wrap Cup Master will be crowned. As always, a bit of education is on offer too, with global wrap experts providing training and advice for those who are interested.
A changing climate
Even with the addition of features such as these, questions have been raised regarding the place of trade shows in the modern market. We live in a online age, where the most recent technology can be examined at the click of a mouse, and in times of tight budgets, do shows still justify the cost? Neil Felton of FESPA certainly thinks so: “Exhibitions are here to stay. People want to speak to people. If I’m going to buy a large output device, I want to meet the sales person, the engineer, and the rest of the team behind it.”
Regarding FESPA particularly, he tells SignLink: “There is a massive demand for the show.”
Indeed, with 50 years experience in organising exhibitions, FESPA’s trade show credentials speak for themselves. Managing director of Arcalian, Craig Brawley, explains why he will be there in London.
“For us FESPA is an invaluable part of the business year. The shows provide great networking opportunities to meet with suppliers and customers. I’m looking forward to the 2013 show, particularly as it is being held on our doorstep in London this year; we will certainly benefit from a shorter travel journey! FESPA is always a great chance to catch up with distributors and partners in the industry, as well as to see the latest technologies on offer.”
Mark Simpson, chairman of Simpson Group agrees, giving his own testimonial to what he views as FESPA’s success: “I regularly visit FESPA European shows as they provide a great opportunity to review the market, the latest developments and techno-logies available, and to see where we stand as a business, so we can benchmark ourselves against others. At the show we know that we will see the most relevant cutting edge technology, which will enable us to make decisions about developments.”
He adds: “FESPA is also crucial to our networking strategy as it is dedicated particularly to our sector of the industry. We know that we will get to see everyone involved with our market under one roof - you don’t get a chance to do that with some of the other print exhibitions. Networking is very important to our business and what we plan to do in 2013; FESPA in London will be a great forum for us.”
FESPA is crucial to our networking strategy as it is dedicated particularly to our sector of the industry—we know that we will get to see everyone involved with our market under one roof”
Nobody can predict the future of trade shows. What Simpson highlights, however, is a factor that will be crucial to their success.
Technology is still a key aspect of the industry, and trade shows are still a relevant platform on which to exhibit the latest innovations.
They are, however, so much more than this. As Simpson indicates, the net-working opportunities provided by such an assemblage of organisations is invaluable, whilst the business intelligence on offer could facilitate real developments in a small company.
A community feel
At the end of the day, trade shows have to appeal to businesses; they have to offer tangible benefits that make a difference. Yet, putting this to one side, participating in FESPA 2013 could in fact help support the growth of the market, and strengthen our industry from within.
Neil Felton, managing director of FESPA, is
passionate about the potential of bringing
the show to London
Over the last seven years FESPA has reinvested over three million Euros into the global printing community, through the creation of educational publications, community platforms, and cross-border market intelligence.
Furthermore, at a time when the market is changing, when traditional printers and sign-makers find themselves offering an increasingly similar service, it has never been more crucial to form bonds within the industry. Trade shows such as FESPA offer the perfect opportunity to do this. The key is to learn from each other’s strengths, to improve the market as it changes and help secure the place of print in future generations of business.
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