When you think ‘events’, what comes to mind – Fespa, Sign and Digital UK, Drupa, Viscom? What about 100% Design, Retail Design Expo, Ecobuild? The thing is, even print ‘trade’ shows are trying to reach out to creatives as well as print companies because it’s clear that attracting them and stimulating their interest in the print medium is what is ultimately going to grow demand and thus business. But expecting large volumes of creatives – especially those not already buying print – to travel to print shows is a bit of a hiding to nothing in my view – despite there being, in some cases, a real effort to do so via great seminar content etc.
I’ll be at Viscom Frankfurt not long after this lands on your desk, and from all the pre-show info I expect it to be a dynamic show with lots to attract designers from all sorts of disciplines. But if we’re really serious about wowing them with the possibility of wide-format for instance, don’t we really need to carry the message into their own space – into the events they attend as a matter of course?
With my Think Bigger hat on I attended 100% Design in London a few weeks ago, as did a smattering of printers and substrate suppliers, but it was lacking a ‘pavilion of wide- format print possibility’ which, to my mind, is what this sector needs if it’s to really make a statement and catch the imagination of all those creatives that might one day become customers. Of course, that means pulling together to exhibit at events like this on a sector-wide scale - possibly under the auspices of a single industry body - and being creative ourselves in how we present our output possibilties.
It also means thinking beyond the normal. In this issue I interview Dr Kate Stone of print integration developer Novalia. She’s a prime example of someone pushing the envelope, but she admits she’s still not making money! So is there a way to do both?
Lesley Simpson, Editor
lesley.simpson@imagereportsmag.co.uk
Tel. 01932 707173