Fast foreword to Fespa Global

The slogan for Fespa Global 2022 is ‘Experience Print in Motion’, and it’ll be interesting to see how apt that turns out to be in terms motivating the international print community to travel to the show in Berlin. The last Fespa Global print expo was held just last October at the RAI Exhibition Centre in Amsterdam. That was expected to be a rather quiet affair given all that was going on, and it lived up to that expectation. Fespa is being somewhat wary of claiming too much for the upcoming 2022 event too, saying that given the dynamic situation, it’s not making any predictions around visitor numbers but that it hopes to attract a strong audience of senior decision-makers who have a direct role to play in investment decisions. Will you be one of them?

At the time of going to press, 280 exhibitors had confirmed their presence at this year’s show, with many of the big names making the most of the chance to get in front of a live crowd again. The full exhibitor list can be found on the show website and includes large-format inkjet printer biggies like Agfa, Canon, Durst, EFI, Epson, Fujifilm, HP, Mimaki, Mutoh, Roland DG and swissQprint, plus a significant showing of other related hardware, software and consumables players supplying the sector.

How many brand new developments they will have to show off is questionable. This far out from a major trade show there’s usually more noise, if not detail, as to anticipated launches etc. No doubt there will be some of those, but on the whole visitors can rather expect this Fespa Global to be more a platform for exhibitors to physically demonstrate and highlight what they’ve already introduced into the market, but perhaps in a more muted way than they would have liked in ‘normal’ times. The Image Reports website, enewsletters and social media channels will keep you abreast of anything groundbreaking as we near and go through the show.

So what else can you expect of Fespa Global 2022? Well, you can forget settling down in the Trends Theatre, a staple of recent years. That seminar programme is effectively being subsumed into a new Sustainability Spotlight feature this time around, aiming to provide actionable guidance on making print businesses and processes more environmentally friendly. There will be conference sessions, details of which were still being finalised at the time of writing but including: sustainable materials for graphic and textile applications;  energy reduction, addressing the opportunities to reduce consumption through renewables, energy efficiency strategies and management; carbon footprint facilities and benchmarking; supply chain transparency; certification schemes, both self-certification and externally validated systems; and brands’ expectations and the benefit of reducing scope 3 GHG emissions. There will also be an application gallery designed to inspire visitors on sustainable best-practice.

A more familiar ‘inspirational’ feature you can again expect to see is Printeriors. Now in its sixth year, it will showcase interior décor applications inspired by flora and nature (designed by Jasper Goodall) and produced in conjunction with a number of print industry partners. It will be located in the south entrance of Messe Berlin, and encompass textiles, wallcoverings, furnishings, flooring, fine art, lighting and accessories.

Also in the south entrance will be a new Fespa Associations Pavilion, with the 37 national associations providing a showcase of real work produced by members as a sort of melting pot of inspirational print.

If wrapping is what does it for you, then you’ll be rapt with the free training workshops and demonstrations on offer, not to mention the live-action World Wrap Masters wrapping competition itself. On days one and two, 36 European wrappers will be judged on a series of timed wrapping tasks. And on days three and four, regional competition finalists from around the world will join the winners of the European heat to battle it out for the title of ‘World Wrap Master 2022’.

Michael Ryan, head of Fespa Global Print Expo, says: “Preparations for the 2022 show are in full swing and our aspirations for the event are clear in our campaign motto - we want the speciality print community to ‘Experience Print in Motion’.

“To date, there are over 280 confirmed exhibitors set to showcase the latest developments in technologies, media and consumables, and highlight exciting growth markets and application opportunities. Our exciting features line-up underlines the constant forward momentum in print, emphasising key trends and giving visitors insight, facts and inspiration to help them consider the potential significance of these in their own businesses.

“As travel restrictions and Covid regulations ease, the Fespa events in Berlin will be an important landmark for our industry, providing a vital hub where exhibitors and visitors can connect face-to-face again, see hundreds of products in one place, explore the new opportunities that can support and accelerate their recovery, and gather ideas and knowledge that will drive their business forward.”