Fespa in Focus

There are some notable changes at Fespa Global Print Expo this year, which at the time of writing (late March) already had more exhibitors signed up than took part in 2022. Still a couple of months out from the show over 490 companies had already committed to taking part across the main event, a new Personalisation Experience, and the now established co-hosted European Sign Expo - this compares with 378 exhibitors on site at Fespa 2022.

Fespa CEO Neil Felton confirmed that not only are more than 95 exhibitors returning for the first time since the pre-Covid show of 2019, but that 78 are also exhibiting at the event for the first time. So, will you too be drawn to Messe Munich in May - and will you be rubbing shoulders with a different demographic than at previous iterations given the organiser’s hope of attracting a wider audience.

“Our core proposition as an event focused on speciality print has not changed, so we expect the majority of visitors to be drawn from the print and sign community, with all the diversity that represents,” says Felton. But he adds: “With our new Personalisation Experience, which is co-located within Fespa Global Print Expo, we’re aiming to attract brand owners, agencies, consultancies, retailers and membership organisations, and of course printers in the packaging, interior décor, sportswear and loyalty marketing verticals.” He points out that visitors to this will also gain free access to the main show and European Sign Expo 2023.

So what’s the Personalisation Experience all about - and is it for you? Running with the strap ‘New Perspectives’, it comprises a three-day conference programme focused on personalisation in four key vertical markets - interior décor, packaging, sportswear/fashion and loyalty marketing. The presentations will delve into the psychology of personalisation, how to embed personalisation into customer experiences, and technologies enabling personalisation.

Richard Askam, TEDx speaker and Fespa’s personalisation ambassador, will be the moderator for the event, which is slated to have more than 50 speakers. So far confirmed speakers include: Frank Thomas Piller, Professor of management and head of the Institute for Technology and Innovation Management at RWTH Aachen University; Paul Currie, retail executive and chairman of YPP Group; Debbie McKeegan, British designer, CEO of Textintel and Fespa’s textile ambassador; Sabine Huijskes, innovation manager, Moonpig/Greetz Group; and Chloe Combi, author and expert on Gen Z and Gen A. The agenda can be found on the event website.

Within the Personalisation Experience, a Personalisation Zone will offer delegates a lounge and retail area where they can go through the process of defining, ordering and collecting personalised items delivered by participating exhibitors.

“Personalisation has been a hot topic within our community for some time. Now we’ve reached a tipping point where the creative and technical capability is matched by widespread and immediate demand,” says Duncan MacOwan, Fespa’s head of marketing and events. “Consumers everywhere want experiences that are personalised, instant, and augmented. Brands that embrace personalisation are sharpening their competitive edge, creating value and increasing market share. With the launch of Personalisation Experience, we want to help delegates grasp the commercial value of personalisation by hearing actual business cases and seeing real-time customisation in action.”

Another hot topic of course is sustainability, so as you’d expect, the Sustainability Spotlight feature returns this year, but, perhaps more surprisingly, without a seminar programme this time around - more on that below. First, let’s point out what you will get, which is a material showcase, highlighting sustainably produced applications to help printers make more environmentally conscious choices. Each submission from suppliers will feature an information card with further detail about the materials used in the application.

The material showcase will follow the same format as in 2022 and will all be available in one dedicated space. Of course, exhibitors will also be showing sustainable technologies and materials on their stands throughout the exhibition halls.

At the time of writing it is too early for Fespa to confirm which exhibitors and products will be part of the showcase, but it confirms it’s working with Reboard for the feature build again, and that there will be an increased focus on environmentally responsible textiles.

So what of the decision to take the seminar programme out of the Fespa Global 2023 Sustainability Spotlight? Felton is at pains to point out that this has not been scrapped, but moved online: “Acknowledging the scope of the topic of sustainability, and mindful of our launch goal of providing useful, informative and actionable advice to address the needs of people, planet and profit, it makes sense to expand the reach of Sustainability Spotlight by providing free and universal access to an online hub which hosts all our content on this topic, rather than providing a physical seminar programme that is limited to visitors to the show.

“Feedback from visitors in 2022 was that they found it hard to attend at-show seminars last year due to conflicting commitments while at the event. To make it easier for our community to access the same kind of expert insights, we are introducing a new, on-demand video series hosted by Graeme Richardson-Locke in conversation with suppliers, print service providers and sustainability experts, delivering insight on how to make businesses and print processes more environmentally friendly. These will be available alongside a variety of written content such as the Fespa Planet Friendly guides, articles offering practical guidance on implementing environmental performance improvements, and case studies highlighting the companies leading on sustainability in our industry.

“At Fespa Global Print Expo 2023, visitors can explore a showcase of sustainable substrates, as well as take a break from the show floor and sit in the Sustainability Spotlight area to view a sustainability content feed on a screen set up. Although not the focus, sustainability will also be covered in the dedicated ticketed conference alongside the Personalisation Experience exhibition space.”

Also moving online is the Printeriors feature that has had a physical presence within the Fespa Global Expo for some years now. Felton says: “We reached the decision to host a virtual showcase for Printeriors in early 2023, following consultation with Debbie McKeegan and our event and feature partners.

“The Printeriors microsite, which will be hosted on Fespa.com, provides an ‘always-on’ online resource and will build on the application stories for the products that have been created over the lifetime of the physical Printeriors showcase. This allows us to highlight the product information in the form of mini case studies, detailing the production methods, technologies used, substrates etc, as well as delivering a central platform that hosts articles/videos/podcasts on the interior décor opportunity and how printers can expand into this market. The purpose of the digital showcase is to extend the value of the feature beyond the event, giving our entire community access to an educational content platform whenever they need it.

“While Printeriors will not be present in the same physical format as at recent shows, there will still be many elements of printed interior décor throughout the exhibition. For example, visitors can see products from previous iterations, such as furniture, cushions and other accessories, in the Personalisation Zone lounge within Personalisation Experience and in the Club Fespa member networking area.”

Felton adds: “Printeriors is just one example of a Fespa product that is relevant to markets beyond our primary audience. We’ve had really good feedback from our speciality print community on the Printeriors showcase. Many of these businesses are already active in the interior décor market or are looking to expand into it. However, interior décor is not our key sector and, of course, interior designers are served with their own trade-specific exhibitions. Therefore, it’s understandable that a designer may not travel to a Fespa event for Printeriors alone.

“We have a strong database in the décor market, so the online Printeriors platform will make it easier to deliver educational and explanatory content to the interior design audience, without the expectation that they will attend a live event. We are also further engaging this community with our Personalisation Experience conference programme, which will zone in on interior décor as a key growth market.”

Debbie McKeegan, who has been heavily involved in the decision to host Printeriors on a virtual platform, is responsible for developing and curating content hosted on the microsite which is launching pre-Fespa Global Print Expo 2023. It will look at the applications that have been developed for Printeriors since its launch. Therefore, all companies previously involved in Printeriors will be featured, including Brother, CMYUK, Drytac, EFKA, HP, Imageco, Kornit, Mimaki, Premier Digital Textiles and SwissQprint. Alongside the product case studies, there will be content on interior décor market opportunity, ‘how to’ pieces explaining how certain products or effects can be achieved using print and finishing techniques, and testimonials from interior design businesses using print to bring their concepts to life.

What will most definitely be a physical feature at the show this year will be the World Wrap Masters. It’s back, with free training workshops, an expanded programme of demonstrations and the live action wrapping competition. On days one and two, 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 2023’.

Visitors will also again get the chance to see a display of work shortlisted for the 2023 Fespa Awards. This year 213 entries were submitted by companies from across 34 countries. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on 24 May. Oh, and there will the actual exhibitor stands! News of new wares and services will be published on the Image Reports as it becomes available…


Fespa Wrap Fest

A new Wrap Fest 2023 event will take place at the Silverstone racing circuit in Northamptonshire on 26-27 April. The vinyl installation and vehicle wrapping event will include over 60 live wrapping demonstrations alongside a Wrap Talks programme.

Hexis, 3M, Adapt (with Profilm), Avery Dennison, APA, Grafityp, Spandex, William Smith, Innotech, Surfex (with FlexiShield and Teckwrap), HP and Metamark will provide wrapping demonstrations from their own pit garages in Silverstone.

Hexis will deliver live car wrapping and PPF demonstrations involving its products Hexis Skintac Wrap and Bodyfence PPF.

3M will discuss and demonstrate the nuances of how to wrap its Paint Protection Film and Print Wrap Film IJ280, as well as talkthrough the preparation and application of its colour change Wrap Film Series 2080, using 3M Knifeless Tape.

Adapt, in partnership with Profilm, will run live demonstrations by its head of technical services, Eugene Voigt, using the Gloss, Matte and ProColor series.

APA will deliver a wrapping demonstration using new limited edition colours from its UltraJet Line.

Metamark, represented by Paige Walton, will demonstrate a wrap using products including MetaCast MCX, a new product offering 12 years durability

Surfex, which is partnering with Flexishield and Teckwrap, will demonstrate the preparation process of wrapping and the limitations and techniques of wrap application and heating.

The Wrap Institute, the event’s official training partner, will also organise sessions on behalf of Fespa in its own pit garage.

Meanwhile, the free-to-attend Wrap Talks will feature some high-profile figures. TV presenter, podcaster and influencer Yianni Charalambous, owner of Yiannimize, will take part in an interview discussing how a chance encounter with an Arsenal footballer snowballed into becoming him becoming a celebrity car customiser.

In a talk titled ‘Caesar Salad Logic: Can I Take Your Order? Deceptively simple selling tips for sign shops and installers’, Justin Pate, founder of The Wrap Institute, will provide tips on how to optimise the sales strategy, while keeping customers happy. In a second session titled: ‘Going Within: Why interior wraps are the future’, he will talk about the key focal points for success and share an interior renovation project with the Amsterdam Loft Wrap Rejuvenation.

Professional racing driver and YouTube personality Archie Hamilton will lead a panel discussion exploring market trends and innovative projects. Joshua Stedford, Livery Magic, will discuss the creative process of developing a Livery, including tips on logo and decal placement, how to create a brilliant colour scheme, and how to use a car’s body shape to your artistic advantage. Wrap entrepreneur Corey England, the founder of Devon-based company Wrap Capital, will discuss his Lamborghini Huracán fade wrap project being showcased on the Wrap Fest show floor.

Also due to speak are Suzi Ward from Fespa UK Association, and Jon Hutton from Prism Environmental, who will discuss the importance of prioritising recycling throughout the supply chain, given the increased demand from consumers for brands, retailers, suppliers and manufacturers to be environmentally astute.

In a session titled ‘Wrap to Race’, World Wrap Masters judge Mr Sunshine (aka Ole Solskin) will provide a technical description of what is needed to wrap a race car, exploring the crucial elements of consideration for a competitive wrap, such as wind flow and turbulence.

“After lots of hard work behind the scenes, we’re delighted to be able to share the details of our content-rich event experience. From the earliest planning stages, we were determined to provide attendees with a diverse array of content and experiences, from learning intricate wrapping techniques, to asking successful wrapping entrepreneurs in person. The interest from both brands and big industry names to be part of this event has been overwhelming, and we can’t wait to get started,” says Duncan MacOwan, head of marketing and events, Fespa.