Fespa has confirmed more detail on the special features running at Fespa Global Expo and co-located European Sign Expo, Personalisation Experience and Sportswear Pro events (19-22 March 2024, at RAI Amsterdam).
The Sustainability Spotlight area returns this year and will run in conjunction with Reboard and Carbon Quota. It will highlight more than 100 eco-conscious graphics and textiles substrates, while giving visitors the opportunity to learn about more sustainable production processes.
Materials on display will include natural and cellulosic fibre types. Each substrate on display will include an information card on its eco credentials and on how it can be used to produce environmentally conscious products. Visitors will also be able to access a free Sustainability Spotlight content catalogue after they have attended. This includes blogs, podcasts and interviews from global brands and experts, exploring themes such as certification schemes, energy reduction etc.
The World Wrap Masters Europe and World Wrap Masters Series Final will return this year in conjunction with Orafol, Arlon and Teckwrap the Wrap Institute and Wrapstock.
The first and second days of the event, will see up to 30 wrappers compete in a mixture of rounds, using Colour Change media (sponsored by Arlon), Paint Protection Film (sponsored by Teckwrap) and Printed Media (sponsored by Orafol) for a chance to progress to the global final, taking place on days three and four.
Winners from World Wrap Masters regional competitions will be welcomed back, from countries such as Brazil, Denmark, Japan, Dubai and Norway, for the competition final. This year, the judging panel will include: Kiss Lajos, who won the competition in 2014 and 2015; Ivan Tenchev, who won in 2022; and guest MC Ole Solskin.
Additionally, for the second year running, expert trainers from the Wrap Institute will host a series of live demos and training workshops throughout the event. Demos will include ‘Protocol For Perfectly Prepping A Vehicle For Wrapping’, ‘The Most “Cutting” Edge Tools for PPF, PVC and Tint’, ‘Why and How To Make Inlays’
New in 2024, and part of Personalisation Experience and Sportswear Pro, is the Personalise Make Wear smart factory, hosted by Fespa’s textile ambassador Debbie McKeegan. The smart factory will demonstrate the end-to-end production of personalised sportswear garments across four workflows: direct-to-garment production of polyester training tops, using print and software solutions from Antigro and Kornit; roll-to-roll production of yoga pants, using design, print and finishing solutions from Antigro, Caldera, Antigro, Greentex, MS Group, Coldenhove, Kleiverik, Tajima and Dekken; direct-to-object printing on water bottles, using solutions from InkCups; and direct-to-film transfers for sweatpants, using design, print and finishing solutions from Antigro and Stahls. Visitors will be able to attend guided end-to-end production tours of the workflows and daily catwalk runway shows.
In addition, McKeegan will host fireside chats on topics including ‘The Smart Factory and Customisation Technology Explored’, ‘How to Implement Sustainable Manufacturing at any Scale’, ‘Personalised Production - Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions’, and ‘The Market Shifts and Technologies Driving Print Workflow Automation’, with representatives from Inkcups Europe, Kornit Digital, Caldera, SEI Laser, Dover Industries Italy, and JK Group.
The Sportswear Pro conference (21 March, 2024) will be dedicated to manufacturing, production and circularity across the sportswear supply chain. Confirmed speakers for the conference include Sam Taylor, The Good Factory; Ana Kristiansson, Desinder; Circular Economy Innovation and Strategy consultant Serena Bonomi; Thomas Rothery, Copper Global; Paul Foulkes-Arellano, Circuthon; and Katarzyna Klara Sulisz, FESI (Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry).
For the second year running, the Personalisation Experience conference (20 March, 2024) will offer insight and inspiration to visitors about the value of including personalised products in their offering. Confirmed speakers for this year’s programme include Fespa’s Richard Askam; Neil Reynolds of NFL/Sky Sports, Matt Bailey from Glazer Corp, Justin Cairns from Ogilvy, Dans Rozenthals of Printful, and Bernd Zipper from zipcon Consulting.
European Sign Expo 2024 will host the all-new Digital Signage Lounge, a networking hub created for visitors to explore opportunities associated with digital signage. The lounge, which is run in partnership with Navori Labs and Grupo Metal (Johnson Group), will highlight advances in digital sign sector, showcase the latest digital screens and software, and offer advice. Visitors to the Digital Signage Lounge will also gain free online access to the 'Fespa How-to Guide' for printers exploring digital signage as an added offering. Daily workshops, run by digital signage experts, will also take place each afternoon.