New features at the forthcoming Fespa Global Print Expo at Messe Berlin at the end of May will include a Sustainability Spotlight feature designed to share information, actionable advice and examples of best practice, presented in a stand sponsored by HP and constructed of recyclable board. There will also be an Associations Pavilion which will showcase work by various Fespa member groups from around the world, plus the return of regular features Printeriors and the Wrap Masters contest.
Speaking at an online press preview event, Michael Ryan, head of Fespa Global Print Expo noted that the event held in October 2021 in Amsterdam had attracted the best part of 7900 unique visitors, 54% of whom were new to Fespa, from 103 countries, despite the various Covid-related travel restrictions in place at the time. Mr Ryan said there were some 325 exhibitors confirmed for this year’s event so far, 105 of which were not at the Netherlands show last year, with top level sponsors Durst, HP , Mimaki and Brother complemented by a Who’s Who of wide-format print.
Of the Sustainability Spotlight, which will be located in Hall 25, Mr Ryan commented, ‘Building a successful and profitable business is every entrepreneur’s number one goal, but the print community has an obligation to sustainability too, and this is becoming a priority for print buyers. Becoming sustainable means understanding the whole operation and the opportunities and risks that need to be addressed, now and in the future. Our goal with the launch of Sustainability Spotlight is to inform the print community of the different options open to them as they progress along the path towards sustainable operations. We want to show print businesses how to meet changing customer demands, increase productivity and profitability, while making meaningful improvements to their supply chain and efforts to decarbonise.’
Returning events include the Printeriors interior décor area, with a strong textiles focus, via collaboration with illustrator Jasper Goodall whose work on floral and nature-inspired themes will be curated through to manufacturing by Fespa Textile Ambassador Debbie McKeegan. This year’s event will be more than twice the size of the last one, at over 400sqm. The Wrap Masters vehicle wrapping contest returns too, able to once again take on a global dimension with 12 regional finalists pitted against each other using 3M materials printed on HP printers. However, Sportswear Pro, the branded clothing-focused speciality area, will not return in 2022. Plans for its continuation next year are expected to be announced in the coming months.
