Fespa ’23 impresses in Munich
Fespa Global Print Expo 2023 is a huge success. Many visitors came to the Munich event with the intention of diversifying and growing their business.
Delivering on its theme, ‘New Perspectives’, the four-day show and the co-located European Sign Expo and new Personalisation Experience, which are closing today (26 May), welcomed more than 500 exhibiting companies.
The show hosted the final of the World Wrap Masters and the returning Fespa Awards – which saw the highest ever number of entries – while the Sustainability Spotlight showcase of innovative sustainable textile and graphic substrates once again proved popular.
The event featured a number of key trends, including personalisation, sustainability and textile printing.
Michael Ryan, the head of Fespa Global Print Expo, told Printweek: “Being back in Munich for Fespa Global Print Expo 2023 has been a real pleasure. It’s such a welcoming venue, and the energy and appetite to innovate in our sector is as inspiring as ever.
“Speciality printers are definitely firmly focused on the future now, and there’s a clear emphasis all around the show on how to harness growth and open up new, creative avenues for profitable business.
“It’s always our goal at Fespa to point the way forward for our community. This year we invited visitors to be open-minded and look for new ways to approach their businesses.
“The buoyant vibe in the halls suggests that they found plenty. We look forward to bringing the world of speciality print and visual communications back together at our next Global Print Expo in Amsterdam in March 2024!”
Inkcups CEO Benjamin Adner, whose new machines saw “very strong interest”, told Printweek: “We like that there’s a lot of hands-on operators at Fespa as well as owners, so that they can help make decisions.”
Sarit Tichon, senior vice president, worldwide sales and marketing at SAi, added: “We love the buzz that Fespa provides the print and signage industry. We find it the most efficient way to connect with our valued partners, new and old.”
Fespa announced yesterday (25 May) that visitor numbers were higher than last year in Berlin for the first two day.
Fespa confirmed the 2024 Global Print Expo, which will be held from 19-22 March in Amsterdam, will span six halls at the RAI exhibition centre in a new layout for the show, which was last held at the venue in October 2021 – Fespa’s first post-pandemic outing.
More details about the show, including floorplans, will be released in the fall. However, it has been confirmed that European Sign Expo will return and the Personalisation Experience as well. Sportswear Pro in Amsterdam, first announced in 2019, is also returning.
WrapFest will return to Silverstone as a stand-alone event in 2019. The new Fespa Middle East show will be held at the end January 2024.
During the press conference, Eric Zimmerman, principal analyst – wide format print, at Keypoint Intelligence shared some of the topline findings of the new 2023 Print Census, with the full report set to be released shortly.
The study found that since the last Census, in 2018, the mean revenue of respondents has increased by 6%. However, the number of employees has decreased.
70% of respondents stated that they are able to satisfy customer sustainability demands while maintaining pricing. Customers’ top three demands include faster turnarounds and shorter runs as well as versioning and customisation. 71% were positive about their future.
Next month, the magazine’s June/July issue will contain a Printweek Briefing that includes a comprehensive analysis of this show and its news and trends.