Well, it has been emotional. At 10:00 on October 22nd 2014 it was announced that a new player had entered the field of event-organisation, launching a brand new exhibition for the print industry and its satellite sectors. The Print Show’s birth was met with a mixture of incredulity, humour, and hopefulness from an industry that has been through the wringer and back—slammed by the global recession harder than almost any other sector of the UK economy. 

Despite an uphill battle for the first six months, and my mind is thrown to images of ‘the little engine that could’, this brand new exhibition has achieved what many said would be impossible. That is namely the establishment of a well-supported, right-sized print exhibition that was fit for purpose and a reflection of the market’s realistic needs.

And as I write this prior to the opening of the show, visitor pre-registration for the event had gone to 12,300. At last count there were also more than 120 exhibitors that had signed their contracts for the event and committed themselves as a founding partner of this brave new project.

In addition the incredible hard work of the event organising team, the reason for these impressive figures is partly down to the fact that the last twelve issues of this magazine and its sister title Print Monthly has consistently kept you, dear reader, updated about its progress, breaking news, and key highlights. Indeed, SignLink’s publishing parent, Link Publishing, is a sister company to Link Exhibitions and joins a growing number of trade magazine publishers that have founded their own exhibition. FESPA/Sign Africa is another example of this, run by the team behind Practical Publishing. Print Wear and Promotion is another key player based right here in the UK, in our own market segment, that has trod the same path.

The reason for this is clear. National, market-focussed trade exhibitions are absolutely vital for the long-term health of the industry’s they service. They act as an economic kick starter that unlocks savings, stimulates investment, drives the development of new technology, spurs the creation of new services, and ultimately brings its members out of their firm’s to learn and improve their business performance. So, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed The Print Show and I look forward to the ongoing health of our sector.