FESPA goes into orbit

Despite the space theme, you will not need a space rocket to get you to Cologne this May. Just an airline ticket or the Eurostar will take you to FESPA Digital which takes place firmly on planet earth, although some of the exhibits do have a futuristic feel to them. After all you are seeing the next generation of kit, equipment, and ideas which will transform the industry in the coming years in a show claiming to be your chance to Discover Your Universe of Print.

Spread over a working week from May 18th to 22nd, the trade show takes up an exhausting 62,500sq/m of exhibition space in the north halls of Koelnmesse, in which to walk around. You really need a golf trolley as it is the industry’s largest show to date and possibly the hardest yet on the feet of visitors who will wander the aisles in search of new markets, new customers, and new opportunities.

O Factoid: Wear comfy shoes as the trade show takes up an exhausting 62,500sq/m of exhibition space. O

Is it worth the trip?

For those contemplating the trip, there is a quick calculation that takes place. Will it be worth my while? For sign-makers in the market for a new wide-format printer, there is a chance for a bargain. As long as you know what you want then playing one manufacturer off against another as you visit the stands can save you several times the plane fare and hotel bill with plenty of spare cash to spend on consumables.



And there are more plausible reasons for perusing the carpeted aisles at Koelnmesse. For instance there will be print buyers from a wide variety of firms and organisations looking for new suppliers, which for some attending, the prospect of being able to contact more potential customers in five days than they can reach in a year is just too tempting to resist. Plus there will be scores of journalists looking for good stories. It is also one of the largest events in its sector, with more than 20,000 visitors from across the globe.

Branded sections

The list of what is on show covers all bases. And to help visitors find each sector they are interested in the event has been broken up into branded sections. These are Printeriors, FESPA Wrap Hub, FESPA Sign Hub, FESPA Awards, FESPA Industrial Print, and the FESPA Education Hub, all of which are helped by the input of ESMA, the European Specialist Printing Manufacturers Association.



As you might guess Printeriors is all about combining print and interior design and revealing what is possible with the breakthroughs in computer aided design and wide-format print technology while FESPA Wrap Hub does exactly what it says on the tin (to use the popular saying) as visitors can learn all about wrapping from experts, and see new techniques and markets. FESPA Sign Hub showcases new digital signage showing how the market is rapidly changing, opening up new possibilities for sign-makers great and small.

Perhaps in response to the rise of Inprint, FESPA has included its own industrial print show exploring the possibilities of this growth market, from printed electronics to printing as part of the manufacture of automotive products. Finally, the FESPA Awards is at the centre of the show and is an exhibition of examples of printing by screen, digital, and mixed-technique technologies.

In the words of the organisers, Printeriors 2015 is an exhibition ‘designed to highlight the creative imagination and possibilities when combining print and interior design’. Increasingly printers and sign-makers are using wide-format digital printers to widen their portfolios by being able to print on carpets, floor coverings, create personalised wallpapers, and even on glass. It means that to take one example not only the signs and stationery for a hotel could be printed but also its office walls, glass partitions, reception areas, rooms, carpets, and curtains. The list is endless.

FESPA says with some credence that the event will allow ‘interior designers, architects, buyers, hoteliers and creatives the opportunity to discover how easily print can be incorporated into interior design’. If this is of interest then it should be worth attending a one-day seminar on the subject on May 21st in room Rheinsaal 3, located a short walk from the exhibition centre entrance, on level one of the con-vention centre.

Some trade shows offer an education or training programme which are little more than a few chairs in a cordoned off area with sales talks dressed up as lectures. In contrast FESPA have located their education offering at stand B90 next door to their own official stand, in hall eight at the show. The subjects covered will include talks on digital printing, screen printing, industrial applications, and textile printing, design, and workflow tips. And in case you have missed some-thing the hub will be screening inter-views, demonstrations, and workshop sessions filmed during the week allowing you to catch up.

Wrap against the clock



One of the most eye-catching and popular events at the show is the FESPA World Wrap Masters Series Global Final. It is a knock-out competition, with real tension in the air as a series of teams battle it out using all the skills and techniques required to wrap vehicles in front of the public and against the clock. Not only fans of Top Gear, and petrol heads in general, will find it of interest but sign-makers wanting to extend their offering to customers with the ability to wrap anything from yachts to motorcycles, and from vans to truck will want to take a look. It is a big and growing business and here you will see the potential in a live competition amongst Europe’s finest. It runs from Monday to Wednesday with the finals taking place on the Thursday and Friday.


Perhaps the FESPA Sign Hub should have been branded as the Digital Signage Hub as the feature is all about digital signage and how the technology is revolutionising the world of point-of-purchase and signage in general, including traditional advertising hoar-dings. There will be software providers, developers, installers, and digital signage suppliers on hand to demonstrate and illustrate their areas of expertise allowing visitors to take away new insights into the industry. The hub will also feature an ‘ask the experts’ arena, a bar where visitors can have a relaxed chat with industry experts, and the sign conference with a daily panel of speakers to discuss a wide range of subjects dear to the heart of digital sign-makers and designers.

Choose your winner

The showcase of the whole event is held in the boulevard which lies at the core of the main hall and leads along a wide corridor from the main entrance of the exhibition. There you will find examples of top quality exhibits of screen, digital, and mixed-technique printing in a long list of categories.

There will be fine art, decals, outdoor, and vehicle decoration to whet the appetite. Plus special effect printing, garment and wearables decoration, interior decoration, industrial and functional print. Also on show will be a classic cross media print campaign, a youth section showing off the work of students and those new to the industry and there will be the FESPA Hall of Fame award.



Added to that, there is the big bash on May 19th when the FESPA Awards celebration dinner at die Flora, in Cologne will take place. It is a chance to mix with the industry’s top brass and to hopefully pick up an award in one of the many categories open to all.

Industrial print showcase

FESPA’s organisers have no doubt reacted to the success of Inprint (Industrial Print Show) last year in Hannover and the next event planned for November in Munich, as FESPA?has been prompted into adding their own version to this year’s big do. To use the show’s own phrase, ‘industrial printing is at the forefront of cutting-edge technology, with printed applications providing unique solutions within the manufacturing process for a host of products that we all use and experience each day’. This is one sector that is growing but it is also highly specialised, although there are some printers who have diversified into the world of industrial print.



The Industrial Print Showcase at FESPA is promoted by ESMA, the non-profit association for specialist printing manufacturers of screen and digital print technology. It is a dedicated section of the show demonstrating digital and screen printing industrial applications focusing on printed electronics, décor and laminates, and the automotive industry. There will be daily ‘lunch and learn’ sessions, as FESPA calls them, to highlight opportunities and a chance to see if industrial print is the future for some visiting companies.

FESPA bites back

FESPA has been around since the early 1960s promoting, championing, and selling the arts and the industries of all forms of print and associated businesses. Every time it appears to be faltering as rival exhibitions are quicker in spotting market trends, FESPA fights back. This year’s show in Germany resembles a canny Napoleonic general who sees his enemies discovering the use of camouflage instead of gold braid, rifles instead of muskets, and light infantry instead of heavy cavalry, and is quick in coming up with a repost.

They have included industrial print, digital signage and enough innovative demonstrations and lectures to satisfy the most curious sign-maker and printer. Once again it appears that The Federation of European Screen Printers Associations has reinvented itself and is well worth jumping on a plane or catching a train and heading off to see its latest offering in Germany this May.


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