This year’s exhibition, covering two halls, features plenty of workshops and lectures. Walking around the show, the halls were lined with exhibitors from all around the world.

A range of UK companies showed their support for the German visual communication industry by taking up a stand. One of these companies was KPMF, which drew in crowds waiting in anticipation as the European Wrap Star 2015 competition got underway.

Talented wrappers took on the challenge of wrapping a car door using KPMF’s cast films. The company brought its new range to the show including excelsior blue, matt lightning, matt russet red, and magnetic black—colours that sales and marketing manager, Denise Griffiths, says have been designed to be unique.

Hoping to gain more customers outside of the UK, Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) partnered up with German distributor, easy to trade GmbH, which sells solid carbide metal knife tools for high precision cutting. Technical sales manager of ITC, Sally Hunt, was on hand to talk visitors through its wide range of high quality routing and engraving tools, ideal for customers who have invested in machinery from manufacturers such as Zünd and Esko.

Describing themselves as a small British company doing its part for the export, Sagetech is another UK company looking to acquire more distributors around the world. Showcasing its Zapkut ZM range, Koolkut KF and KK ranges, the company also revealed a new router head that is capable of precision depth cutting for ‘V’ grooving for making sign trays.

Craig Williams, operations manager of Radecal Machine Sales, explains why they decided to exhibit in Germany: “There are two angles really. We are looking to get more resellers in Europe and also sell more kit abroad in general.” The company brought two of its best-selling pieces of kit to the show—the Piranha multi-head ATC CNC router PJM1325, and Piranha 390 laser cutter machine.

Demonstrating the capabilities of its products, Ultima Displays’ fabric structures were used to form its own exhibition stand. Spotting a ‘huge market’ in textiles, the team says they are focusing on fabric structures, alongside its core pop-up banner products. Ultima Displays sees Viscom as a major show for the sector and aims to develop more into the German market.

Although 37 percent of exhibitors came from outside of Germany, the majority (63 percent) were local German companies. Amongst these companies, the battle between neon and LED was ever-present around the halls as both held their own at the show.

Just some of the highlights included Emo Neon which produces neon signage all in-house, and LED display solutions specialist ACT GmbH, which showcased stunning video walls and even video stairways.

Also, Peter Sapper of Teppiche-Printer explained how printing onto carpet is making a comeback, and its fluorescent skeleton prints were a big hit amongst passers-by.

Joining the show for the first time, one of the leading print shops in Germany, KL Druck, showcased its comprehensive list of services. Rolf Kürten explained how the company produces signage, such as LED display cases for retail stores, for many big brands. The company’s impressive headquarters (which we were shown around the previous day) features kit such as the KBA Rapida 205 and HP Scritex 11000.

Major manufactures such as Canon, Roland DG, and OKI also flocked to Viscom. Agfa Graphics demonstrated the capabilities of the Jeti Mira MG2716, while HP’s impressive technology line-up ranged from its PageWide printer to the Scitex FB550.

Drawing in notable visitor figures within hours—many of whom anecdotally had come to purchase equipment rather than just browse—it is without doubt that Viscom will continue to give people the ‘world of inspiration’ it intended both for this event and for many years to come.

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