Under the theme ‘Dare to Print Different’, FESPA 2017 will take place in Hamburg from May 8th to 12th, with co-located shows Printeriors and European Sign Expo. The main show covers screen printing, digital printing, and textile printing, and has exhibitions all over the world.

At the press event, FESPA revealed the next locations for the show, including 2018 in Berlin and 2019 in Munich, while 2020 will see the show move outside of Germany.

I was given the chance to ask Neil Felton, chief executive officer of FESPA, about what visitors can expect from this year’s show.

“This year we will have the most diverse set of products, we will have over 700 exhibitors and we’re covering eleven halls,” Felton says, adding: “It is genuinely exciting because I know there are a lot of big product launches coming up, and I think a lot of suppliers now wait until FESPA to launch these products.

“If people want their business to move forward, there’s no better way than the leading show in the world for wide-format print. It tells you what’s happening with the market, it shows you the machinery and the inks, and you get the chance to compare every single product you could possibly buy.

“It’s time efficient and the place to see what’s new. As a not-for-profit organisation, people are very open to networking as they see it as a non-evasive community and the show mirrors that feeling.”

Visitors will have access to free educational content and the winner of the Wrap Masters Design Competition will see a Formula 4S speed boat wrapped with their design at the show—something Felton says visitors should not miss.

Frank Tueckmantel, vice president, corporate marketing of EFI explains why the company is exhibiting: “We had really good success at FESPA in past years regardless of location. FESPA is one of the top three shows in Europe that we exhibit at as it attracts the right people and it covers a wide area of interest that EFI is now represented in.

"We will have the latest generation of our roll-to-roll printers that we just introduced at Connect and we will have our latest software solutions. With this mix of software and Fiery-driven printers, we are encouraging people to think about optimising the entire workflow.”

Tueckmantel cites textiles and corrugated as two markets currently growing in demand, noting that its first Nozomi C18000 will be delivered to a Spanish company this March. He hopes to reach even more customers through exhibiting at FESPA.

Another exhibitor is Mimaki with not one but two stands at this year’s show, one in the textile hall and one in the digital hall. Ivan Lesmana, event/tradeshow co-ordinator of Mimaki, says: “FESPA is our most important and biggest show every year, and we always introduce our new products there. We hope to strengthen our relationship with our clients and meet new potential customers.”

This year Mimaki will bring 3D machines and will also show its commitment to the textile market bringing the Tiger-1800B direct-to-textile inkjet printer.

Also part of FESPA Press Fest was a talk by Jim Lawless, author of Taming Tigers: Do Things You Never Thought You Could, encouraging printers to get active and make positive changes to their businesses—maybe you will get the inspiration you need to do this at FESPA.

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