Operating under the theme of ‘A Blueprint for the Future’, The Print Show aims to showcase the growth opportunities available in various sectors of the UK print industry
Starting up a new exhibition or event in the print industry is no easy task, with many shows having come and gone over the years. In order to make a success of a new event, organisers have to ensure that it addresses key trends in the market and meets the requirements of a demanding industry.
Taking place for the first time this year, The Print Show looks set to do exactly this, with an expansive programme of exhibitors and speakers lined up. Running from October 13th to 15th at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, the show is the brainchild of Link Exhibitions, which is run by the same team behind key industry titles Print Monthly and SignLink.
The NEC in Birmingham will host the inaugural edition of The Print Show from October 13th to 15th. The venue has also staged a host of other key industry events in previous years
With a host of big names from the market already on board as exhibitors, and the support of key trade bodies from the industry, the event is set for an impressive debut later this year. However, it is important to consider what exactly the show will offer to UK companies that other events cannot.
Diversification opportunities
Although not quite up their street at first glance, the UK’s community of wide-format print equipped sign-makers are being urged to attend the debut edition of The Print Show, to not only view the latest technology in wide-format print, but also view the diversification opportunities available in the commercial print sector.
A key trend from the print industry in recent years has been the diversification of many commercial printers into wide-format print, due to the amount of work available in this vibrant market.
Despite this decision having proved successful for many UK printers, The Print Show will this year demonstrate how those in the sign-making and wide-format print market can also use their own knowledge of the market and diversify their services into the commercial print sector to access new revenue streams.
This key message will be echoed by exhibitors at the show, some of which hail directly from the sign-making and wide-format print industries. One such company is Signmaster Systems, which will have a major presence at The Print Show on one of the event’s biggest stands.
Company director Phil George says The Print Show will serve as an opportunity for those in the wide-format print and sign-making sectors to gather new ideas and identify opportunities for diversification in the commercial print market.
“It’s great for start-ups when they can go to a one-stop-shop and get everything done. For our clients, it’s really good, and that’s why it will work so well for wide-format digital moving into commercial print,” says Phil George, managing director of Signmaster Systems
“Wide-format printers and sign-makers should consider coming along to the show as it will allow them to gather new ideas to expand their business,” George says, adding: “It will give them a wider option to expand. It works both ways. You’ve got commercial printers with a lot of people requiring digital print in that sector, and vice versa. A lot of people come along and have the artwork for digital, and while they are there for signage and wide-format jobs, they do need things such as business cards.
“It’s great for start-ups when they can go to a one-stop-shop and get everything done. For our clients, it’s really good, and that’s why it will work so well for wide-format digital moving into commercial print.”
Ideal opportunity
Another company that has opted to exhibit at The Print show is Grafityp, which is known to many members of the sign-making and wide-format print sectors. Debbie Astle, marketing manager of the Grafityp UK arm, says that those in these industries should seriously consider coming along to the show, as the event could help them access profitable new markets.
Grafityp will showcase a wide range of its technology and materials at The Print Show, from desktop UV systems for branding promotional items such as phones, through to state-of-the-art wide-format inkjet printers
Astle says: “With machines from many manufacturers all in one place, The Print Show provides the opportunity to make comparisons on quality and price to see what best suits the business for which it is intended and possibly benefit from buying at the show to take advantage of offers made for the duration of the event.
“Sign-making and digital printing seem to go hand in hand nowadays; even sign-makers that do not own digital printers often find themselves needing to offer the service and outsource jobs. However, it no longer costs the earth to get into this line of business with smaller machines at very reasonable prices and at Grafityp we also offer finance options.”
Event director Chris Davies has also picked up on the opportunities that await visitors to the show, stating that the event will help those from sign-making and wide-format, as well as, commercial print backgrounds access new business.
Davies adds: “We all know how many commercial printers have diversified into wide-format over the last few years, so why should those companies from the sign-making and wide-format print markets not benefit from moving into commercial print? The market has improved a lot in recent months and now is a good time to move into the sector.”
Something different
Event director, Chris Davies has been busy travelling the length of the UK over the past year securing the support of not only exhibitors, but also trade bodies, industry media, and print companies themselves.
“The reason behind the show is quite simple; the UK print industry does not have a dedicated exhibition and, to be honest, a market as big as ours both needs and deserves one,” Davies explains, adding: “Having attended print events in the UK for many years, I can honestly say The Print Show will be something completely different.”
The reason behind the show is quite simple; the UK print industry does not have a dedicated exhibition and, to be honest, a market as big as ours both needs and deserves one”
In terms of support for the show, Davies highlights not just the calibre of the companies that have signed up to exhibit, but also the various industry trade bodies, organisations, and media outlets that have declared their backing for the event.
“When you see the likes of Ricoh, KBA, Konica Minolta and Manroland Sheetfed on the floorplan, there’s no doubting how much some of the market’s biggest players value our show,” Davies says, adding: “After all, if they didn’t think it was going to be a success or was needed, they wouldn’t have committed to actually exhibiting at the show.
“We’ve also got the likes of the British Association for Print and Communication (BAPC) and the British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF) on board, as well as industry-specific organisations such as Print Power and Two Sides. We’ve also managed to secure a number of key media partners that will be supporting the show with extensive coverage before, during and after the doors have opened.
Chris Davies, event director for The Print Show, says the event will offer something that no other current exhibition in the UK market can. The show will cover all sectors of the market from commercial print through to wide-format print
“I can’t stress enough how important we think this event will be as, quite simply, the UK does not currently have a show in place that offers what we can.”
Jewel in the crown
Delving into what exactly the event will offer, marketing manager Page Tuck outlines the extensive feature programme that will greet visitors on their arrival at the NEC. Designed with the UK industry in mind, Tuck says the event’s many features will address the needs of all those in attendance.
Tuck comments: “The jewel in the crown for our show is our ‘Diversification Zone’. The reason we wanted to develop this is that most exhibitions have large business seminar programmes that run all day—the content of some are very good, but others are pretty useless to the average commercial printer.
“They can get all the information they need from such sessions in a few minutes, but they could be stuck in the seminar for up to 45 minutes. The problem is that this takes lots of visitors off the floor, where they could be investigating new technology, business and ventures.
“What we have done is set up expert consultants in the top six diversification areas open to commercial printers. Visitors can walk up to any one of these experts and have a free consultation about how they can gain access to certain markets.”
The markets that will feature in the Diversification Zone include ‘Industrial and Commercial Print’, which will cover a whole host of print and allow visitors to learn about upsizing their business to one that operates on a more industrial scale.
O Factoid: The Independent Print Industries Association (IPIA) will use its stand at The Print Show to help its members gain valuable exposure. The organisation’s stand will be made up of a range of companies from various sectors of the industry. O
Other sectors to be put under the microscope include ‘Textile Printing’, a market that includes work such as soft signage and textile work, as well as the ever-popular ‘Large-Format Print’ market that boasts a whole range of work such as exhibition and window graphics, in addition to trade printing services.
The ‘Digital Marketing Services and Crossmedia’ area of the Diversification Zone will demonstrate how traditional printers can transform themselves into a multi-channel service provider, while the ‘Packaging’ section will show opportunities to commercial printers in this market segment.
Another key area that will feature in the dedicated zone is ‘Product and Service Diversification’, with visitors able to learn about how they can partner with a trade service supplier to build up a certain part of their business before investing in their own kit.
Celebrating print culture
Aside from the dedicated Diversification Zone, Tuck also draws attention to the ‘Business Seminar Theatre’, which will feature a host of special speakers from all corners of the industry. As well as representatives from the BAPC and BPIF, the area will feature sessions from the likes of The Print Coach, Nick Devine, who will tackle sales during the second day of the show, as well as Matthew Parker from Print Champion, and Jonathan Tame from Print Power and Two Sides.
Elsewhere, the ‘Proskills Zone’ will serve as the specialist education area of the show, with more than 300 students set to attend to find out more about what the industry can offer to them in terms of careers.
Tuck notes: “We’ll be running special tours around the show for students that come along in an effort to show off the various careers on offer in our industry. We know that youngsters don’t often think about print when considering their future career, but The Print Show will give them a good opportunity to find out exactly what is on offer.”
In addition, the ‘Software Theatres’ will allow visitors to find out how to get the best out of Quark, Adobe, and Corel during production, with on-site training to be provided to those in attendance.
Tuck is also keen to highlight a special zone that has been entitled ‘Traditional Print Masterclasses’, where visitors can catch a glimpse of some of print’s best technology and processes from years gone by.
Tuck expands: “This is something we are particularly proud of; we will have three traditional print providers running historic pieces of machinery, such as Colombia presses from the 1800s, Albion presses, and 1800s rolling presses. They will be producing historic print workflows from the 1700s and 1800s, showing visitors how print was produced back in the day.
We want to celebrate the culture of print in the UK and show off the magnificent history of our industry”
“It’s a bit of fun and people can get involved and use machinery with help from the staff. There will also be a museum-style exhibit of the history of print in the UK by St Bride Foundation. We want to celebrate the culture of print in the UK and show off the magnificent history of our industry.”
Innovative plans
While organisers have planned out a host of interesting features and sessions for visitors, exhibitors have also been coming up with ideas to attract attention to their stands. With approximately 100 companies and organisations to exhibit at the show, what can visitors expect on the show floor?
Ricoh is arguably one of the biggest names to have committed to the show and has already revealed it will be demonstrating a range of kit. Due to be on display are the Pro C9100 series new generation of durable high volume digital presses, the Pro C7100 series of digital colour cut sheet presses, the Pro C5100 digital production printer, and the Pro L4100 series latex, roll-to-roll large-format printer.
Ricoh plans to show off a host of kit at The Print Show. Pictured: a machine from the Pro C7100 series of digital colour cut sheet presses
Gareth Parker, strategic marketing manager for production print at Ricoh UK and Ireland, has encouraged companies from across the industry to attend the show to not only find out more about Ricoh’s latest products, but also meet with other professionals to discuss new ideas and business ventures.
Parker comments: “People should consider coming along because it doesn’t represent a massive stake in their time as they can have a lot of information given to them in one place. The show is definitely well timed and should be on your agenda to put it in your diary.
“Our general message from Ricoh is that no matter who you are, coming together to see how the industry is building post-recession in a digital economy is going to be a point in time that is worth looking at. It’s a good time to come and see how you can be more productive.”
Meanwhile, management information systems (MIS) supplier Shuttleworth has revealed it will use the show to demonstrate the latest developments regarding its products. The firm will display its latest job tracking functionality ‘Milestones’, as well as the most up-to-date version of its production scheduling module.
Dawn Safford, marketing executive at Shuttleworth, comments: “We are aiming to use this occasion to inspire the print and packaging industry by providing new MIS developments and solutions that can be used to help customers. We will show how delivering powerful technical MIS solutions can reduce administration and cost and ultimately increase profits.”
On the wide-format side of print, Printmax will be in attendance to show off its range of Mimaki equipment. Michael Bolton, managing director, says the event will help the company reach a range of visitors, revealing that it will showcase three pieces of technology in particular. These will be Mimaki’s CJV150 print and cut option, the UJF-6042 direct to object printer, and the CFL-605RT compact flatbed cutter.
Michael Bolton, managing director of Printmax, has revealed that the company will showcase various technology from Mimaki at the show this year. Pictured: Katie Fell, its consumables consultant, will be on hand to educate visitors
Bolton adds: “The breadth of potential visitors was an appealing factor, with no other show offering an opportunity to showcase such versatile and innovative products, appealing to the entire UK print industry.”
The breadth of potential visitors was an appealing factor, with no other show offering an opportunity to showcase such versatile and innovative products, appealing to the entire UK print industry”
With a host of other exhibitors set to use the show as a platform to promote new and existing products, there are plenty of reasons for the industry to sit up and take notice of the new event. Throw in an innovative feature programme, with input from some of print’s best minds, and you have what is shaping up to be one of the best UK print events in recent history.
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