Gain a New Perspective
Taking place at Messe Munich in Germany from May 23rd to 26th, FESPA Global Print Expo and the co-located European Sign Expo have already amassed over 450 exhibitors for the 2023 edition.
The event is a popular staple in the speciality print and sign industry calendar with the various stands and booths demonstrating the creativity and inspiration of the different sectors of the industry. From wide-format and superwide-format machinery, to textiles, vinyl, and other materials, to software solutions, the exhibition showcases all there is to see to make your print or sign business as successful as possible.
Whilst at the event, visitors will have the opportunity to gain ‘New Perspectives’ by seeing and feeling the applications being demonstrated, experiencing technology running at full speed as it would on a production floor, as well as networking and meeting new partners and industry friends.
Amongst those on the exhibitor list are well-known names such as Canon, Mimaki, Durst, Epson, Fujifilm, HP, AGFA, EFI, Zund, Hexis, Kongsberg, Brother, and Ricoh. Sponsors of the show include Durst and Surfex as Platinum sponsors and Brother, Mimaki, Hanglory, and HP as Gold sponsors. The event will also welcome back over 95 returning exhibitors such as Intec, Swiss Dynamics, Optimus, Dreamscape, and Novisign.
The annual event provides a space to network and form new partnerships. Image: Oliver Wachenfeld
The show itself covers a range of areas of the industry from digital printing and textile, to screen printing. Digital printing continues to be a fast growing area of the market with exhibitors demonstrating the latest technologies in wide-format digital printing, interior décor solutions, sign and graphics, event branding, and so on.
For the textile sector, FESPA Global Print Expo 2023 will demonstrate live the capabilities of areas such as customised on-demand production and applications such as clothing and fashion, interiors, and also highlight the importance of sustainability in this sector.
In terms of who the show is angled at, the answer is anyone and everyone. From established print and sign companies to students and trainees, the show will have something for CEOs or apprentices, graphic designers or sign installers, T-shirt printers or superwide-format graphic producers.
Michael Ryan, head of FESPA Global Print Expo, explains how throughout the show halls the event will highlight how visitors can capitalise on key trends including automation, personalisation, and sustainability as well as address challenges such as rising costs and supply chain issues.
Additional features
In addition to browsing the hundreds of exhibitors present on the show floor, the event also hosts a number of features such as the popular FESPA Awards, Sustainability Spotlight, and World Wrap Masters with the latter taking place from May 23rd to 24th with the Series final taking place from May 25th to 26th.
Sustainability is predicted to be a key theme of the 2023 event with the Sustainability Spotlight feature providing advice and insights on this topic. Image: Oliver Wachenfeld
The only global wrap competition, the World Wrap Masters is a much anticipated and popular event at FESPA each year but the build-up to this takes place prior to the exhibition with heats taking place across every major continent throughout the year.
Once winners of the regional and national events have been named ‘World Wrap Masters’, they then go on to compete live at FESPA Global Print Expo for the title of ‘Global World Wrap Master’. Last year’s competition saw Ivan Tenchev take home the title for the second time.
Now in its seventh year, another popular feature of the event is Printeriors. This feature sees a showcase of sustainably produced interior décor with each product on display created in collaboration with FESPA’s print industry partners and their technicians.
Another area will be the Sustainability Spotlight which offers advice and insights to printers looking to make their businesses more sustainable. This is delivered through an educational conference and provides the opportunity for visitors to explore products in a showcase display format.
Back for the first time since 2019, the best of the industry will be celebrated through the FESPA Awards with shortlisted entries displayed at the entrance of the exhibition. The official Awards Ceremony will take place on Wednesday May 24th with the Awards celebrating the achievements of printers and sign-makers from across the globe. A total of 18 speciality categories will recognise and highlight the skills, talent, creativity, and innovation of the industry.
New to 2023 is the co-running Personalisation Experience which promises to bring together 3,500 stakeholders from retailers, brands, agencies, printers, and fulfilment houses and connect these with software providers and OEMs. The idea behind this is to showcase the potential of personalisation in applications such as sportswear, packaging, product, loyalty, and custom interiors. This area will be delivered in the form of four one-day conferences and an application showcase incorporating Printeriors.
Richard Askam, TEDx speaker and FESPA’s Personalisation Ambassador will be the moderator for the event and confirmed speakers include Prof. Frank Thomas Piller, Professor of Management and Head of the Institute for Technology and Innovation Management at RWTH Aachen University; Paul Currie, Retail Executive and Chairman of YPP Group; Debbie McKeegan, award-winning British Designer, CEO of Textintel, and FESPA’s Textile Ambassador; and more.
Also co-running alongside FESPA Global Print Expo is the European Sign Expo which is celebrating its tenth year. Running alongside solutions for digital printing and graphics, the European Sign Expo offers visitors an insight into the solutions and materials for areas such as channel lettering, dimensional signage, engraving and etching, LED, and more. Focusing on digital signage, traditional signage, and visual communications, this event is angled at anyone from sign-makers, graphic designers, interior designers, to installers and brand managers.
Wrappers will compete for the title of 'Global Wrap Master' at FESPA Global Print Espo. Image: Oliver Wachenfeld
With so much to look forward to, we asked Ryan what he is most excited for. “I’m personally particularly looking forward to seeing the shortlisted entries for the FESPA Awards on show and celebrating the winners, which will be announced on-site.
“The entries we’ve received have been extraordinary and we’ll be recognising the excellence in our global speciality print and visual communications community in our display. I recommend stopping by to have a look!”
Ryan adds: “And of course, what’s most exciting is that FESPA is a platform for technology innovation and I can’t wait to hear about the new products that will be debuted at FESPA 2023 and to see the impact these technology and media innovations will have."
Key themes for 2023
When quizzed on what he thinks some of the key themes we will see at the 2023 edition of FESPA Global Print Expo will be, Ryan says three trends regularly surface during conversations with the FESPA community. These, he predicts, will be at the forefront of this year’s exhibition.
“Firstly, automation and process optimisation will continue to play a big role this year for businesses wanting to maximise production efficiency, and we anticipate that a huge number of our exhibitors will be showcasing solutions that enable print businesses to speed up production, reduce operator intervention, and minimise waste.”
Unsurprisingly as it’s such a hot topic throughout many industries at present, the second trend Ryan predicts is sustainability. Corporate brands are continuing to put pressure on print and sign partners to offer more environmentally friendly solutions and Ryan says that alongside the Sustainability Spotlight, visitors can expect to see sustainable technologies, more eco-conscious consumables, and reusable or recyclable substrates on supplier stands throughout the show halls.
Thirdly, Ryan lists personalisation, which has been a key topic for many years. “Forward-thinking print businesses have seen the opportunity for personalisation that came with the shift to digital production, however many have yet to fully grasp its true commercial value.
Forward-thinking print businesses have seen the opportunity for personalisation that came with the shift to digital production, however many have yet to fully grasp its true commercial value”
“We’ve now reached a point where the creative and technical capability is matched by widespread and immediate demand. Within Personalisation Experience, we’ll be highlighting the opportunities that come with this trend, and I expect several exhibitors in Personalisation Experience, Global Print Expo and European Sign Expo will demonstrate solutions that enable customised production.”
The nitty gritty
The event is to be held in the Messe Munich, Germany with entrance at the West Entrance of the venue. Designed for exhibitions, the spacious and brightly-lit building is well placed to host the exhibition, conferences, and other features of FESPA Global Print Expo. The building itself is located directly next to the A 94 freeway with signage on the freeway itself guiding vehicles to Messe Munich parking areas.
The venue also features over 80 electric vehicle charging stations and one supercharger. If arriving from the airport, there are options of shuttle buses, public transport, and taxis with buses regularly departing to and from the exhibition grounds. Shuttle bus stops can be found at Munich airport outside Terminal 1, areas A and MAC, and outside Terminal 2.
Also found below the central area of Munich Airport is the S-Bahn train station for lines S1 and S8 with trains departing every ten minutes for the city centre. If travelling from Munich’s central station (Hauptbahnhof), the train takes less than 30 minutes and the exhibition centre is also directly connected to the underground stations Messestadt West and Messestadt Ost of the U2 lines.
The exhibition itself is open from 10am to 6pm Tuesday 23rd May to Thursday 25th May and from 10am to 3pm on Friday 26th May.
Registration for the 2023 show is open with the following fees applying:
SUPER EARLY BIRD
February - 23 March €30.00 (£26.47)
EARLY BIRD
24 March - 23 April €50.00 (£44.12)
STANDARD FEE
24 April - Show open days €80.00 (£70.60)
Without a promotional code, entry will be charged at the full price of €80.00 (£70.60). Promotional Codes can be found across all FESPA Global Print Expo marketing channels, including social media, postal mailing, emails, and FESPA.com articles. All promotional codes will begin with four letters followed by three or four numbers i.e. ESEZ909 (code not active).
FESPA is also launching a new event app geared towards improving visitors’ experience during the four-day show. This will allow visitors to prepare for their visit ahead of time, schedule meetings with suppliers, and make notes of the stands they want to visit.
O Factoid: During the formative General Assembly in 1962, the French Printers Association decided to create FESPA with seven European Associations. Paris was chosen as the venue for FESPA’s first exhibition organised by the French Association in 1963 O
“We’re looking forward to returning to Messe Munich which consistently proves to be a popular venue choice with both visitors and exhibitors,” Ryan says, adding: “We’ve previously hosted four successful shows in Munich, including FESPA 2019 which was our biggest Global Print Expo to date!
“Besides the excellent facilities and travel connections, there are plenty of other good reasons for our visitors to flock to Bavaria’s capital, if not for the infamous breweries, the city is also home to some of the leading museums and trade shows within the DACH region.”
Ryan adds: “We’re inviting readers of SignLink to open their minds and gain a new perspective on print and signage and turn challenges of the past into future opportunities at FESPA Global Print Expo 2023.”
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