Despite the Platinum Jubilee and travel chaos affecting individuals across Europe, visitors to FESPA Global Print Expo endured and showed up in droves to see the latest equipment and solutions on display.

SignLink wasn’t immune to the travel disruptions, travelling to four airports, and catching five airplanes over the entire trip.

Huge queues at security gates, baggage problems, and late flights all affected travellers to the exhibition, with the Platinum Jubilee also adding a spanner in the works.

With a shorter working week, and more people travelling due to half term/ the bank holiday, many visitors and exhibitors had varied travel plans. Hopefully next year’s event will be a lot smoother as the world adjusts to disruptions and life after the pandemic.

Thankfully, however, any problems didn’t dampen spirits as the exhibition was a fantastic opportunity to put faces to names, catch up with businesses, and check out the latest kit and solutions benefitting the industry.

Features such as World Wrap Masters, Printeriors, and the Sustainability Spotlight all added unique and fun dimensions to an already sprawling exhibition.

While many exhibitions or events give the chance for the public to interact with what is on show, FESPA 2022 felt far more like a reunion of the industry, with many stands and areas acting like networking and meeting areas.

Large stands with drink bars and baristas meant the show had a very relaxed and welcoming feel. At the centre of many halls were large, impressive stands showcasing the latest in wide-format, digital, and screen printing.

Speaking at the show, wide-format inkjet solutions manager for Fujifilm Europe, Steve Cookman said: “It’s really strange, but very exciting, obviously because of what we’re showing. It brings back all the memories of other FESPAs in the past, and makes you realise what a valuable event it is.”

Over at Roland DG, sales director Rob Goleniowski said: “The response to the products has been excellent; we’ve had people really keen to come back and speak to us. We’ve been away for a really long time, and there’s been a lot of innovation in that time period, so most of the machines on the Roland stand are actually making their FESPA debut.”

The exhibition included the sustainability spotlight as well as a new feature called Associations Pavillion to showcase examples of screen and digitally printed work from global Associations

Goleniowski adds: “People are really wanting to come see the print quality and what the machines can do for their business… That ability to connect to customers face to face is just something you can’t do over a video call”

With the show situated in Berlin, many celebrations took place across the city giving printers, suppliers, and end-users the chance to connect and unwind after years of challenges.

With hearty German food, and refreshing beer on tap, celebrations including the FESPA 60th anniversary party, Fujifilm Blueprint, and Canon Make it Big, all added to the experience for many visitors and FESPA members.

Sponsors like durst, Mimaki, brother, Canon, Roland, Sun Chemical and HP all had big presences at the show and showcased impressive new technology across the various halls which focused on areas like inks, garment printing, and vehicle wrapping.

FESPA 2022 will undoubtedly lead to much more news over the coming weeks, but in regards to its next exhibition, FESPA looks forward to welcoming back visitors in 2023, between May 23rd and 26th in Munich, Germany.

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