Labelexpo India and Brand Print India postponed

A result of the ongoing coronavirus situation

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Brand Print
SMI stand at Labelexpo India 2018

The Tarsus Group, the organizer of Labelexpo and Brand Print global series of trade shows, confirmed date changes to several of its 2020/21 events, taking place in India, Mexico, Thailand, and the US, as a result of the ongoing coronavirus/COVID-19 situation.

They are:

Labelexpo Americas/Brand Print Americas: postponed from 15 – 17 September 2020 to 23 – 25 March 2021 in Rosemont, US;

Labelexpo Southeast Asia: postponed from 10 – 12 September 2020 to 12 – 14 May 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand;

Labelexpo India/Brand Print India: postponed from 29 October – 1 November 2020 to 2 – 5 December 2020 in Greater Noida, India;

Labelexpo Mexico/Brand Print Mexico: postponed from 23 – 25 June 2021 to early 2022 in Mexico City, Mexico (dates TBC).

In the case of Labelexpo Americas/Brand Print Americas, a virtual conference will precede the show, taking place during the original mid-September dates. This will enable the industry to stay connected during this unprecedented period.

Lisa Milburn, managing director of Labelexpo and Brand Print global series says, “Given the impact of coronavirus/COVID-19, we have taken the difficult decision to postpone several of our printing shows around the world over the next 18 months until the threat of the virus reduces. These are exceptional circumstances, and the decision has been the result of an in-depth strategic review of our whole portfolio, while simultaneously monitoring developments around the world over the last few months. The health and safety of exhibitors, visitors, and staff has been our key driver throughout this process, and we have acted on the advice of all local partners, venues, health authorities concerned and listened to exhibitor feedback.

“In determining new dates for individual shows, we have taken into consideration the needs and geographies of our wider portfolio, their biennial nature, position in the overall show cycle, and availability of venues. Moving LE Southeast Asia will also enable us to return to our normal show cycle from 2022. For all of our shows, we are, as ever, committed to ensuring the highest quality, safe experience the industry expects from Labelexpo and Brand Print, and delivering even bigger shows when they return.”

Labelexpo South China and Brand Print South China will go ahead as currently planned in 2020, between 8 – 10 December.

Milburn added, “We will be working closely with our event venues and colleagues in China to ensure that all the required health and safety measures are in place for successful shows this year.

“We thank all our Labelexpo and Brand Print exhibitors and partners for their understanding during this challenging time, and look forward to working with them on the rescheduled shows. Crucially, Labelexpo and Brand Print shows will play a vital role in driving the economic recovery of the entire label and package printing and branded print industries, plus their supply chains, around the world. I urge everyone to embrace the opportunity and help our community plan for the future.”

2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India

Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.

The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry. While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.

The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.

Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.

Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.

Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.

– Naresh Khanna

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