Fespa focuses on bringing colour back at Expo 2021

The doors to Fespa Global Print Expo and European Sign Expo 2021, Europe’s leading specialty print and signage exhibitions, will open in a day (12 – 15 October 2021 at the RAI, Amsterdam, The Netherlands). For the first time since Spring 2019, Fespa is welcoming its communities of print service providers and sign-makers back to a live event, focusing on bringing colour back after 18 extraordinary months for these industries. 

Bringing innovation back

Visitors will have the chance to see the latest innovations from a range of suppliers highlighting technologies and consumables for digital wide format, screen and textile printing, garment decoration, and signage. 

Fespa Global Print Expo is a popular platform for suppliers launching new products, and many exhibitors have shared major product announcements ahead of the show. To date, these include an all-new flagship inkjet printer from Agfa, an exclusive launch from Brother to be revealed at the show; a new flatbed printer from Durst, a series of releases from Mimaki including a high-volume UV flatbed printer, a high-speed, high-quality series of printers and a full-color desktop 3D printer, generation-three DTG machines from ROQ International, and a flatbed printer from swissQprint. 

Companies including Berger textiles, Canon, Guangdong Italia, and Roland DG will also demonstrate their recent innovations for the first time in a live setting. Brother and Mimaki once again sponsor this year’s event. 

Visitors can also visit the co-located European Sign Expo (Hall 2) to see developments in channel lettering, digital signage, dimensional signage, engraving and etching, illuminated displays, out-of-home media, LED and sign solutions. European Sign Expo 2021 is sponsored by Efka, Ledit, and Vivalyte.

Bringing inspiration back

Printeriors (Stand 6-A1) will once again inspire visitors with a collection of bespoke interior décor applications ranging from soft furnishings and accessories all the way through to tabletop films, window treatments, and wallcoverings. Now in its fifth year, the Printeriors showcase emphasizes how print can transform interiors and highlights the opportunities in this market. 

Based on the design collection initially created for the postponed 2020 event, the applications on display focus on nature. Fespa has teamed up with several exhibitors and their suppliers, including Chromaluxe, Efka, Pongs, Premier Digital Textiles, and Vivalyte, who have contributed applications to the display. 

A visitor favorite, World Wrap Masters Europe 2021, takes center stage in Hall 1 (Stand 1-E160), and visitors will have the chance to watch the European leg of the vehicle wrap competition. Competitors will participate in live timed vehicle wrapping matches, and, on the final day (15 October), the top installer will be crowned ‘Wrap Master of Europe 2021‘. They will go on to compete against winners of other regional heats in the World Wrap Masters Final 2022, taking place at Fespa Global Print Expo 2022 in Berlin (31 May – 3 June 2022).

For visitors considering vehicle wrapping as a diversification path, free daily demonstrations and workshops with wrap experts will also occur.

Fespa to livestream interviews for non-attending participants

This year, for participants who won’t attend the events due to ongoing travel restrictions, Fespa will livestream a series of interviews with leading suppliers and Fespa members to offer a flavor of the event. The key focus of the livestreams is on innovation and market trends, and viewers can see some of the latest products launched in the past 18 months and live at the show. Participants include Brother, Canon, Durst, Mimaki, Roland DG, and other renowned companies.

The livestream will be available from 12 October for the first three days of the show at www.fespaglobalprintexpo.com under the ‘Fespa Live’ tab. 

Neil Felton, Fespa chief executive officer comments, “After such a long time, it feels great to be ready to open a live Fespa event. We can’t wait to welcome our community back, feel the buzz of a live show, and enjoy meeting people face-to-face again and seeing the latest innovations. We’re confident that these events in Amsterdam will inspire specialty print and signage businesses as they turn their attention to the future and focus on business recovery and long-term growth.”