FESPA Digital 2011 is set to make history as the fastest selling and busiest FESPA Digital show to date. With a record breaking 14,000+ members of the print community pre-registered to visit the 18000 m2 (net) show, FESPA Digital 2011 will be the largest, focused digital wide-format printing event ever to take place in Europe (2009: 14,500m2). In 2011 FESPA Digital will feature 370 exhibitors, an increase of 11.4% on 2009.
Printers from across Europe are flocking to Hamburg in anticipation of the numerous European launches from industry leading vendors, to catch a range of innovative show content, and to experience the evolution of the digital wide format industry in action.
Expanding FESPA Digital from three to four days, and with FESPA Fabric running alongside for the first time, FESPA Digital 2011 delivers a progressive evolutionary message, encouraging printers to look forward and adapt to market conditions in order to avoid extinction.
FESPA Digital 2011 offers visitors a packed schedule of show features on site in Hamburg. Educational content delivered by leading players within the digital wide format industry will offer them unique insights into current market trends, tips and methods for adapting their businesses and keeping pace with industry movements.
Textile is the focus of FESPA’s third FESPA Digital Textile Conference on Day Two of FESPA Digital (25th May). Topics covered by a line-up of expert speakers include the expanding use of digital processes for industrial applications like ceramics and glass, supporting sustainability and mass customisation in a totally digital supply chain, and “Business Applications of Digital Textile Printing”. Moderated by the editor of industry authority publication Digital Textile, the conference also includes a panel discussion on how to identify and leverage opportunities.
The second of FESPA Digital’s comprehensive educational features is the Digital Showcase Theatre, which consists of 14 free-to-attend seminars. Taking place from 11:00 on the first three days of FESPA Digital in Hall A2, speakers at the Digital Showcase Theatre include Ronen Zioni of HP, Mark Alexander of Xaar and Steve Bennett, VP of Sign & Display Business at EskoArtwork. Giving visitors exclusive insights on a variety of digital printing topics, the seminars will educate printers about changes in technology and applications, and underline opportunities to evolve in response to trends in the markets for their products.
A brand-new feature for FESPA Digital, the FESPA Live Interviews will take place daily on the FESPA Stand (Hall A3 Stand B60) at 13:00h daily. Various industry authorities will take to the FESPA stand to facilitate discussions on the most challenging areas of the digital print market. On Day One the topic covered will be ‘Who says print is dead?’; Day Two discuses ‘What’s Your Big Idea? A conversation with our customers’, Day Three introduces the subject ‘i-Print: Intelligent use of the internet for print’, while Day Four talks ‘History, Innovation and the Future’.
Throughout the exhibition, the much-anticipated Wrap Cup Masters will create a special buzz on the show floor. Now on its third leg, having previously visited FESPA Mexico 2010 and FESPA Americas 2011, the Wrap Cup is becoming a crowd-pulling favourite the FESPA shows. Pitching the very best car-wrapping teams against each other through five rounds over four days, the eventual winner will be crowned FESPA Digital Series champion and will be invited to take place in a grand finale held at FESPA 2013 in London.
Nigel Steffens, CEO of FESPA comments, “FESPA Digital 2011 will be a show with a difference. Our new fourth day will give visitors increased scope to connect with serious buyers, while the content has been carefully conceived to reflect the trends which are shaping this community’s development. The show is filled with world-leading exhibitors prepared to deliver 2011’s most significant advances in print hardware, substrates, inks, software and workflow automation. At the same time, our educational features should also ensure that visitors are able to place these innovations in their rightful context, in the industry as a whole and for their specific business and target markets.
“At FESPA we are thrilled by the market’s response to our latest FESPA Digital show. If our unprecedented pre-registration volumes are reflected on site, FESPA Digital 2011 will be our largest and most successful digital show to date. We are confident that the event will be a positive impetus, propelling our community forward in its adoption and profitable application of digital technology.”
