At the RAI this week, the show and the co-located European Sign Expo, Personalisation Experience, Sportswear Pro, and Sustainability Spotlight events welcomed 525 exhibitors. It also hosted the popular World Wrap Masters competition.
Michael Ryan, head of global print expo at Fespa, said: “We’ve thoroughly enjoyed hosting visitors at our events in Amsterdam. Covering all elements of speciality print – screen, digital and textile printing, signage and visual communications – we demonstrated that our industry is more advanced and dynamic than ever.
“From the unveiling of new products to informative fireside chats, we’ve been able to show that, thanks to the constant evolution of technology, media, applications and business models, the possibilities and opportunities are truly endless.
“Our visitors have experienced new innovations first-hand, networked with like-minded professionals and had the chance to expand their market and industry knowledge with our conference programmes.”
Sustainability was the clear dominant trend at the show, with Fespa itself leading from the front.
For the first time, at this year’s event Fespa adopted a sustainable event management strategy and system, following ISO guidelines for ISO 20121, a standard developed in 2012 for the London Olympics.
Activities have included minimising the event’s footprint – the impact of its collective activities at the event, with stands and event features built using recycled, recyclable, and reusable materials.
It has accordingly seen a roughly 90% lower carbon footprint than using traditional stand building methods, measured with its partner CarbonQuota.
Other trends seen around the halls included automation, an increasing buzz about the potential of AI and what it could do for the sector, the continued growth of direct-to-film (DTF) printing, and a heavy focus on textile printing.
Exhibitors reported a successful show that continues to be the event of choice for many.
Danna Drion, general manager marketing EMEA at Mimaki Europe, said it had been “an exciting show, with a lot of people coming to our booth”.
“For us, Fespa is the number one important show to participate on. But it’s more than that – we think it’s family, we have such a long relationship with Fespa, and we always continue going and see a value add.”
Christophe Inigo, deputy commercial director at Hexis, also commented: “Last year, we went to more than 20 trade shows all over the world, but Fespa is the main. For me, it’s the heart of our business. All our printers, all our distributors are here, and it’s really nice to know for sure that we’ll see everyone once a year. It makes it very easy.”
Fespa has confirmed that the 2025 Global Print Expo and European Sign Expo events will return to Messe Berlin, Germany, from 6-9 May 2025.
Confirmed features so far include Personalise Make Wear, World Wrap Masters, Club Fespa, and the return of the bi-annual Fespa Awards.
“We’re excited to be returning to Berlin in 2025. It’s one of the most popular Fespa host cities with exhibitors and visitors, and one where we have presented three extremely successful events to date,” said Ryan.
“Our mission, as ever, will be to help printers and signmakers to uncover new technologies and solutions to expand their business and unleash their full potential.”
A full analysis of this year’s show and its key news and trends will feature in our Printweek briefing in the April/May issue of the magazine, out next month.
