VISUAL IMPACT OPENS FOR BUSINESS

The doors of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre have opened for Visual Impact 2024, the biggest print show in ANZ this year, and the first in the Sunshine State for six years.

The industry’s leading show for sign, display, print and graphics will run from today until Friday, with some 80 exhibitors showcasing solutions for signage and displays, wide-format, textile and garment printing, LED and illumination, fabrication, routing, engraving and laser cutting, software and workflows.

Opening hours are 9am-5pm today and tomorrow, and 9am-4pm on Friday, for the show which is expected to attract in excess of 2000 sign and graphics professionals over its three-day run.

As an extra incentive, Visual Connections is offering Visual Impact visitors free parking on the Thursday and Friday afternoons of the show. Just enter the BCEC carpark between 1-3pm on either day, and present your ticket to the Customer Service desk at the show, and you will be provided with a free parking pass.

Visual Impact 2024 comes hard on the heels of the world’s biggest print show drupa, which ran last month, and the global sign and display expo Fespa, which was hosted eight weeks prior to drupa. The local show represents an opportunity for the sign and graphics industry of Australia and New Zealand to see what is available here, and to talk to local representatives.

The organiser says the benefits of trade shows are well-established, with the opportunity to see and experience all the latest technologies, compare solutions under one roof, and connect with the organisations and people who can help advise you on future directions and investments.

Charly Blades, events manager for show organisers, Visual Connections, says all this, and more, will be on offer to visitors in Brisbane. “This show will be one of the most comprehensive we’ve staged in Brisbane, and the response has been excellent, with well over 2000 industry professionals expected to attend over the three days,” she reports, saying registrations are “flooding in”, in the usual, last-minute rush.

While visitors to the Brisbane show are, as expected, coming largely from Queensland, northern New South Wales and the Northern Territory, there are registrations from New Zealand and other surrounding nations, and a sizeable contingent from ‘down south’, with Queensland’s warmer weather proving an incentive for those in cooler climes to make the trip.

“Pre-registrations are in line with our expectations, and the number is growing fast each day as people confirm their intentions and start to plan their visit – and we have assembled some handy, online resources to help them make the most of every minute,” said Blades.

As well as a floorplan of the show, this includes a comprehensive Visitor Guide with information on each of the companies exhibiting, links to accommodation deals and transport information, and dining and activity suggestions.

“There is a busy programme of short, focused presentations in our new Connections Centre, so you can download the programme for that to help plan your days, and find out more information about things like the Try-A-Trade activities, and the Channel Lettering Workshops being run by Lettertech and BounceLED, which are proving popular,” Blades said, adding that Women in Print will also be holding a networking event at 4.30pm on the Thursday afternoon.

Roland DG is the Platinum Sponsor of the show, joined by Avery Dennison, Epson, Graphic Art Mart, HP, Spicers, and Trotec as Gold Sponsors.

Registration is free of charge to industry professionals – click here to register online, or click here to go to the Visual Impact website for all the latest information including the full visitor guide and most up-to-date floorplan.