325 exhibitors set for Fespa Berlin in May

Virtually every hardware, software and media supplier to the sign and display market will be at Experience Print in Motion, the first Fespa Global for three years, according to the show organisers.

Some 325 companies will be exhibiting over eight halls in Berlin, with all the big names coming to the event, which will also feature the Printeriors interior décor expo, the World Wrap Masters, and a new Sustainability Focus section.

Platinum sponsor for Fespa Global is Durst, with Brother, HP and Mimaki the Gold sponsors. The show will also host the start of the third iteration of the Fespa Census, which Graeme Richardson-Locke, technical director of Fespa, said would deliver “meaningful market intelligence.”

The World Wrap Masters will take place over days three and four, with contestants put through their paces wrapping both cars and “surprise objects”, in what show director Michael Ryan said would be a “high energy” event.

The Printeriors show will have double the floorpsace at 400sqm from the 2019 event. Hall 27 will host the fabric and textile and garment section, with “60 or 70” exhibitors in the hall dedicated to the rapidly growing sector.

Chinese companies will be exhibiting, despite the current attempt by China to aim for Covid zero, including mass lockdowns, with suppliers from other Asian countries including South Korea and Japan committed to attending.

Michael Ryan told Print21 that the show, due to take place in two months’ time, will certainly be going ahead. He said the lack of labelstock supply which impacted the decision to cancel Labelexpo two months out, was not an issue for Fespa, which has a far lower throughput of media.

Covid restrictions are continually easing in Germany. At present anyone with a vaccine certificate, or who can prove they have had Covid in the past month, or who can show a negative test, can get into Germany. However masks, of the FFP2 style, are required indoors, as things stand at present.

Speaking at an online launch event, both Fespa CEO Neil Felton and new Fespa president Christophe Aussenac described the past two years for the sign and display market as “challenging”. Felton said the focus from Fespa now was to “invest in the local associations”, of which there are 36, with the aim of helping members recover, renew and grow.

Aussenac said he had two key areas of focus for his presidency, sustainability and education, with a focus on attracting young people into the industry.

Fespa Global takes place Tuesday 31 May to Friday 3 June at the Berlin Messe. Sign Europe will run alongside it, but the Sportswear expo has been shelved for now. To register to attend, visit: https://www.fespaglobalprintexpo.com/. Visitors receive a €30 discount on the cost of their entry ticket by using code FESM213.