The event will run alongside Fespa 2013 and will occupy 5,000sqm. The sign show, which will be organised by Fespa with strategic input from ESF, is being billed as a separate event, although visitors to either show will automatically get access to both.
Peter Tipton, secretary of the ESF, said it made sense to give visitors the chance to look at developments in both the sign and textile printing sectors at the same time.
"There’s a lot of crossover between textile and sign printing. Fespa’s an international event so people come from all over Europe to visit and now they can make the most of it by seeing everything," he said.
Tipton said the theme of the exhibition would be the future of the sign industry over the next five or six years.
It will include a summit where experts from Paris and London will discuss future changes to EU regulation and standards and whether LED signs are the way forward.
The event will also include a competition in which designers, sign makers, design schools and colleges will produce a sign for 2020.
"A historic building in Paris has supposedly been converted into a five star hotel – they’ll have to design a sign that can be used on the facade of the building. The winning design will take into account the history and the needs of the hotel’s clients," said Tipton.
The results of the competition will be announced at the European Sign Expo on the evening of Thurs 27 June.
Tipton said 35% of the floor-space had already been allocated but Fespa has yet to announce which manufacturers would be taking part.
