While textile print took centre stage in the Print Make Wear and Printeriors strands, the show delivered on its ‘explosion of possibilities’ theme with dozens of global firsts across a range of disciplines with brisk business reported.
Exhibitions director Roz Guarnori said: “Fespa is a show where people come to buy, not just to browse, and we thrive on our community, which comes together at the event. We really feel we are the home for the large-format sector, and hope our exhibitors and visitors feel the same.”
As the possibilities of textile printing came to the fore at Messe Munich, Fespa announced it would build on that success by introducing Sportswear Pro, a new show focusing on the design, production and decoration of sportswear, which will be co-located with Fespa 2020 in Madrid next March.
EFI used the show as the launchpad for its new 'true' flatbed, and vice-president of marketing for inkjet Ken Hanulec said it had proved a big draw.
“We love the Fespa community. It’s filled of these really passionate industry zealots, and they seem to align really well with the EFI brand and what we mean to the marketplace. Every year we have a mix of probably 50% existing customers and 50% new prospects and opportunities," he added.
Canon unveiled its Océ Colorado 1650 roll-to-roll printer in Munich and large-format graphics EMEA sales and marketing director Wouter Derichs said: “Fespa is the show for large-format graphics in capital letters. Canon is active in a lot of different market segments and this show gives us the opportunity to meet our large-format customers and further accelerate our market offering. We look forward to 2020 in Madrid.”
HP chose the show for the first public showing of its flagship dye-sub machine and EMEA graphics solutions business general manager Simon Ewington said: “My sense of Fespa is that it is the biggest and the best. The quality of conversations here is incredible and the customers are coming to buy so our conversion rate is very high. They expect to see new technology and innovations and we never want to disappoint.”
Danna Drion, senior marketing manager EMEA for Mimaki, which unveiled its new entry-level flatbed UV inkjet printer, said: “Mimaki is very dedicated to Fespa, there is no better show. We can to talk to customers, partners, distributors and analysts but also people out of the creative area – designers and architects, people who are looking at our products in a completely different way. And the strength of the brand is key; Fespa always comes up with something really new and exciting.”
Fespa concludes today (Friday, 17 May) and will take place next year in Madrid from 24-27 March.
