According to Fespa, close to 30,000sqm has already been confirmed for the London show with the "digitally focused" South Hall of Excel already sold out. The top 10 exhibitors alone have collectively increased their footprint by more than 15%.
"We have signed commitments from all of the major players [and] if we close the doors right now we will be as large and comprehensive as we were in Munich, but we have five months to go and we’re not going to be complacent," said Fespa managing director Neil Felton.
Speaking at last week’s two-day Fespa Global Summit, where around 150 delegates heard presentations on the opportunities in the wide-format arena from industry experts, leading buyers and creative agencies, Felton said that much of the success of the core European Fespa event is driven by its strategy of ‘satellite feeder’ shows in places such as Mexico, Brazil, China, Eurasia in Turkey and a focus on educational content.
"The content has to be relevant and a real reason for a print service provider to attend the show, it’s a must have, not a nice have," he said.
Extra events in London will include European Sign Expo, which will run adjacent to Fespa for the first three days of the main show. The new event is the result of a collaboration with the European Sign Federation.
Another of the new features of Fespa has also been born of partnership; the Promotional Products Business Academy was created with CTCO and aims to highlight the opportunities in promotional products, including garments and gifts.
Fespa is also introducing Creative Corner, which will aim to promote the capabilities of print to creatives, designers and brand owners. Another new feature is The Pilot’s Briefing Zone, which builds on the success of the Charlie’s Corner feature of previous event to offer technical advice on garment decoration.
Established features such as Print Shop Live, Fespa Wrap Cup and Hall of Fame will also be part of the educational programme in June. However, the flagship content element of Fespa 2013 will be the Jet Set Conference, which will be able to host around 100 delegates on the show floor.
"The conference will be focussed on business leaders, and it will aim to make sure that they understand what the opportunities are, whether it's promotional products or new applications or new clients," said Felton.
Fespa will run from 25-29 June at London’s Excel. The eponymous event is organised by the umbrella organisation of 36 wide-format trade associations across the globe. It’s a non-for-profit organisation that, according to Felton, has reinvested £3.4m in the industry, through educational events and research.
