42 email: news@signlink.co.uk April / May 2023 - Issue 245 across the globe. A total of 18 speciality categories will recognise and highlight the skills, talent, creativity, and innovation of the industry. New to 2023 is the co-running Personalisation Experience which promises to bring together 3,500 stakeholders from retailers, brands, agencies, printers, and fulfilment houses and connect these with software providers and OEMs. The idea behind this is to showcase the potential of personalisation in applications such as sportswear, packaging, product, loyalty, and custom interiors. This area will be delivered in the form of four one-day conferences and an application showcase incorporating Printeriors. Richard Askam, TEDx speaker and FESPA’s Personalisation Ambassador will be the moderator for the event and confirmed speakers include Prof. Frank Thomas Piller, Professor of Management and Head of the Institute for Technology and Innovation Management at RWTH Aachen University; Paul Currie, Retail Executive and Chairman of YPP Group; Debbie McKeegan, award-winning British Designer, CEO of Textintel, and FESPA’s Textile Ambassador; and more. Also co-running alongside FESPA Global Print Expo is the European Sign Expo which is celebrating its tenth year. Running alongside solutions for digital printing and graphics, the European Sign Expo offers visitors an insight into the solutions and materials for areas such as channel lettering, dimensional signage, engraving and etching, LED, and more. Focusing on digital signage, traditional signage, and visual communications, this event is angled at anyone from sign-makers, graphic designers, interior designers, to installers and brand managers. With so much to look forward to, we asked Ryan what he is most excited for. “I’m personally particularly looking forward to seeing the shortlisted entries for the FESPA Awards on show and celebrating the winners, which will be announced on-site. “The entries we’ve received have been extraordinary and we’ll be recognising the excellence in our global speciality print and visual communications community in our display. I recommend stopping by to have a look!” Ryan adds: “And of course, what’s most exciting is that FESPA is a platform for technology innovation and I can’t wait to hear about the new products that will be debuted at FESPA 2023 and to see the impact these technology and media innovations will have." Additional features In addition to browsing the hundreds of exhibitors present on the show floor, the event also hosts a number of features such as the popular FESPA Awards, Sustainability Spotlight, and World Wrap Masters with the latter taking place from May 23rd to 24th with the Series final taking place from May 25th to 26th. The only global wrap competition, the World Wrap Masters is a much anticipated and popular event at FESPA each year but the build-up to this takes place prior to the exhibition with heats taking place across every major continent throughout the year. Once winners of the regional and national events have been named ‘World Wrap Masters’, they then go on to compete live at FESPA Global Print Expo for the title of ‘Global World Wrap Master’. Last year’s competition saw Ivan Tenchev take home the title for the second time. Now in its seventh year, another popular feature of the event is Printeriors. This feature sees a showcase of sustainably produced interior décor with each product on display created in collaboration with FESPA’s print industry partners and their technicians. Another area will be the Sustainability Spotlight which offers advice and insights to printers looking to make their businesses more sustainable. This is delivered through an educational conference and provides the opportunity for visitors to explore products in a showcase display format. Back for the first time since 2019, the best of the industry will be celebrated through the FESPA Awards with shortlisted entries displayed at the entrance of the exhibition. The official Awards Ceremony will take place on Wednesday May 24th with the Awards celebrating the achievements of printers and sign-makers from During the formative General Assembly in 1962, the French Printers Association decided to create FESPA with seven European Associations. Paris was chosen as the venue for FESPA’s first exhibition organised by the French Association in 1963 Factoid ▲ The annual event provides a space to network and form new partnerships. Image: Oliver Wachenfeld ◄ Sustainability is predicted to be a key theme of the 2023 event with the Sustainability Spotlight feature providing advice and insights on this topic. Image: Oliver Wachenfeld of event attendees plan to purchase within 12 months 49% EVENT SPOTLIGHT / FESPA GLOBAL PRINT EXPO
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