More than 100 digital wide format and screen printing practitioners and industry experts gathered in Bangkok, Thailand last month at the invitation of FESPA. PMG’s Brian Moore was invited to participate in and report on the event
FESPA once stood stood for the Federation of European Screen Printers Associations, but since the advent of digital technology, the organisation has take on a wider role to include digital wide format whilst continuing to be known by its acronym, which has earned worldwide recognition.FESPA’s objective is the promotion of screen printing and digital imaging through each of the 28 separate national associations in Europe who are its members, together with its six associate members associations in Australia (SGIAA), China, India, Japan, South Korea and Thailand.
The inaugural FESPA Asia Pacific Directors Summit took place on March 14-15 in Bangkok after a very successful Directors Forum held in Budapest, Hungary, at the end of February.
The purpose of the forum and the summit, according to organisers, is to assist image makers who want to grow their businesses and improve their profit. It is for printers who want to perform at a higher level and are open minded, future oriented, ambitious and driven to succeed.
These high profile, high energy FESPA events are designed and planned more for the benefit of managing directors and directors of print companies, rather than for manufacturers, though the industry’s suppliers get squarely behind FESPA events, with sponsorship and of course, participation in flagship events such as a very successful programme of exhibitions.
Chairing the Bangkok event was FESPA group commercial manager, Marcus Timson, a veteran of the trade show industry and a student of successful marketing practice. Timson delivered several presentations during the Summit, aimed at helping digital and screen printers improve their marketing activity in the face of overcapacity and other challenges in the 21st century market.
Regional initiatives
The Asia-Pacific Directors Summit in Bangkok is one of a number of regional FESPA initiatives preceding the Asia-Pacific exhibition next November that are generating excitement in the regional print community.
The Summit brought together more than 100 leaders from the Asia-Pacific printing community, including delegates from Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. The overall theme for the summit was “Setting the Agenda for the Future” and the event provided a unique forum for discussion about the future of screen and digital wide-format printing, addressing key areas including technology, the environment and marketing as well as looking at market challenges and opportunities in the run-up to FESPA World Expo Asia-Pacific 2008.
Evolution from screen print
According to Timson, FESPA has evolved far beyond being an umbrella association for the world’s screen printers, into an organisation that promotes screen printing and digital imaging, provides education, support and shares knowledge to encourage positive business growth through its reinvestment programme.
In so doing, FESPA promotes the well-being of and evangelises digital wide format applications available to printers, as well as the profitable business opportunities they open up.
The choice of Bangkok by FESPA for its inaugural Asia Pacific Summit was no accident. Thailand has a substantial and robust digital wide format industry, as can be seen the moment a visitor begins the drive from Suvarnabimi International Airport into Bangkok: enormous, colourful and highly creative billboards and signage are everywhere.
Partly for this reason, the Thai Screen Printing & Graphic Imaging Association (TSGA) is an extremely active organisation and is FESPA’s local partner and host member for the staging of the first FESPA World Expo Asia-Pacific this November 28-30 in Bangkok.
The exhibition is being staged at BITEC: The Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre, and will be a working exhibition, where the very latest print technologies in screen printing, digital wide-format printing, pad printing and associated means of decoration will be on display.
Says Timson, “FESPA exhibitions are unique in that they are designed to stimulate, educate and inspire the markets they serve. The motive behind FESPA exhibitions is not purely profit.
“It is to provide printers with access to high quality products, expertise and insight for them to effectively grow their businesses. They also provide exhibitors with a high quality, focused event enabling them to meet the regions most dynamic image makers.”
FESPA Asia-Pacific is the first FESPA exhibition for the region and a truly unique international event for screen printers and wide-format image-makers and will deliver an unrivalled opportunity for the Asia-Pacific market to sample the inspirational FESPA exhibition model.
Asia-Pacific ambassador
THE staging of the Directors’ Summit in Bangkok followed on from the recent appointment of Adhiwatra Chanapokakul as FESPA’s Asia-Pacific Ambassador, with responsibility for communicating regularly with member national associations such as Australia’s SGIAA and members in Asia-Pacific region, strengthening existing relationships and forging new ones within the print community.
Chanapokakul will help drive FESPA’s core aims of supporting and encouraging local printers with knowledge-based initiatives, including specialised training schemes and workshops tailored to the needs of printers in the region.
Reporting to Timson in his capacity as Asia-Pacific Event director, Chanapokakul will promote best practice in the screen and digital printing industry, helping companies differentiate themselves, gain competitive advantage and increase profitability. He will report to Asia-Pacific Event director Marcus Timson.
“We are delighted to welcome Adhiwatra to the FESPA team,” says Timson. “Based in Bangkok, Adhiwatra will be easily accessible by the entire Asia-Pacific print community.
“His knowledge and understanding of the Asian market means that we will be able to help develop focussed FESPA initiatives that effectively support and meet the needs of printers in the region.
“In the run-up to FESPA World Expo Asia-Pacific 2008 and with the continuing rapid growth of the Asian screen and digital printing market, we felt that it was the ideal time to appoint an Ambassador for the region. In Adhiwatra we have the ideal candidate.”
Chanapokakul brings over 18 years’ combined sales and management experience to the role of FESPA Ambassador. Having worked for large multinational companies over the last 15 years, he has a deep understanding of business in the region and a proven ability to develop effective customer relationships to significantly grow the client base.
Prior to joining FESPA, Chanapokakul worked as general manager for Dermal Concept Co Ltd in Bangkok, where he was in charge of promoting and distributing the leading Dermalogica brands to the Thai market.
This FMCG experience will provide FESPA and its membership with unique insight into selling retail products to the consumer market.
“I am thrilled to be working with a globally recognised print industry authority like FESPA,” says Chanapokakul. “The FESPA World Expo Asia-Pacific exhibition in November 2008 fulfils a long-standing need for a high-calibre, international imaging event in the region.
“As Asia-Pacific Ambassador, I look forward to being part of this and other FESPA initiatives at a very exciting time for the Asian printing market.”
Corporate sponsor: HP
FESPA World Expo Asia-Pacific 2008 is shaping up to be a true fusion of printing technologies and knowledge, spanning screen, digital and textile across the Asia-Pacific region, as exhibitors, sponsors and international industry experts from all sectors line up to register their interest in the event.
FESPA has confirmed HP as the corporate sponsor for the exhibition. Karen Kam, marketing manager at HP says, “FESPA is one of the major exhibitions in Europe, so it is very exciting to have the first FESPA exhibition in Asia-Pacific. The wide-format digital marketplace is growing very fast, so HP is pleased to take this opportunity to join the exhibition and present its latest products and technologies.”
“Recognised as an important growth region, Asia-Pacific’s economies continue to grow at nearly double the rate of Europe’s,” continues Timson.
“To effectively manage and fully benefit from this expansion, printers and print suppliers in the region need access to key industry information, market experts and innovators.
“Our ongoing commitment to support printers and print suppliers, running initiatives such as the Asia-Pacific Director’s Summit and proactively reinvesting revenues from our events into the region inspire the print community and help them acquire the know-how to effectively grow their businesses and maximise profitability. Since the launch of FESPA World Expo Asia-Pacific, we have had continued support from our associate members in the region (TSGA, JSPA, SPAK, SPAI, CSGIA and SGIAA) and we are all looking forward to continuing collaborating closely with them and their members to deliver a positive and exciting event.”
