This month’s Fespa Digital event in Amsterdam attracted 9,682 visitors over three days, reflecting optimism of the wide-format sector, and printers’ vision of how product and service innovation and investment in technology will sustain their business growth, according to organisers.
The federation says the increase of almost 25 per cent in visitors compared with the last Fespa Digital 2008 in Geneva points to printers’ ongoing need to take advantage of the continued technical innovation in digital wide format printing, as well as their clear focus on exploring new applications and business models to fuel commercial success. 73 per cent of visitors came from outside the Netherlands.Frazer Chesterman, managing director of Fespa says, “To increase the visitor audience of a business-to-business exhibition year on year is remarkable in any circumstances, but especially so in light of the prevailing economic conditions, which are impacting severely on so many events.
He continues, “Pre-registrations to Fespa Digital 2009 were exceptionally high, but the fact that nearly 10,000 individual printers acted on this interest and made a firm commitment to invest time attending the event is the real achievement.”
Visitors to the event discovered more than 300 exhibitors showing a vast array of new or enhanced products and solutions, among them more than 50 new wide format printers. Over one third of visitors to the show returned for a second day, many of them taking the opportunity to attend seminar sessions in Fespa’s Digital Revolutionary Theatre. More than 80 delegates attended Fespa’s Digital Textile conference to explore the trends and opportunities in fabric applications.
Chesterman says, “Early feedback shows that most exhibitors hit or exceeded their targets, meeting existing customers and new prospects, conducting meaningful business discussions and reporting concrete sales successes.
He adds, “Most importantly though, our exhibitors’ commitment to FESPA Digital 2009 has given them a robust pipeline of business which can help them to grow again quickly when the economic revival does occur.”
The next Fespa Digital event will take place in Hamburg, Germany, from May 24-26 2011, moving to Barcelona, Spain, in Spring 2012. In the interim, Fespa will stage its flagship global event, Fespa 2010, in Munich, Germany from June 22-26 2010.
