FESPA Brings Business Back with First Live Events in Europe

01 November 2021: FESPA has kick-started business recovery in the speciality print and signage communities with the successful return of FESPA Global Print Expo and European Sign Expo 2021 (12-15 October 2021) after a two-year gap. The first live FESPA events in Europe since Spring 2019 attracted a strong audience dominated by business leaders, who came with an appetite to update their industry knowledge with a view to short- and medium-term investment.

Neil Felton, FESPA CEO comments “Feedback from exhibitors was effusive, with many commenting on the upbeat mood among visitors, the unmatched value of face-to-face conversations with senior decision-makers, the enthusiasm for the new technologies and consumables on display, and the overriding sense of optimism for the future.”

Reflecting Neil’s observations, Danna Drion, EMEA General Marketing Manager at FESPA Gold Sponsor Mimaki Europe comments, “We were thrilled to be back at FESPA Global Print Expo after such a long and difficult period. To finally be able to meet everyone in person was both exciting and reinvigorating. During the four days, the general atmosphere was overwhelmingly positive. We could see how the industry is not only alive but back to running at full speed, with all the players looking into new, innovative applications, as well as into the cutting-edge technologies.”

Visitors came from more than 100 countries, with a strong emphasis on the Benelux region and Germany which accounted for 49% of the audience, in line with expectations given the location in Amsterdam. Other strongly represented countries were Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Spain and Poland. As anticipated, the challenges for long-haul travellers due to COVID-related restrictions resulted in fewer visitors from outside Europe than usual for a Global Print Expo event. In total, the events attracted 7,850 unique visitors, 42% of whom attended for more than one day, bringing total visits to 11,130.

54% of visitors stated that they were visiting FESPA for the first time, indicating a thirst for market knowledge, insight and inspiration following the commercial challenges of the pandemic.

Neil Felton concludes “The past two years have undoubtedly been challenging for everyone in our community. To move forward, printers and signmakers need to unearth new opportunities, explore the latest technologies and meet with peers to share ideas. This year’s events were an important milestone in our collective recovery and we hope that our next Global Print Expo and European Sign Expo, which will return to Messe Berlin, Germany, from 31 May-3 June 2022, will finally put our whole global community back in motion.”