FESPA Hosts First Virtual Summit attended by over 160 delegates

13 January 2021: FESPA hosted its first virtual Global Summit on 20-21 January 2021, welcoming over 165 delegates from 36 countries. The Global Summit, an exclusive event funded by FESPA’s Profit for Purpose programme, invited some of the world’s leading printers to connect, learn and debate about the future of the speciality print industry.

The two-day summit, hosted by Pedro Jacques de Sousa, International Executive Director at Digital Graphics Group International, was a participative and interactive event featuring a comprehensive programme of presentations. To inspire the speciality print community to build stronger, more innovative businesses, FESPA was joined by print visionaries and marketing experts to discuss the key trends driving the industry forward.

Paddy Moran, owner of Neuro Coach Ireland opened the event, speaking about how, at a time when human connection has been minimised, it’s essential to motivate, engage and communicate with employees. Anna Gapinska, owner of Think Customer and Tom Hawkins, Global Managing Director at GLIMMA then addressed evolving customer needs and why companies should approach business with a customer-first strategy. FESPA’s Textile Ambassador, Debbie McKeegan was joined by Ross Haxton, Creative Brand Consultant at G Creative and Annette Taylor-Anderson, Creative Director at ATA Designs to discuss the décor market and the growth opportunities it presents.

On day two, sustainability consultant Clare Taylor, FESPA Vice President and CEO at ATC Christophe Aussenac, and Nathan Swinson-Bullough, Director of Imageco talked about how printers can sustainably rebuild their businesses after the pandemic.

Following that, René de Heij, CEO of Probo NL and Erik Strik, CEO of Print Factory highlighted the trend towards web-to-print and e-commerce, and the importance of automation. Wrapping up the event, Rafael Pelote, Head of Marketing Intelligence at SONAE SIERRA and Massimo Volpe, co-founder of Retail Hub considered the changing marketing landscape from a brand perspective, explaining how touchpoints are shifting within the customer journey and how printers can adapt to the evolving demands of consumers.

www.fespa.com/profit-for-purpose