Fruitful Collaboration at HP Booth at Media Expo 2024 between Professional Photographers, Signage & Décor Printers, and the Profitable Wedding Industry
28 May 2024: Historically, professional photographers seldom attended signage and décor trade shows, preferring events dedicated to photography. However, this pattern has changed. Today, many photographers are expanding their services to include a wider range of print options for their clients. As a result, they now attend various trade shows, even those not exclusively focused on photography. They are often seen at signage and décor exhibitions, as well as at print-centric events.
Recently concluded Media Expo 2024, organized by Messe Frankfurt India, stands out as a significant event that took place from May 9 to 11 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai. This 52nd edition boasted over 150 exhibitors who displayed innovations in printing, signage, and retail display. Participants from countries including China, Italy, Japan, and Korea showcased international advancements. Media Expo highlighted state-of-the-art technologies for both indoor and outdoor branding and advertising.
At this event, select photographers, print service providers, and dealers/distributors from the photography industry were seen who were exploring which products and services could be incorporated into the photography sector.
On the other hand, Print Service Providers (PSPs) in the signage and décor market are also keen to grow their businesses by exploring new markets. One promising avenue for them is India’s vast wedding industry, which sees approximately 10 million weddings each year. With print already playing a significant role in traditional formats, there is a huge potential to deepen this market presence by educating photographers and wedding event companies. This could open opportunities to offer customised products like wallpaper, upholstery, window blinds, floor graphics, and more. Just to remind readers, the wedding industry in India is valued at about US $50 billion annually.
The HP large format division also took part in this trade fair, showcasing the HP Latex and the HP DesignJet Z-series printers along with a wide range of applications. Additionally, HP unveiled the 4th generation HP Latex 630 printer, which offers a significantly larger colour gamut. The unveiling was conducted by Parikshet Singh Tomar (Head of Large Format Graphics Business, Asia-Pacific) and Vitesh K Sharma (Country Head – India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka for Signage & Textile Printing Business). At the trade fair, HP provided Vimal Parmar, a well-known marketing consultant and digital print evangelist, with a platform to discuss the benefits of collaboration between signage & décor printers and professionals in the wedding industry, including photographers and event planners. Throughout the event, Parmar interacted with attendees, sharing strategies for printers to increase their revenue through such partnerships. These discussions resonated with the audience, leading to in-depth conversations after the presentations.
HP’s emphasis on hosting such unique sessions underscores their commitment to advancing the print industry, particularly the signage and décor sector in this case, through innovative approaches.
