Printers looking for inspiration, ideas and insights into the exciting possibilities offered by wide-format digital technologies need look no further than FESPA Digital, which opens its doors at Geneva’s Palexpo from 1st to 3rd April 2008.
Building on a string of global exhibition successes, including the launch of FESPA’s dedicated digital event two years ago in Amsterdam, FESPA is committed to delivering another world-class event, offering visitors yet more opportunities to explore what’s new in the world of wide-format digital. With over 200 digital exhibitors concentrated in a unified 15000 sq. m. space in Geneva, FESPA Digital 2008 will be 50% bigger than the inaugural event in 2006, creating a unique environment in which print service providers can seek out the innovations that could transform their businesses.
FESPA Exhibitions Director Frazer Chesterman says: “With the Swiss Alps as an awe-inspiring backdrop, we want visitors to FESPA Digital in Geneva to have an exhilarating experience that will energise them and their businesses. Feedback from exhibitors and visitors tells us time and time again that the wide-format digital marketplace is ripe with opportunity. Visitors to the show in April may be digital ‘beginners’, or already confidently deploying digital technology. They may be looking for ways of branching out with new applications, or they may simply need to optimise productivity by streamlining digital workflows and looking at new ways of blending conventional and digital production. Regardless of their needs, we are confident that printers will find solutions at FESPA Digital 2008.”
From the moment visitors enter Palexpo, FESPA aims to inspire and guide, offering insights into the innovations that are making waves on the show floor, and helping printers to navigate their way around the event and optimise their time in Geneva. In the entrance area, live interviews with FESPA World editor Val Hirst will help arriving visitors to focus on what’s new and exciting at the exhibition. A multilingual team of guides will also be on hand inside the halls to direct visitors.
Taking its cue from the alpine location, FESPA is also devising a FESPA Digital 2008 ‘piste map’, offering visitors a selection of suggested ‘trails’ to follow, depending on their specific area of interest, and their level of digital expertise. The ‘black run’, for example, will guide the visitor through the most cutting edge innovations at the show, independently nominated by an industry expert and denoted by a black ‘Innovator’ logo.
Visitors looking for specific guidance on environmental issues may prefer to follow the ‘green run’, a trail of exhibitors whose products or solutions have earned FESPA’s green ‘Planet Friendly’ badge, indicating that they make a positive contribution to environmentally responsible production. This trail will be supported by FESPA’s own Planet Friendly Guide, a dedicated FESPA publication setting out the environmental issues affecting today’s screen and digital printers, and offering suggestions and solutions. Visitors following the ‘green run’ will undoubtedly also benefit from the ‘Making a Green Profit’ seminar.
Supported by its corporate and platinum sponsors HP, EFI and Gandi Innovations, along with global technology partner Xaar, FESPA Digital 2008 will include a range of educational features, designed to help printers make informed investment choices, and see new creative possibilities in digital wide-format production. FESPA’s popular Showcase Theatre will offer visitors a forum in which to concentrate on new technologies, applications and opportunities. Software leader Adobe will also host ‘hands-on’ classroom sessions for production professionals.
This year, for the first time, FESPA Digital 2008 will be complemented by FESPA’s dedicated Digital Textile Conference in the adjacent Crowne Plaza hotel (31st March & 1st April), giving digital textile printers - or those venturing into this growth application - the opportunity to combine a visit to the exhibition with a focused two-day learning experience. (Note to editors: See separate press release).
Further inspiration will be on hand with the prominent on-site display of the winning entries from the FESPA Digital Print Awards 2008, supported by HP. Representing the best of digital print output in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in eight application categories (vehicle; interior; exterior; décor; packaging; textile; manufactured goods; fine art), the gallery of winners will give visitors superb insights into how leading printers are stretching the boundaries of digital production, and delivering exceptional results for customers. (Note to editors: Printers can enter the Awards before 31st January 2008 via www.fespadpa.com).
Frazer Chesterman concludes: “In a maturing but rapidly evolving market like this, it can be difficult for print service providers to make sense of the ongoing innovation. With less and less time on their hands and a confusing deluge of information, decision-makers need concentrated niche forums like FESPA Digital to spark new ideas, while helping them fast-track their businesses and short-circuit difficult investment decisions. We aim to ensure that a day or two spent in Geneva leaves the visitor motivated and uplifted, with fresh impetus to go home and make positive changes in their business.”
To pre-register for FESPA Digital, visitors should go to the exhibition web site at www.fespadigital.com and click on ‘Register Now’.
