Fespa 2015 will take place at Koelnmesse, Cologne, Germany from 18-22 May 2015. This year’s event is set to be bigger than ever, with more ‘planets’ added to the Fespa universe of print. As highlighted in the interim results of the Fespa Print Census, our global research study, 68% of wide format print providers rely on Fespa exhibitions to hear about new industry developments and 52% plan on researching new markets in the coming year. The world’s most forward-thinking print service providers (PSPs) will be in Cologne in May to journey to unexplored corners of the ever-expanding wide format print universe, searching for new products and applications and to share best practice and knowledge.

What are the most significant trends which will be visible during Fespa 2015?

Diversification is a key theme. The next couple of years will certainly see printers continue to move into new applications, especially in textile, POP, wallpaper/interiors, building wraps and industrial applications. Innovation and the pursuit of new application opportunities are giving entrepreneurs increased confidence in the performance of their own businesses. That’s a trend that is confirmed by the interim results of our Fespa Print Census and that we are incorporating into our Fespa exhibitions.

It’s also at the heart of our ‘Discover Your Universe of Print’ campaign theme. The space exploration visuals are designed to emphasise the galaxy of growth opportunities that exist for printers, if they take time to look beyond the day-to-day running of their business. The message is that the possibilities for print service providers are infinite, and that Fespa is a launch pad for new products, while enabling and encouraging exploration and discovery.

Our Census results tell us that our community is already actively taking some of these opportunities on board. For example, 40% of respondents are currently producing industrial applications such as décor and laminates (18%), automotive (7%), 3D printing (5%), electronics (3%), biomedical (4%), glass (3%) and ceramics (2%), and that they expect to be producing even more of these over the next years.

We’re also seeing a lot of growth in new markets such as printed décor. Our Census respondents estimate that 24% of their work relates to fabric and textile printing for décor, and 69% state that they have increased the volume of print for interiors they produced in the past year. This is a trend that many of our community is already adopting and one that will be illustrated at Fespa 2015.

Visitors to Fespa 2015 interested in new applications should definitely spend time in the Education Hub, which is packed with free seminars looking at the latest trends, advice and case studies covering all areas of screen and digital wide format print, including, fabric, interior and industrial.

Which visitors are expected to take part in this event? Who they are? To which sector they belong? Are they decision makers?

Visitors to our Fespa Global Expo are largely senior decision makers in speciality print businesses, and their customers. That may include wide-format and industrial printers, using both screen and digital printing technology; signmakers and other graphics producers; commercial printers, copy shops and imaging labs with wide format services, or looking to diversify into these areas; and also corporate print departments with wide format capabilities.

Fespa Global Expo also attracts retailers, buyers, agencies and creatives looking for insights into innovation in graphics and decorative print, while Fespa Fabric attracts garment printers and decorators, printers with promotional products in their portfolio, and other print service providers looking to move into these areas.

The addition of European Sign Expo to the Fespa portfolio reinforces visitor value for signmakers who are looking for non-printed signage solutions, as well as attracting signage buyers from corporates, retailers and event venues, for example.

And Printeriors, our showcase and conference devoted to printed interior décor, will now grow our visitor audience among interior designers, buyers, agencies and creatives.

The visitor profile of our flagship European events is extremely international and becoming more diverse; visitors come from over 120 countries, with the precise mix changing as the event moves on its peripatetic cycle. We’re expecting Cologne to be a very popular destination for decision makers from Northern and Eastern Europe, in particular.

What’s new and exciting at Fespa 2015 and what differentiates this event form the previous edition?

With 700+ exhibitors including a host of international supplier brands, Fespa 2015 Global Expo will be the largest Fespa to date. Running for five days, it will occupy 62,500m2 of space in the new north halls of KoelnMesse, Cologne, Germany.

For the first time, the event will give visitors the option to join four events under the same roof: Fespa 2015 for screen, digital and textile printing; Fespa Fabric for garment printing and decoration; the co-located European Sign Expo, with its focus on physical, non-printed signage; and Printeriors, for interior decoration.

Printeriors is a major innovation at Fespa, offering an added benefit for visitors to Fespa in Cologne. The visual showcase illustrates print for interior decoration, including applications such as wallpaper, cushions, soft furnishings and print on glass. So for seasoned print professionals looking to grow their business, the event will inspire and inform visitors of the creativity print can bring to interior decoration.

For printers interested in industrial print, we’ve added a new Industrial Showcase which will provide an easily identifiable area where visitors with an interest in these applications can see what is happening in industrial print market. Showcase exhibits will be sourced from across our exhibition community and supporting information will link each displayed item to the supplying exhibitor. This will enable visitors to investigate further any items of particular interest. Industrial print has always been represented at Fespa through our screen printing heritage. However, this year we’re making it easier for visitors to find the information and examples they require with one dedicated destination.

This year’s educational programme for visitors - in the Education Hub, the Sign Hub and the Wrap Hub - will also be the most extensive yet, designed to support printers in making critical decisions about the direction of their business.

As the biggest Fespa Global Expo in our 50+ year history, there is more than ever before for visitors to discover at Fespa 2015. With no other international print event taking place in 2015, and numerous exhibitors using Fespa 2015 as the launchpad for new products, Fespa is the year’s must attend event. We’re sure that a couple of days at Fespa 2015 in Cologne will give Polish printers all the impetus they need to explore new directions and profit opportunities.

Fespa 2015, Fespa Fabric, European Sign Expo and Printeriors are all covered by one entry ticket and registration is free of charge online until 17 May 2015.

Visit www.fespa2015.com for more information