Munich, Germany - FESPA Digital 2014 basked in sunshine in Munich, while a dramatic increase in visitors to the four-day event suggests that the outlook for wide format print is bright too.
The largest ever FESPA Digital show in its eight-year history attracted a record audience of 16766 unique visitors, a 30% increase over FESPA Digital 2011 in Hamburg, the previous best.
49% of all visitors returned to the event for more than one day, bringing the total attendance to 24954 visits. This exceptional figure, up from 40% in Hamburg, underlines printers’ desire to allow sufficient time this year to fully explore the 536 exhibitors with their many product innovations, as well as taking advantage of FESPA Digital’s extensive educational content programme.
FESPA CEO Neil Felton comments: “It’s thrilling to see the market respond to FESPA Digital with this buoyant enthusiasm. This level of audience growth bucks every trend in the B2B event world. It strongly reinforces our conviction that a content-rich, community-led event, geared towards the needs of exhibitors and visitors rather than those of shareholders, offers all participants the most positive experience, providing a great platform for business with a unique ‘feel-good factor’.”
The four exhibition halls and themed content ‘hubs’ buzzed with visitors responding to FESPA’s call to ‘Dive Deeper Into Digital’. Exhibitors all around the show reported exceptional footfall, dynamic conversations with investment-ready decision makers, qualified leads and confirmed sales. Many participating companies pronounced this their best-ever FESPA, with commercial outcomes for many expected to exceed those from the flagship ‘screen + digital + textile’ FESPA event in Berlin in 2007, before the global economic crisis impacted the sector.
FESPA Digital 2014 Exhibitor Testimonials
3A Composites
“FESPA Digital 2014 in Munich was a very successful show for 3A Composites. We had an overwhelming number of quality leads that were certainly due to the two innovations that we presented – KAPA®tech and SMART-X®natura.”
Florentine Erné, Marketing Display Europe, 3A Composites
Aslan
“We have had a great experience at FESPA Digital 2014. Our booth design has proved particularly successful – we have made new contacts and hope to turn the majority into sales. Munich has been a more productive show for us than London, and we look forward to celebrating our 65th birthday in Cologne next year.”
Karin Biel, Marketing Manager, Aslan
Brett Martin
“Messe Munich proved to be a great venue for this year’s FESPA Digital. We’ve welcomed our distributors from around the world onto our stand and made many more new contacts, particularly from Eastern Europe, who found the location easy to get to.”
Duncan Smith, Sales Director, Brett Martin Plastic Sheets
Canon
“FESPA Digital has been a great success for Canon and has surpassed all expectations, both in terms of sales made and leads generated. The global launch of the Océ Arizona 6100 Series has, in particular, received tremendous interest, validating the direction of our product development in addressing the very specific needs of our graphic arts customers. Demonstrating this new technology at FESPA Digital has allowed us to open up conversations with new customers in this market.
By demonstrating a wealth of applications and technologies, we aimed to show visitors at FESPA how they can push the boundaries of wide format print. Our approach was to share ideas, technical advice and success stories to help them drive their businesses forward, and the positive feedback we’ve received from customers spanning all countries really is testament to us achieving that aim.
It has been a pleasure to be part of such a well organised and professionally managed event and we look forward to developing the relationship further with the graphic arts companies we have met at FESPA.”
Pierre-Olivier Esteban, Marketing Director of Technical Document Systems (TDS) and Display Graphic Systems (DGS), Canon Europe
ColorGATE
“ColorGATE wants to say thank you to all visitors at our stand and to the organisers of FESPA Digital 2014. In the context of this year´s FESPA, we´ve successfully presented our comprehensive solutions portfolio for commercial and industrial printing. On top of that, we received an EDP-Award for “Best RIP solution” for our Productionserver 8. We´ve had some great and fruitful talks with both end-users and prospects and we are positively looking forward to FESPA 2015 in Cologne.”
Thomas Kirschner, CEO and founder of ColorGATE
Color-Dec
“We are really satisfied with this exhibition where we met visitors from all over the world. FESPA Digital and Fabric is for us, undoubtedly, the best trade show for our range of products.”
Michela Santini, Export Manager, Color-Dec
d.gen
“d.gen is extremely happy with the results achieved during FESPA Digital 2014. It was a great show, well organised and great attendance.
All our new products got a super interest and we closed several deals during the show; we collected many contact as well, now is our turn to transform the show leads to orders.”
Andrea Negretti, WW Business Manager, d.gen
DP Solutions
“FESPA Digital 2014 was yet again a great show and turned out very successfully for us with a great deal of national and international leads.
We presented 10 digital printers both roll and flatbed along with several new printing solutions on our 72-sqm-booth. For example, we demonstrated the processing of round objects with a new rotary tool for Mimaki UJF-models, the printing on flexible films and touchpads with flexible inks, digital anodic printing on open-pored anodised aluminium, the digital way of creating films for screen and pad printing, direct-to-garment printing with the new EPSON F2000 and last but not least, a novelty to the German market, we printed live on KATZ Display Boards with solvent inks on our Motionjet Pro direct printer – a project we have been working on with the KATZ Group for several months.
In short, we were able to introduce the many advantages of digital printing and digital direct printing to the many visitors new to the industry.
Several professionals on the other hand took the opportunity to discuss their need for special printing solutions with us in person at our booth.
All in all, we were very glad to find that not only printing businesses but also the industrial sector seem to have realised that it is about time to get on board and increase their operating efficiency and cost effectiveness by finally switching from analogue to digital printing methods.”
Wolfgang Panter, CEO and owner, DP Solutions
ECKART GmbH
“FESPA is always a good opportunity to create and renew contacts in the digital printing industry and we had exceedingly interesting discussions. Many new contacts were made among various considerable OEMs and global industry players. Owing to the exhibition venue, expectedly many visitors came from Germany / Austria and Switzerland yet two third of the contacts have been from 25 different countries in Europe and overseas.
Together with our sister companies ACTEGA and BYK, we are very satisfied with the outcome of this successful and prosperous exhibition and look forward to the next show in Cologne 2015.”
Silvia Pelke, Market Development Manager Digital Inks and Graphic Arts, ECKART GmbH
EFI
“Our most successful FESPA to date! The EFI stand was crowded from the show opening to close and we were very pleased with our results. The breadth and scope of our LED-cured printer portfolio, combined with our integrated portfolio of automation software and workflow generated an impressive number of leads and interest. FESPA once again continued to deliver a world-class platform for EFI to highlight new technologies that we are bringing to market.
Paul Cripps, EFI VP Sales EMEA, EFI
Epson Europe
“Everything about this FESPA was great: the quality of EMEAR-wide visitors, the venue, the organisation and the significant level of business we expect to close as a result over the next few months. Our complete ‘design-to-finish’ production demos of t-shirts, apparel, wall coverings and signage attracted huge crowds and underlined how serious Epson is as a manufacturer of quality products for the textile, decor, sign and display sectors.”
Richard Barrow, Senior Product Manager, Epson Europe
Fujifilm
“The timing and location of FESPA Digital 2014 was perfect for us. We’ve had a lot of interest from digital and commercial printers who are looking to invest in all the different areas of print; whether it is ink and hardware, media or software that will complement and drive their business forward. In addition, the response we’ve had to the opportunities we showcased in our creative application zone has been great – it highlights the importance of promoting how our Uvijet inks and hardware options can enhance print, and FESPA Digital provided us with the perfect platform to do this.”
Tudor Morgan, Systems Marketing Manager at FUJIFILM Speciality Ink Systems (FSIS)
Gandy Digital
“FESPA Digital 2014 has been a landmark show for us. While it is always great to meet and network with industry peers, events like these for exhibitors large and small are all about sales. We came to Munich with new and upgraded products, using the show as a worldwide launch platform for our new SL8TE Hybrid and True Flatbed product range.
During the show, not only were we were delighted to secure our first EMEA sale of a SL8TE printer, but we also finalised two sales of our upgraded, high speed, true flatbed Domin8tor printer models too. Coupled with other at-show developments, these enabled us to meet and exceed our sales target and further underpin our position as a market leading vendor.”
Hary Gandy, CEO, Gandy Digital
Guandong Italia SRL
“Guandong experience at FESPA Digital, Munich? Excellent! We recorded a large number of visitors to our stand, a real record, even compared to the success of the previous editions of FESPA. The most qualified insiders were really interested in Guandong branded media, we can say “Guandomania” burst! We just have to confirm our presence at FESPA 2015 in Cologne, where we will expand the area of our booth to best accommodate the hundreds of customers who distribute our products.”
Fabio Elmi, Sales and Marketing Manager, Guandong
Hexis
“FESPA Digital shows are for us an essential complement to the national mainstream sign shows. We appreciated FESPA Digital 2014 in Munich for its first class site, excellent logistics and because FESPA Digital is able to attract more distributors, manufacturers and international visitors. At the forefront on the HEXIS stand were the new HX190, a double-layered cast digital printing vinyl, and the new HFLEX100P, a Flex film for textile marking. Both products were met with outstanding success and were rewarded with two trophies at the EDP Awards.”
Martin Kugler. Corporate Communications Manager, HEXIS S.A.
HP
“FESPA Digital 2014 was an exciting, busy show for HP. The new HP Latex 300 Series received great attention from visitors to the stand, who were eager to hear more about the versatility and affordability benefits of the new product range. In addition, they showed continued interest in the HP Scitex FB10000 Industrial Press.
On day two of the show, HP had its first worldwide sale of the recently launched HP Scitex 15000 Corrugated Press, designed to help packaging converters and manufacturers take advantage of the digital opportunity. FESPA once again provided an excellent show for HP to demonstrate its broad and versatile portfolio, which is enabling print service providers around the world to increase profitability and better serve brand customers.”
Ronen Zioni, EMEA Market Development Director, Graphic Solutions Business, HP
J-Teck3
“J-Teck3 is always very happy to exhibit in Munich! It was at FESPA 2005 in Munich where the company appeared for the first time on the international digital stage, and from then the city has been taken as a lucky talisman for us. FESPA Digital 2014 was the perfect show for J-Teck3 both in terms of visitors and location. Visitors to our booth came from all over Europe, USA, Central and South America, and Asia. They appreciated our constant commitment to develop new innovative digital inks in line with the market requests and expectations.”
Rosaria Pozzoni, Business Operation Manager at J-Teck3
Kiian Digital
Alessandra Borghi, Sales Director, Kiian Digital, confirmed that the show has exceeded the company’s expectations: “Our presence at FESPA Digital 2014 has underlined our focus on the digital market and the event has been a great opportunity to showcase the latest solutions from Kiian, resulting from partnerships with leading manufacturers.
“It has also been a fantastic opportunity to connect with our existing customers and start to engage with new ones. We’ve met with a broad spectrum of companies in different sectors, many of whom now recognise Kiian for its quality products and reliable service.”
Alessandra Borghi, Sales Director, Kiian Digital
KIP
“FESPA 2014 in Munich was a vibrant and successful event for KIP. This event was the ideal location and platform for KIP to exhibit our latest colour printing technology to an educated audience in a most attractive major European city.”
Sonny Odom, Director of Sales, KIP
Lintec Graphic Films
“FESPA Digital 2014 at the Messe Munich was a well-executed event in an ideal location for the majority of European visitors. We have been kept busy throughout the show by printers who are looking for environmentally friendly, non-PVC films, which is proving to become more and more important for them and their specifiers who are producing a wide range of different applications.”
Andy Voss, Managing Director of Lintec Graphic Films
Matan
“The best FESPA event! FESPA 2014 has been a very good show for us with many leads from quality visitors. We introduced a new product at FESPA Digital, the first time we’ve shown it in Europe, which had an excellent response and generated sales at the show.”
Erez Zimerman, Vice President, marketing, Matan
Mimaki
“As a platinum sponsor Mimaki Europe is of course biased, but many will agree with me when I say that this FESPA Digital 2014 just radiated the positivity that visitors brought with them to Munich. At Mimaki Europe we sure did feel it. We have secured great new sales leads and thanks to the Young Star Award we even have a new creative trainee to strengthen the team. The knowledge exchange we gained at the Digital Hub and during our live streamed press conference inspired us to talk about the industry with the industry, both peers, visitors and press alike. That will prove to be invaluable food for thought for our future developments. All in all, we felt nothing but positive vibes, both in terms of visitor circulation at our stand and at the party we hosted mid FESPA Digital to celebrate 10 years of Mimaki Europe. We are ready for the good times again. Let it roll and let’s get creative… together.”
Mike Horsten, General Manager Marketing EMEA for Mimaki Europe
MS Printing Solutions
“FESPA Digital 2014 was great for us – very busy, with lots of visitors. It’s a great time in the market for new technology and Munich is an economical place to make new business. We’ve made some big sales and we believe this is due to Munich’s central location.”
Paolo Milini, Vice President Sales & Buinsess Development, MS Printing Solutions
MTEX Solutions
“Fantastic show! The second, third and even the last day of FESPA Digital 2014 were extremely busy for us with the right kind of customers. The dedicated textile section at FESPA Digital is a great idea. We showed two new products at the show which we’ve received positive feedback and sales leads on.”
Diogo Liz, Sales Director MTEX Solutions
Neschen
Our CEO has declared FESPA Digital 2014 our most successful show – we took many unexpected orders. This year we led with a new booth concept that is more emotional and colourful than before when we led with the technical sides of things.
We are very happy with the week, Munich is a great location for international customers and prospects. They have been particularly interested in our new Easydot technology, which is a replacement for the paper clip – it is an adhesive that can be removed simply with the wipe of a finger.
Lars Woltermann, Corporate Marketing Director, Neschen
Onyx
“FESPA keeps going from strength to strength and this year we met a broad cross section of companies from across the whole of EMEA, including a lot more high-end print firms than ever before. It was the best event to show and demo our latest colour management and workflow solutions to the sign and display market and we will take serious orders as a direct result.”
Kevin Murphy, President, Onyx Graphics
Roland DG
“FESPA Digital 2014 has been a really positive show for us. FESPA provides us with a great platform for conducting business, with existing customers looking to upgrade, which just shows how confident they are in the weight behind the Roland name. Also, new customers who recognise the Roland brand are now ready to invest in a solid machine and this confirmation from our customers is what makes FESPA Digital such a positive investment.
Munich has always been a great place for us to conduct business – the German market is important, Munich is central to Europe and therefore a great business location.”
Karel Sannen, Marketing Coordinator, Roland DG
SAi International
FESPA Sign Hub panellist and SAi marketing manager, Jurgen Verhulst, was also in buoyant mood, following yet another FESPA event that kept the sign/large format printing software provider busy from the very start. “Our team has been rushed off its feet with a great deal of visitor interest in our new subscriptions offering – a concept largely unseen in the industry.
“We have been running an exclusive at-show promotion around the subscriptions initiative, and such was the enthusiasm from visitors that we ran out of vouchers before the last day! We’ve also signed several new dealers and will definitely be attending next year’s show.”
Jurgen Verhulst, Marketing Manager, SAi
SPGPrints
“FESPA Digital 2014 was very good for SPGPrints. As one of the few dedicated digital printing shows, we were happy to not only welcome digital textile customers, but also people looking for other segments like label and decor printing who visited our booth to look for digital solutions.
We successfully launched our direct disperse and sublimation solutions for Kyocera heads. Furthermore La Meccanica, co-host on our stand, collected several serious deals for their line of digital printers running with SPGPrints inks, including some handshakes on printers.”
Jos Notermans, Commercial Manager Digital Textiles, SPGPrints
Thieme
“FESPA Digital 2014 has been a good show for us. We have expanded our product offering into the digital printing sector, so naturally FESPA Digital was the right place to showcase this. Munich is great for business – it is more economical and central for our European market.
Simon Hebding, Marketing Manager, Thieme
topcut bullmer
“FESPA Digital 2014 was profitable for topcut bullmer GmbH. A positive balance was provided by the enthusiastic response from the visitors, as well as the strong interest in our machines.
This year topcut bullmer received a noticeable increase in the number of visitors and significant improved quality of contacts at the fair. In addition to a large and modern stand design the products exhibited by topcut bullmer found a lot of interest from visitors and experts.
After decades of experience in different branches such as textiles, automotive, and aviation, in
2012 topcut bullmer GmbH decided also to offer its products to the graphic sector and has
now become established in this area. The positive response and continued developed awareness in the graphic market confirms to us that we can set new standards in this sector with our know how and existing products.”
Marc Hasler, CEO, Topcut Bullmer
Trotec
“FESPA is for us one of the most important shows. We generated very good leads and sales. We are already looking forward to FESPA 2015 and plan to launch new products there.”
Christine Klinke, Teamleader Product Marketing, Trote
Universal Woods
“It’s been a pleasure to come to FESPA Digital and meet with people from around the world. It’s a great platform for worldwide exposure.
FESPA Digital is an interesting show with lots of new customers and new applications. This is our eighth year exhibiting, we had two very busy days and the quality of visitors was very good.
It’s exciting to see sublimation to continue to grow in the industry. We look forward to FESPA Mexico, Brazil and of course Cologne.”
Paul Neumann, President, Universal Woods
Zünd
“FESPA Digital 2014 was a great show for us – the organisers arranged an event that was just perfect in terms of format and location. The high number of visitors to our stand is a really positive sign of the state of the industry. These included a lot of interest from printers looking to invest in automated cutting systems to enhance their production environment and consequently their competitiveness. This is a fantastic testimony that Zünd’s commitment to product development improves the efficiency of the cutting process, and is continuing to meet the demands of the print industry.”
Oliver Zünd, CEO of the company
Source: FESPA