….MORE DELEGATES EXTEND VISIT FOR FULL EXPLORATION OF FESPA ‘UNIVERSE OF PRINT’
Increased all-round figures
FESPA 2015 Global Expo (18-22 May 2015) drew its largest total audience ever, with 43,775 visits to Koelnmesse over the five days of the show, an increase of 17% compared with the previous flagship FESPA event in London in 2013. This year’s FESPA 2015 therefore attracted the most internationally diverse audience yet, with exhibitors meeting delegates from 133 countries across the world.
The combined event attracted 23,137 unique visitors, with the majority electing to stay at the show for more than one day, resulting in the highest ever revisit rate for any FESPA event. This reflects the increased scope of FESPA’s Global Expo in terms of exhibiting companies and educational content, which motivated visitors to extend their visit beyond one day to take in all the product innovations and educational opportunities.
Of the 23,137 visitors that flocked through the doors of Cologne Exhibition Ground, 88% were from Europe, 5% from Asia, 4% from the Middle East and Africa and 3% from the Americas. As anticipated, Germany had the largest visitor delegation, followed by the Netherlands, the UK, Belgium, Italy and France. 68% of attendees came from outside of the host nation.
Interestingly also, Cologne’s proximity to the Netherlands meant that FESPA 2015 welcomed its largest number of delegates from the country to a Global Expo. There was also a significant increase of visitors from Belgium, with more than double the number attending the 2015 event compared with FESPA 2010, the last time the Global Expo took place in Germany. Cologne’s Northern European location also meant that there was a 37% increase in printers from Scandinavia, compared with FESPA 2010.
FESPA’s direct presence in Turkey through FESPA Eurasia has impacted visitors from the area, with a 27% rise in attendees from the country. The FESPA China brand has also had an effect, with a 59% increase on representatives from Asia compared with FESPA 2010.
FESPA 2015 unique features
The speciality print mega-event played host to more than 750 exhibitors under four distinct event brands: FESPA 2015 (screen, digital and textile printing); FESPA Fabric (garment printing and decoration); European Sign Expo (non-printed signage) and Printeriors (printed interior décor).
FESPA 2015 Global Expo also offered visitors an Educational Hub, Sign Hub, Wrap Cup Masters vehicle wrapping area, 3D and Industrial Print Showcases, a gallery of FESPA Awards entries, and the new Printeriors conference featuring speakers from the interior design and architectural communities.
An increased emphasis on textile applications – including soft signage, interior décor applications and garment printing – was notable throughout the halls of FESPA 2015 Global Expo. This was reinforced by the publication on Wednesday 20 May of the six directional trends emerging from FESPA’s global Print Census, one of which was the rise of textile applications as a means of diversification for print service providers.
FESPA CEO, Neil Felton, comments: “FESPA 2015 has been our biggest Global Expo event by far, with the most exhibitors, the most visitors and the richest international visitor mix. It’s excellent to see the value the global print community places in the FESPA Global Expo and how our expansion outside Europe has stimulated even greater interest in our flagship event. FESPA’s peripatetic cycle attracts new followers in new territories and the move to Cologne refreshed our audience yet again, ensuring that exhibitors build new relationships with every FESPA show.
“This was the most colourful, most comprehensive FESPA event we have ever delivered, and printers from all over the world touched down in Cologne, ready to discover their universe of print. This record attendance is an unmistakable signal of the renewed energy, optimism and engagement of our global community of suppliers and service providers.
“The fact that so many visitors committed more than a day to the show reflects the vast spectrum of innovative products and applications that were there to be explored, and cements FESPA’s reputation as the most comprehensive global event for wide format and speciality print.”
“Each FESPA exhibition is a reflection of the inventiveness and vitality that runs through the veins of our community, and the 2015 show floor was buzzing with imagination and opportunity. What’s clear from these five days in Cologne is that the word ‘print’ barely does justice to the diverse and imaginative technologies, products and concepts that now come together under one roof at FESPA.”
Train strike
A strike by Deutsche Bahn employees impacted national train services in Germany on days three and four (Wednesday/Thursday) of the five-day show, with some service disruption continuing towards the Whitsun holiday weekend. FESPA responded by providing free shuttle bus services from Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt airports, enabling international visitors travelling by plane to reach the exhibition with ease.
FESPA 2016
Next year FESPA will move to Amsterdam for FESPA Digital 2016 with the aim to keep its loyal following, while engaging new visitor audiences from a range of vertical markets, building on the 10-year heritage of the Digital event.
Forthcoming FESPA events include:
- FESPA Africa, 22-24 July 2015: Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa
- African Print Conference, 22-23 July 2015: Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa
- FESPA Mexico 2015, 20-22 August 2015: Centro Banamex, Mexico City, Mexico
- Brasil Signage Expo, 27-28 August 2015: Expo Center Norte, São Paulo, Brazil
- FESPA China 2015, 21-23 October 2015: Shanghai New Int’l Expo Centre, Shanghai, China
- FESPA Eurasia 2015, 26-29 November 2015: CNR Expo, Istanbul, Turkey
- FESPA Digital 2016, 08-11 March 2016: RAI Amsterdam, The Netherlands
For more information on FESPA, visit: www.fespa.com
