This year’s FESPA Digital event (Amsterdam RAI, 12-14 May 2009) attracted 9,682 visitors over three days, reflecting the overriding optimism of the wide-format sector, and printers’ long-term vision of how product and service innovation and investment in technology will sustain their business growth.
The increase of almost 25% in visitors compared with the last FESPA Digital 2008 in Geneva points to printers’ ongoing need to take advantage of the continued technical innovation in digital wide format printing, as well as their clear focus on exploring new applications and business models to fuel commercial success. 73% of visitors came from outside the Netherlands, reinforcing the international appeal of FESPA events.
Managing director of FESPA, Frazer Chesterman observes: “To increase the visitor audience of a business-to-business exhibition year on year is remarkable in any circumstances, but especially so in light of the prevailing economic conditions, which are impacting severely on so many events. Pre-registrations to FESPA Digital 2009 were exceptionally high, but the fact that nearly 10,000 individual printers acted on this interest and made a firm commitment to invest time attending the event is the real achievement.”
Visitors to the event discovered more than 300 exhibitors showing a vast array of new or enhanced products and solutions, among them more than 50 new wide format printers. Over one third of visitors to the show returned for a second day to maximise the value of their visit, many of them taking the opportunity to attend seminar sessions in FESPA’s Digital Revolutionary Theatre and the topical live debates on FESPA’s own stand. More than 80 delegates attended FESPA’s Digital Textile conference to explore the trends and opportunities in fabric applications.
Frazer Chesterman continues: “’Digital Revolution’ has been the defining theme of this event, lending an assertive and optimistic mood to the show. Talking to exhibitors, the exceptional footfall and buoyant mood exceeded their expectations, some having anticipated a more subdued atmosphere.
“Early feedback shows that most exhibitors hit or exceeded their targets, meeting existing customers and new prospects, conducting meaningful business discussions and reporting concrete sales successes. Most importantly though, our exhibitors’ commitment to FESPA Digital 2009 has given them a robust pipeline of business which can help them to grow again quickly when the economic revival does occur.
“In that respect, FESPA Digital can hopefully give real impetus to our community’s future development, and this remains a key motivation for all FESPA events”, concludes Frazer Chesterman. “Our recent World Wide Survey indicates that sales of digital output solutions are still forecast to grow by 1 to 3%, so there is still clear scope for growth and, with that, a wealth of business opportunity for exhibitors and visitors.”
The next FESPA Digital event will take place in Hamburg, Germany, from 24 - 26 May 2011, moving to Barcelona, Spain, in Spring 2012. In the interim, FESPA will stage its flagship global event, FESPA 2010, in Munich, Germany from 22 – 26 June 2010.
ENDS
Note to editors
A wide selection of FESPA Digital show images is now available on the AD Communications ftp site, as well as managing director Frazer Chesterman's presentation given at Wednesday’s on-site FESPA Press Conference. Please log on to: ftp://public.adcomms.co.uk (if you are using Windows Explorer, you must click Page, and then click Open FTP Site in Windows Explorer at the upper right-hand of your screen).
Username: pubadc
Password: europe99
The folder with the show images is called 'Show Images FESPA Digital 2009'. Frazer Chesterman's presentation can be found in the 'FESPA Digital Presentation Frazer Chesterman' folder.
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