Rob van den Braak

FESPA Digital 2016 will be the year’s most focused event for speciality printers, embracing signage and graphics, digitally printed textiles and decorative applications. The 2016 edition will cover the largest floor space of any event in the Digital show’s history, with 450 exhibitors occupying 42,000 sqm over seven halls at the RAI Exhibition Centre, representing growth of 159% from the very first edition in 2006.

Over ten years, this event has blossomed from a modest launch exhibition to a content-rich, market leading event that offers the visitor Europe’s most comprehensive showcase of digital wide format print technology. Today, this is combined with the chance to explore digital textile exhibits under the FESPA Textile banner, to understand opportunities in signage at the co-located European Sign Expo, and to be inspired by the Printeriors showcase and supporting conference addressing the growing market for digitally printed interior décor.

Roz McGuinness, Divisional Director, FESPA, comments, “Back in 2005, FESPA had the vision and foresight to recognise how digital wide format technology would revolutionise the speciality print world. The event was launched in 2006 to give printers a focused forum in which to explore these then-revolutionary technologies. Fast forward to 2016, and the change we have witnessed has been seismic. The market for digital wide format production technologies and the scope of digital applications has developed far beyond the expectations that existed a decade ago, and the market’s evolution continues, as the growth and diversification of the event and its visitor audience testifies.”

New exhibitors continue to join the FESPA Digital line-up, reflecting the dynamism of the market and recognising the event’s place as the leading launch platform for digital wide format innovations.

Ricoh is one of these new additions to the exhibitor portfolio for 2016. Showcasing its latest software and hardware technologies, Huib Kolen, Manager Business Development at Ricoh Nederland, comments: “We have taken the initiative to exhibit at FESPA Digital 2016 as we see the value of actively participating in such a well-known event which attracts a strong audience from the wide-format industry. Ricoh has been one of the pioneers in the market since starting in printhead technology more than 30 years ago, and in more recent years we have been exploring the wide format and signage markets as areas of growth with the introduction of the Pro L4100 latex large format printer series. We are looking forward to introducing our products and networking with a large number of customers and prospects.”

Other first-time exhibitors for FESPA Digital 2016 include: AT Graphix, ATS Colore Digital, CWT Tools, Ex-cel Plastics, FH-Union UK, Impronta Gadget, Luscher Tschudi, Provis and Pals Print, who all view FESPA Digital 2016 as the main event of 2016.

Roz continues: “This level of interest from new entrants to the market demonstrates the strength of FESPA’s reputation in the speciality print sector, while the sponsorship support of HP, Durst, Mimaki and Hexis underlines how the industry’s established brand leaders see the value of aligning themselves with FESPA. Celebrating the event’s tenth anniversary in its launch city of Amsterdam is exciting, and we’re spellbound to see what new developments will emerge at this year’s show to take the FESPA community forward into another decade of digital.”

For more information on FESPA Digital 2016 and to register to attend, visit: www.fespadigital.com and enter code ADOZ0702 for free entry.