Where did the idea for The Print Show first come from? It is something we had been thinking about for some time. We recognised that the UK was without a large-scale print event, with British printers having to travel overseas to FESPA or drupa to gain insight into the latest technologies. We spoke with professionals from across the industry, as well as various manufacturers and suppliers, and there was a clear demand for an event dedicated to UK print. Fast-forward ten years and we will be celebrating our ninth edition with the strongest and most diverse line-up of exhibitors we have ever had. What do you think has made the event such a success over the years? We pride ourselves on transparency with both our exhibitors and visitors. We are incredibly open about the show, including the number of visitors we welcome each year and the cost of exhibiting at the event. I truly believe this has stood us in good stead over the years, with many exhibitors, and indeed visitors, returning year-on-year, knowing they are in safe hands and can look forward to an event that delivers real value and is worth attending. What have been the biggest challenges for you as an organiser over the past ten years? Like many in the industry, the pandemic was a huge challenge for us. Having to put the show on hold for two years after gathering so much positive momentum over the early years held us up. However, we were able to bounce back strongly in 2022 and then building on this with our past two editions by reimagining key areas of the event. This included The Knowledge Zone, our speaker area, which was revamped in 2023 and is now stronger than ever, with this year set to welcome another host of knowledgeable experts. Looking to this year’s event, what are the main highlights to look out for at The Print Show? As always, the main draw of The Print Show, as well as the all-new The Sign Show, will be the new technologies on display from our fantastic line-up of exhibitors. HP, Epson, and Roland DG are just some of the manufacturers that will be showcasing new machinery at the NEC this year, with more announcements to come from other exhibitors over the coming weeks. We’ll also be hosting an exhibitor drinks event in the hall at the end of day two as a special thank you to those companies that are supporting the show this year. We also have The Sign Show to look forward to. Can you tell us a bit about that? I’m genuinely excited for the launch of our new show. It has been designed in partnership with some of the leading voices in the UK sign industry to develop an event of real value for British sign-making businesses. We’ll be welcoming a wide range of visitors from the sector, each set to show off brand-new and established solutions across various markets. Visitors will be able to pass freely between the two shows, allowing those with interests in both the print and sign markets to explore the solutions on offer. It is also worth checking out the three special areas within The Sign Show – School of Wrap, Neon Insights, and Traditional Sign-Making Masterclass, to try out some of these crafts yourself! Finally, where do you see the two events heading in 2026 and beyond? In my opinion, both shows are only going to get bigger and better. You only need to look at our floorplan for the 2025 events to see how highly the shows are valued by the leading names in the industry. This year will be the largest event we have ever had, and with the addition of The Sign Show to the calendar as an annual, co-located event, we are only set to go from strength-to-strength, with the wheels already in motion for 2026. Having led the event since its first edition back in 2015, Chris Davies, event director for The Print Show, and now also co-located The Sign Show, sets out the importance of two shows and offers advice to those planning to attend to ensure they get the most out of their visit Two events you cannot afford to miss this year 36 email: editor@printmonthly.co.uk September / October 2025 - Issue 356 EVENTS - / NEWS printmonthly PrintMonthlyMagazine printmonthly_signlink
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