big initiatives that were highlighted at this year’s FESPA was the FESPA Foundation and Girls Who Print, the latter of which Drion is a board member of, for the EMEA region. Another company that used FESPA to highlight success within the print and signage industry was Kavalan, a producer of PVC-free materials for indoor and outdoor use. On the Wednesday of FESPA, Kavalan hosted its Green Leader Awards in a Champagne reception on its stand. The winners were chosen by industry experts: Marcus Timson, co-founder of FuturePrint; Nick Widdowson, founder of ShopperFIRST; and Steve Lister, a global sustainability consultant named one of RETHINK Retail’s Top Retail Experts 2025. Winners of awards were Embrace Building Wraps, Blue Rhine, Groupe Mediagraphic, and CMYUK which won the Kavalan Champion award for its ongoing advocacy for PVC-free alternatives. Nova Abbott, head of marketing at Kavalan, says: “With the Kavalan brand launching at FESPA in 2017, it seemed fitting that we use the event as an opportunity to champion and recognise the incredible applications and projects brought to life using Kavalan’s PVC-free material. The awards are a great opportunity to highlight the fantastic projects being produced with Kavalan materials and to celebrate the strong partnerships we have built with our valuable distributors. Congratulations to all the winners!” Wrapping Up From the various interactive experiences, the Personalisation Experience, World Wrap Masters, and the SmartHub, FESPA provided plenty of innovations and networking opportunities for visitors. Interaction and collaboration continued to be prevalent as many manufacturers and exhibitors could be seen amongst various stands. Manufacturers like Canon highlighted collaborations with software companies like OneVision as well as businesses like Fotoba, Neolt, and Lamina, showcasing the increased prevalence of textile and packaging in wide-format print. Similarly, companies like Inkcups and Roland worked with Antigro Designer to make fun personalised products like latte mugs and golf balls, which all added to the fun and shareable experiences of FESPA. Antigro also returned with its popular sticker wall which the company hosted at drupa 2024. The installation allowed visitors to design and print stickers of themselves to place on the “FESPAVERSE” wall which was run in partnership with FESPA. While positioning appeared to be successful last year, European Sign Expo seemed to be the area of the exhibition which struggled in regard to traffic as a lot of attention was focused towards Halls 27 and 25 to the left of the Messe and then the surrounding areas including 1.2 and 2.2 at the front of the show. The offering of a large signage exhibition in Europe seems to continue to be a tough nut to crack as the majority of exhibitors are region specific, or offering such a variety of solutions, it’s hard to see a clear trend amongst the products. Despite the challenges a trade exhibition like this can face, FESPA continued to show the strength of the industry in Europe, and its prevalence as a meeting place for a variety of manufacturers and wide-format printers. Deborah Corn, a well-known face in the print industry and executive director of Girls Who Print, was visiting the show for the first time along with Kelly Mallozzi, vice president and program director of Girls Who Print and a sales coach and consultant for the industry. Corn and Mallozzi’s reaction and experience with the show was very interesting as it not only showed the difference in the European and US markets but also demonstrated how FESPA comes across to new international visitors, something that happens on a daily basis throughout the four-day show. Speaking to SignLink at the show, Mallozzi said: “It’s an incredibly engaged community where there is real conversations happening and real urgent decisions being made, which is really exciting. “The biggest takeaway for me is that issues and experiences are universal, such as workforce development, something that we are struggling with in both the states and here in Europe.” Corn adds: “There’s definitely a way of operating you get used to in the states, and I don’t want to say there’s no pressure on the stands here, but I think the pressure is more on the business owners to map out their day so they can see everything they want to see, organise appointments, and answer questions.” For Corn and Mallozzi, sustainability and the community atmosphere were two of the biggest takeaways from FESPA, and considering the collaborations, networking, and innovation that has been discussed in this recap, it’s hard to disagree. For now, it’s time for everyone to reset and follow up all the meetings, sales, and opportunities that were made at the show and start planning for FESPA 2026 in Barcelona. EVENTS / FESPA RECAP 50 email: editor@signlink.co.uk Issue 259 - June / July 2025 FESPA was attended this year by 14,036 unique visitors, with total attendance hitting 23,061 14,036 ▲Mimaki had an impactful stand at the front of Hall 1.2 which celebrated the company’s Japanese heritage ▲[On stage L to R] Danna Drion, Mimaki; Jennifer Kolloczek, Canon; Nicole Spencer; RMC Digital Print; and Deborah Corn, who hosted the Girls Who Print Lunch and Lead at FESPA 2025
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