‘It’s all about ROX – Return on Experience’

FESPA's Head of Marketing, Sarah Farrell shares how the Global Print Expo 2019 has outperformed last year's show with 20,780 individual visitors, but the attendance figures were not the most important highlight of this year’s exhibition.

What has been more rewarding is the feedback on how FESPA Global Print Expo delivered in terms of ‘ROX’ – ‘return on experience’. An increasingly significant measure of achievement for event organisers like FESPA, it tells us that visitors and exhibitors are focusing more on the valuable insight and knowledge they can gather from the FESPA show and its features, and not so much on ‘cost per lead’ or ROI.
 
This response has been encouraging for FESPA. We have always aimed to deliver an event that inspires our visitors, by highlighting the numerous growth opportunities for speciality print businesses – as expressed in our 2019 ‘Explosion of Possibilities’ strapline.
 
Our programme of immersive features in Munich included Printeriors, our printed décor showcase, highlighting the creative results of printed interior and exterior décor applications; Print Make Wear providing interactive demonstrations and insightful tours on garment printing and production, from the initial design stage to final product; and Colour L*A*B*, our new, expert-led feature dedicated to the processes involved in good colour management. Meanwhile, the FESPA Awards display and World Wrap Masters vehicle wrapping championship and workshops added flair and showmanship to energise and entertain visitors. Collectively, these features attracted a wide variety of visitors, providing the added value that has become synonymous with FESPA events and that our community has come to expect.
 
One of the key factors that make the FESPA experience so memorable for visitors is that it delivers a richer experience when compared to local events. It’s a view that’s been shared by exhibitors, who were keen to highlight how FESPA Global Print Expo has become an increasingly international destination event. Over the last few years, we’ve consistently welcomed print service providers and sign-makers from over 120 countries, making the event a meeting point for a truly global audience, where companies can engage with customers and prospects from all continents.
 
A number of our exhibitors certainly agree, such as Canon Europe and Mimaki Europe. “FESPA is an occasion to meet with customers and prospects from all over EMEA to develop our sales pipeline and this year we exceeded our expectations for leads across all our products,” said Wouter Derichs, Sales & Marketing Director, Large Format Graphics, Canon Europe. Meanwhile, Danna Drion, Senior Marketing Manager EMEA at Mimaki Europe said: “At FESPA 2019, we met visitors not only from EMEA, but also from the Americas, Asia and Australia, reaching the widest international audience ever.”
 
And it’s not just the global profile of the visitors that is catching exhibitors’ attention but also their seniority and level of authority. At FESPA Global Print Expo 2019, one in three visitors were final decision-makers, leading to conclusive discussions and substantial sales throughout the show. Louis Patruno, Director Marketing & New Business at DS Smith, a first-time exhibitor, said: “The show has been a very insightful experience for us. We have been very impressed with the quality of demand – visitors know what they want and now have very specific requirements that we need to be able to satisfy. In that respect, the show has been an eye-opener.”
 
The wave of positive feedback from both visitors and exhibitors at Messe Munich reinforces our confidence that FESPA’s continued investment in developing our events as platforms for education, knowledge-sharing and best practice is delivering increased value for visitors. Printers and sign-makers are leaving our shows with actionable insights for their businesses, which cements the Global Print Expo’s reputation as the leading global showcase of innovation in digital, screen and textile print. And of course, the show’s success has also invigorated us to enhance the visitor experience even further at FESPA Global Print Expo 2020 in Madrid!
 
FESPA Global Print Expo 2020 will be held at IFEMA – Feria de Madrid, Spain, from 24 to 27 March. Also taking place alongside the event will be European Sign Expo 2020 for non-printed signage, and Sportswear Pro 2020, FESPA’s newly launched exhibition dedicated exclusively to sportswear manufacturing.