Southern European Print Congress moves to Italy for 2016 edition

Driven by the great success of its first edition, the 2016 event provides an attractive line-up of inspiration, networking and ideas for global printers.

FESPA’s 2016 Southern European Print Congress, delivered by four of its member associations, will take place from 19-20 April 2016, in Milan, Italy, following the popularity of the 2015 event held in Barcelona, Spain.

The 2016 Congress will be organised by Apigraf (Portugal), FESPA España Asociación, FESPA France Association, and the host country, FESPA Italia Associazione, in collaboration with FESPA as a corporate organisation. The addition of Apigraf will further extend the geographical reach of the Congress, attracting a new audience from Portugal to take part in the two-day event.

Delegates attending the Congress will hear from leading regional experts on topics tailored to the needs of local specialty printers including best practice advice in interior, textile and industrial printing.

Following the success of the initiative at last year’s event, attendees will be able to participate in a ‘speedy meeting’, where they will have one-to-one meetings with peers to discuss business and share knowledge. There will also be discussions on interior decoration, Out Of Home advertising and 3D printing.

The event is open to members of each association, and the wider print community in these countries. The cost of attending is €70 for members of an association, and €140 for non-members. Vendors who are members of an association can attend at a cost of €500. Just under 100 people attended the 2015 Congress, which was titled ‘The Wow Effect of Printing’, and was praised highly by delegates.

The Southern European Congress is funded through FESPA’s Profit for Purpose initiative, which reinvests FESPA’s profits from its global exhibitions into resources to support local print service providers, enabling them to share knowledge, learn about technology developments and explore solutions to their common business issues.

Sean Holt, FESPA General Secretary, comments: “The 2015 Southern European Print Congress was a great success, demonstrating how vital it is for industry stakeholders to have a touchpoint to network and share knowledge with other graphics professionals in their region.

FESPA is really proud to support these association-led events, which give back to the community and benefit regional professionals. The Congress presents a valuable opportunity for local printers to come together to enhance their knowledge and develop their business and hear from leaders in the industry.”

Corrado Bizzini, President, FESPA Italia, adds: “We are delighted to host the 2016 Southern European Print Congress in Milan, bringing together the very best minds and businesses within the print industry from across the Mediterranean.

Working with the other Southern European associations means that we will attract printers from all four countries who will share common industry insights, trends and enjoy a unique network opportunity.”

The Southern European Print Congress will be one of a larger series of regional events from FESPA in 2015 and 2016, including a Brazil roadshow and an Africa forum.

For more information on the Southern European Congress 2016, visit: www.fespa.es/congreso2016/