By Bazil Cassim, FESPA Regional Manager, Middle East and Africa
In less than two months, we’ll be opening the doors to the inaugural FESPA Middle East 2024 at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, UAE (29 - 31 January 2024).
Many global suppliers and regional distributors are already confirmed for the event and, as of November 2023, over 130 brands are already being represented. Delegates will see print and signage solutions from event sponsors Signtrade, Epson and CMYK and hardware from leading exhibiting brands including Brother, IECHO, Mimaki, Roland DG and Vanklaser. Aerolam, Avery Dennison, BestSub, Boyang, MacTac and Mecolour are among the companies presenting media and consumables.
Confirmed distributors include Flex Europa, Blue Rhine, ADS, Strings International, Quantum Digital, Al Shabak, Desert Sign, Helios Business Systems, Magic Trading Co., and Wellcare Advertising, representing global brands, including HP, 3M, Metamark, Graphtec, Mutoh, Onyx, Orafol, Philips Digital Signage, Pongs, Rhino, SwissQprint, Valiani and many more.
I’m confident that FESPA Middle East will offer our visitors access to a wealth of product innovations for digital wide format, screen and textile printing, as well as signage and visual communications. I’m looking forward to seeing the products on display throughout the exhibition halls.
Educational and networking opportunities
Supporting our community with educational and inspirational guidance to aid their business growth is at the heart of what we do at FESPA, so we’re pleased to offer our visitors a range of educational features, as well as networking opportunities with global industry experts.
Hosted by ColorBase and its founder and CEO, Marco Roos, we’re running free, interactive Colour Confidence workshops on colour management on 29 January. The first session (10:30 – 12:30) will be aimed at print operators and will cover insights and practical guidance on colour management with the view to enhance consistency, diagnose issues, and implement effective colour management solutions. The second session (14:30 – 16:30) will address sales professionals and offer actionable advice on effectively communicating with and navigating customer expectations around colour quality and repeatability.
We’re also hosting the second edition of our FESPA Leadership Exchange (FLEX) on 30 January 2024 at FESPA Middle East. The first FLEX we hosted in Dubai in March 2023 was a huge success so we’re pleased to be back with this format. Our very own FESPA Board Members Christophe Aussenac, Christian Duyckaerts, Alberto Masserdotti and FESPA CEO Neil Felton will facilitate a knowledge exchange to share their specialist expertise and global market insights. The sessions are free to attend for visitors and will cover sustainability, new technologies in AI, personalisation, automation and market trends highlighted in the recent FESPA Print Census.
I’m thrilled to share that the Sustainability Spotlight feature, which is always very popular with visitors to our global events, will be hosted in North Hall 1B of the Dubai Exhibition Centre. The material showcase will provide actionable and educational advice on sustainable production and material alternatives with a display of environmentally responsible graphics and textile samples. Each substrate will feature an information card so you can learn more about its sustainable attributes. As an exhibitions organiser, using sustainable materials is a huge focus for us so the entire showcase area will be built using recyclable and reusable materials, in partnership with ReBoard Technology.
For anyone interested in vehicle wrapping, we will also host our first-ever World Wrap Masters Middle East regional competition. Vehicle wrappers will compete for the champion title and a spot in the 2024 World Wrap Masters Final at FESPA Global Print Expo 2024 (Amsterdam, The Netherlands). The competition will feature a series of timed events requiring our competitors to wrap cars and surprise objects against the clock. Wrap Masters will be sponsored by Avery Dennison, Mactac and Wrapstock and judged by vehicle wrap experts Ole Solskin, Kiss Lajos and Ivan Tenchev. In conjunction with our sponsors and experts, we’re also running free daily training workshops and demonstrations for our visitors to get involved with.
Registration and membership benefits
We’re pleased to offer Members of FESPA’s national Associations and FESPA Direct members free access to the Club FESPA lounge. Located on stand B50, the lounge offers networking opportunities with regional and global printers and signmakers, and includes all-day refreshments. If you’re interested in becoming a FESPA Direct member, visit https://www.fespa.com/en/become-a-member/fespa-direct to find out more about the benefits.
Make sure you register soon to not miss out on discovering hundreds of solutions, firming up your investment plans, networking with like-minded individuals and exploring our educational opportunities. For more information and to register, visit https://www.fespamiddleeast.com/ and use code FMEM412.
I look forward to welcoming the readers of PrintWeek MEA to Dubai in January!
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