Informa Exhibitions today provided an update on its IPEX 2017 exhibition, with further outlines of its plans and hinting at some of the types of presentation that it believes exhibitors are planning.
Rob Fisher, IPEX Event Director at Informa, said; “We’ve had plenty of feedback which clearly indicates that the print industry is becoming far more integrated. The increased use of digital printing techniques and mass customisation mean that there are often fewer processes between the creative designer and the finished item, so printers need to differentiate themselves by finding new ways to help designers make the best use of the latest technical capabilities.”
A trend towards lower print volume but higher value printing has recently been highlighted by Smithers Pira, one of IPEX’s event partners. IPEX therefore expects exhibitors to concentrate on printers, presses and finishing equipment that will help print service providers become more agile and efficient in order to take advantage of this opportunity for increased revenues. “The print services market is moving away from being about throughput of finished items towards throughput of finished jobs. As new business models evolve, many printers are recognising that the speed at which they can run one large job is less important than being able to quickly and efficiently switch between smaller jobs,” continued Mr Fisher. “It’s a subtle difference, but it is a challenge that many print service providers are beginning to address.”
Other trends include the development of ink technologies and substrates for labelling in response to various changes in legislation, the emergence of printing as a feature of home decorating and fashion fabrics, and mass customisation. From volume packaging (such as Coca Cola’s personalised labels) to direct to garment t-shirt printers, the latest printing technologies are having an effect on everyday objects that would have been difficult to imagine only a few years ago.
“IPEX 2017 itself will be all about visitor engagement. We’re seeing signs that many exhibitions are becoming increasingly interactive in the way they are presented and we fully expect exhibitors at IPEX 2017 will want to follow this trend,” says Mr Fisher. “We are therefore encouraging live printing and finishing demonstrations of course, but both the exhibition itself, and individual stands will be about visitor participation. Bring your mobile ‘phone because social media and augmented reality are almost certain to feature. This will be a print exhibition that visitors can see, touch and feel.”
IPEX 2017 takes place from 31st October to 3rd November, 2017 at the NEC in Birmingham, and is the UK’s largest and only truly international print show.
