Print Without Barriers
Launched in 2015 following a gap in the market for a UK-focused event for commercial print, The Print Show has since evolved and grown into a successful and anticipated annual date in the print calendar.
This year, the event will run from Tuesday, September 19th to Thursday, September 21st in Hall 17 of the NEC, Birmingham.
O Factoid: The Print Show will take place from September 19th to 21st in the NEC, Birmingham O
Run by Link Exhibitions, the sister company to Link Publishing (the publisher of Print Monthly and SignLink), the show sees a number of well-known exhibitors on the floorplan each year. The 2023 edition of the event is set to be a strong one with the likes of Fujifilm UK, Liyu UK, Konica Minolta, Kyocera Document Solutions, Vivid Laminating Technologies, Premier Paper Group, and more all confirmed for the show.
Chris Davies, event director of The Print Show reflects back on the show’s history and inception: “After other events moved to Exel London which wasn’t received well by both exhibitors and visitors, we decided as a publisher to put an event on for our advertisers to exhibit, and our readers to visit back in the middle of the country, at the NEC, which is within two hours of most in England.”
Since it was founded in 2015, The Print Show has evolved with Davies describing the event as “now a target for many of the leading manufacturers in print looking to put their kit in front of a UK audience.” He adds: “The event is now established on the industry calendar and has been and still is used as a platform for UK and international product launches.”
Rebranded Event Features
The theme of the 2023 event is ‘Print Without Barriers’ which refers to print not just being ink on paper, but a diverse medium and an excellent route to market. Ahead of where it usually is at this time of year, The Print Show 2023 has more major brands and manufacturers confirmed than ever before with companies bringing hardware, software, and paper and consumable solutions, offering a full offering from pre-press, to production, to finishing, and everything in between.
This means anyone in the print and graphic industries visiting The Print Show this year will have access to all the expertise, resources, demos, and samples they need to invest and grow their business.
Offering expertise, inspiration, advice, and guidance, the formerly known Business Seminar Theatre is returning for 2023 with a rebrand and refresh. The feature, now known as the Knowledge Zone, is organised by Rob Fletcher, lead contributor of Print Monthly and SignLink, and is set to cover a range of important industry topics. These topics include diversification, packaging, SEO, using your website to grow your print sales, trends in retail, how AI is the future of print, and waste management.
Other key topics covered will be mental health and wellbeing with a session held by Nicola Peacock, senior relationship manager at The Printing Charity and Anthony Rowell, sales and customer success director of Tradeprint. The topic of bringing young people into the industry will also be addressed by FESPA UK with the Association bringing its popular Next Generation event to the show. For this, a panel will look at how to make the print industry more attractive to younger people hosted by Jay Burfield, creative coordinator at FESPA UK Association and chair of the FESPA UK Next Generation Committee.
Also running throughout the three-day event will be the ‘Celebrating Success’ slot which will see a speaker from a different successful print business each day highlight the story of the business and some of the challenges and rewards that occur when running a leading print company.
Set to bring together exhibitors and their customers, The Print Show is hosting a Gala Dinner on the evening of Wednesday September 20th at Birmingham's Town Hall. The evening will feature a three-course meal and entertainment from the popular Mini Big Band. Tickets are limited but still available and can be purchased via The Print Show website.
Returning to this year’s show is the popular Golden Ticket feature. Over 35,000 Golden Tickets are being posted out to those registered and all visitors have to do is bring theirs with with them to be in with a chance of winning a prize.
Revealed each day of the event, The Print Show will be giving out the following prizes: three £1,000 TUI holiday vouchers; three luxury hampers; and three Amazon vouchers.
Major Names Exhibiting
In terms of what visitors can expect to see from the event, hardware manufacturers such as Fujifilm UK, Konica Minolta, Kyocera Document Solutions, Morgana, Vivid Laminating Technologies, Liyu UK, Trotec, InkTec, and HPC Laser will all be demonstrating their latest technologies.
Fujifilm UK will be demonstrating the Acuity Prime flatbed
Liyu UK and Fujifilm UK will be bringing the biggest presences with Fujifilm having broken the record for the largest single stand at The Print Show, and Liyu UK having expanded its presence making it now the largest stand at The Print Show 2023.
Fujifilm UK will be focusing on two print markets in particular: Wide Format Inkjet and toner-based Print on Demand. These two areas will be demonstrated through its Acuity series with the Acuity Prime flatbed printer set to be one of the products on the stand at The Print Show 2023. The manufacturer will also be showing the award-winning six-colour Revoria Press PC1120, monochrome Revoria E1 series, and the highly versatile and accessible ApeosPro C series.
Visitors to the Fujifilm UK stand will be able to experience the Revoria PC1120 toner-based press
Liyu UK will be bringing a range of hardware including the Platinum Q3 Hybrid model. This machine brings the ‘wow’ factor due to being able to accommodate large media such as 3-metre boards.
Also on show will be the Platinum PCT 3.2m roll-to-roll printer which is available with either UV LED or eco solvent ink sets; and the Platinum KC XL+ flatbed. The latter builds on existing Platinum architecture to add even more efficiency and functionality through additional features such as a stop/continue invisible safety ring, maskless bed, reverse vacuum, and electronic vacuum zoning.
On the finishing side, Liyu UK will be demonstrating the 3.2 x 2.1m Platinum Q Cut high precision, flexible and automated cutter equipped with an intelligent conveyor, automatic camera registration, automatic tool selection system, and speeds of up to 1.5m/s.
InkTec says its focus will be showcasing its new and complete range of DTF (direct-to-film) solutions including a 60cm printer, compact shaker, air purifier, high-quality inks, hot and cold peel PET films, and hot-melt powder.
Included in the launch of InkTec’s complete range of DTG solutions, both hardware and consumables, the company will showcase a new 3.2m roll-to-roll LED-UV JETRIX printer and its extended range of compatible inks.
Visitors to the Konica Minolta stand will be able to experience live demonstrations of its flagship AccurioPress C14000 high-volume toner press, AccurioShine 3600 digital embellishment press with iFoilOne (for hot foil stamping), and TU-510 innovative four-edge trimmer and creaser. This will showcase that it is possible to complete entire jobs on a single production line.
Premier Paper Group will also be hard to miss having chosen a large slot at the entrance of the hall, and Vivid Laminating Technologies has also recently expanded its space at The Print Show.
This demonstrates the high levels of anticipation as the run-up to the popular event begins.
A number of print machine resellers such as Graphtec, Encore Machinery, Your Print Specialists, Colyer, Perfect Bindery Solutions, Aurora, D&K Europe, and Ashgrove Trading will also be showing a range of hardware, broadening the options on display even further.
Encore Machinery will be demonstrating an extensive range of finishing solutions. The lineup will include the new Pitstop Oxo Multiskill high-speed creasing and folding solution; the Pitstop AF high-speed creasing and perforating solution; the MB PrestigeNet 38 automatic pharmaceutical folding machine; and the Darix evolution light case-making machine.
Colyer will be showcasing technologies from HP, Xerox, and Summa after a successful 2022 show; and now the main UK distributor of the Fastbind range of binding products from Finland, Ashgrove Trading will be showcasing two of the range at The Print Show in September.
In the world of software, companies such as Accura MIS, PrintIQ, Wildcard Software, Zaikio, Flex4, and Digital Specs, and more will all be on hand to demonstrate their individual offerings.
Having exhibited at The Print Show since 2017, Flex4 is preparing to return to the 2023 edition with a portfolio of solutions to show.
This year, Flex4 will be demonstrating the latest functionality available with its print eCommerce and private web-to-print storefront solutions. This includes a number of exciting new capabilities including automatic quality checks when uploading artwork.
XMPie will showcase its flagship product, XMPie PersonalEffect which enables printers to create highly personalised and targeted print communications that drive value, engagement, and ROI.
The company will also showcase its Cross Media solution which enables printers to deliver fully integrated campaigns across multiple channels, including print, email, web, social media, and mobile; as well as its latest developments in web-to-print, variable data printing, and marketing automation.
PrintIQ has positioned itself more prominently this year and is hoping to boost the awareness of automated workflow and business intelligence with its powerful cloud-based MIS solution. The company will have several experts on hand at its stand with demonstration screens to provide the information visitors require.
Trade printers such as Route 1 Print, Solopress, Tradeprint, VB Media and Venture Banners, Trade Embroidery, Baker Labels, Very Displays, and more will all be using their presence at The Print Show to demonstrate their product offerings for the various areas of print, as well as highlight their trade offering for those looking to outsource or add extra offerings to their own print businesses.
Exhibitor Tradeprint is looking forward to bringing new team members to experience The Print Show
Finally, paper merchants such as PG Paper and Eliott Baxter Group will be on hand to discuss their products, as well as The Online Print Coach who will be discussing how he can help print businesses to grow and become more successful, and Russell Richardson & Sons which plans to demostrate its waste management schemes.
The full interactive event floorplan is updated regularly and can be found via the Print Show website.
Faith In Exhibitions Is Back
Following the success of industry events such as FESPA in Munich, Hunkeler Innovationdays in Switzerland, Packaging Innovations in Birmingham and London, UK, and the combining of Printwear and Promotion LIVE! and Sign & Digital UK for the 2024 edition, it seems trade shows are still a very relevant and desired part of the print and graphics industry.
One exhibitor that says you can almost sense the optimism about The Print Show 2023, is Tradeprint. Anthony Rowell, sales and customer success director and sustainability lead at the company, says: “We love face to face networking and we love getting out to see the innovation in technology and the great sustainability initiatives the industry is delivering on.
“The Print Show is a wonderful incubator for new ideas and new partnerships and it’s an opportunity to meet with suppliers, competitors, and customers – to catch up without the pressure of day-to-day business makes a big difference.”
The Print Show is a wonderful incubator for new ideas and new
partnerships and it’s an opportunity to meet with suppliers,
competitors, and customers”
Reflecting on his own experience with The Print Show after a successful 2022 show, Rowell adds: “It’s been great to see all those exhibitors signing up and I know the team have been working very hard to ensure we have a successful show. I like the regular contact with The Print Show team; it’s great how they stay close to the industry and get on tour to see exhibitors in their natural environment.
The new and improved Knowledge Zone feature will replace the well-known Business Seminar Theatre area
“I’m looking forward to seeing them in Dundee at some point soon. I had a great experience at this year’s shows. Sign & Digital was enjoyable and worthwhile and FESPA was incredibly well supported. I hope trade shows are back for good.”
For an online business like Tradeprint, trade shows like The Print Show provide its customers with access to the real people behind the company, something Tradeprint puts a lot of emphasis on with Rowell citing the old saying: “People buy from people”.
On what Tradeprint is most looking forward to about The Print Show, Rowell says the Gala Dinner will provide the space to enhance industry networking opportunities, and the company will also be bringing some new members of the team such as Marc Farmer from the customer success team, with the event helping to provide a wider context about size and scale and the pride Tradeprint shows in its industry.
“This year we’ll also have Santha Hope, our brand new head of marketing coming along with Charlene our managing director and Rod our operations director, we are looking forward to seeing as many customers as we can,” Rowell adds.
Decision Makers In One Place
Another exhibitor that echoes this view is Very Displays with Kirsty Corcoran, marketing manager of the company describing events and exhibitions as the “perfect opportunity” to get directly in front of your target audience and raise brand awareness.
Very Displays says The Print Show is a great opportunity to showcase its offerings and network with customers
For Very, the main role of exhibiting at trade shows is to meet new and existing customers and to grow and create relationships. “Also, being present and letting the industry know we are here and what we stand for in the relevant environment is key to our marketing strategy,” Corcoran explains.
Due to Covid-19, there has been a big shift to webinars and virtual events in recent years. Corcoran says no matter how much our ability to engage online grows, she truly believes it can’t replace face-to-face interactions and relationship building in our industry.
“People remember people, and here at Very Displays we pride ourselves on our helpful customer service and creating those long-term relationships, which is harder to do digitally. Events help to humanise our business,” Corcoran says.
“Also, by getting the industry decision makers in one place over a few days ensures they are truly engaged with the companies they are meeting, and the conversations they are having. There is still a place for smaller, informative-based seminars and events online but with something as vast as The Print Show, face-to-face wins every time!”
As well as gaining exposure, Corcoran adds that the company attends The Print Show to demonstrate its commitment to the industry. “We sell portable exhibition solutions, and it would be unusual not to showcase them at our industry’s own exhibition. Everyone involved in the industry should support our own exhibitions, creating a larger event and attracting more visitors.
“We also find other exhibitors often come on to our stand to look and learn about our reusable portable display solutions and get inspired about how they might exhibit better at their next event.”
Corcoran concludes: “The Print Show has always had a great buzz about it – pre-show and during the show. We are looking forward to talking to everyone, as well as showing off some new products that we haven’t exhibited before. We also enjoy the live element, posting on social media throughout the day and linking with the event and customers online.”
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