The Print Show launches new feature areas with The Online Print Coach

The Print Show and co-located The Sign Show have announced the launch of a brand-new feature area for the 2026 events – 'Print Mastermind Live!'

Developed in partnership with Colin Sinclair McDermott, aka The Online Print Coach, this area will allow visitors across both The Print Show and The Sign Show to meet and connect with knowledgeable experts from the wider print market.

Focused on education, Print Mastermind Live! will be a dedicated, interactive zone designed to give print business owners the chance to step away from the show floor and take part in open conversations about how to grow their business.

Visitors will be able to drop in and join short, topic-led group sessions hosted by experienced print professionals, offering practical insight into what’s working in the print industry right now. Each 30-minute session will run at set times throughout the day, giving attendees the opportunity to speak directly with experts across a wide range of business topics.

Details of the experts and the specific subjects up for discussion will be released over the coming months, with the sessions set to cover key talking points such as sales, marketing, automation, hiring, pricing, workflows, and AI adoption – all tailored for the real day-to-day of running a print business.

Print Mastermind Live! will serve as an extension of the Print Mastermind business community. Run by The Online Print Coach, this is an online education community created to help print business owners and decision-makers build a more profitable, structured, and sustainable company. This will be the first time that sessions will take place in-person at a UK industry event.

Accompanying the new area will be the One-to-One Coaching Zone, a dedicated space for pre-booked 20-minute one-to-one coaching sessions which will run throughout the day, allowing attendees to book ahead to secure time with The Online Print Coach and quiz him on their specific business needs.

Both Print Mastermind Live! and the One-to-One Coaching Zone will be free to access for all attendees of The Print Show and The Sign Show, which take place in Hall 1 of the NEC in Birmingham from September 29th to October 1st. Entrance to both events also remains free.

Chris Davies, event director for The Print Show, says: “We are delighted to be working with Colin on this exciting new venture.

“From when we launched The Print Show back in 2015, we have been committed to delivering an event that provides the tools print companies need to succeed and grow in the modern market – with this ethos having also crossed over into The Sign Show."

Speaking about the new feature area, Davies adds: “The addition of Print Mastermind Live! is a further extension of this approach. It brings a new element of education to the show, allowing visitors to speak with some of the brightest minds in the industry about the subjects most important to them and their business.

“It is the perfect accompaniment to our speaker area, the Knowledge Zone, providing those in attendance at both The Print Show and The Sign Show a relaxed environment to sit down and take guidance and advice from leading experts across a whole manner of subjects. We are really excited to be adding this to the shows for 2026.”

The Online Print Coach also says that the feature will add even more value to a visit to The Print Show and The Sign Show this year.

Sinclair McDermott says: “Running a print business has never been simple, but right now it feels especially heavy for a lot of owners. Margins are tighter, teams are stretched, and there is a constant pressure to do more. Print Mastermind Live! is designed to tackle these realities head-on in a practical and honest way.

“These sessions aren’t about loose suggestions or big ideas you'll never use. They’re built around the same conversations I have every week with print business owners – what’s working, what isn’t, and what moves the needle when you go back to your business after The Print Show.”

Summarising his feelings on the value of the feature area, Sinclair McDermott adds: “If we want a stronger print industry, we have to get better at developing the people running the businesses. Creating a space at the show for learning, shared experience, and straight talking is a positive step forward.”