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NEWS
FESPA MIDDLE EAST NEWS

“FESPA Middle East 2024 will be

very much an international show”

P FESPA CEO.
rintWeek MENA’s exclusive interview with Neil Felton,

Question: FESPA is all set to host the debut edition of the
FESPA Middle East 2024. What are the highlights of the first
edition of the show? How are the preparations going on?
Answer: Preparations are going very well. We have the team here in
Dubai, but we also have the international team as well who are help-
ing. So we have got very much a whole team making sure we work this
across many different countries around the world. So that is impor-
tant. I think the highlight to me is the content, just like you as a maga-
zine. You know you would be nothing without the editorial content;
we see it the same way with exhibitions. So we have built a very strong
content programme, which includes things like the Wrap Masters
Competition. which has the World Cup effect in wrapping. That is
coming to the Middle East for the first time. We have got things like
the FESPA Leadership Exchange (FLEX), which is the leadership
exchange programme. We have some amazing content from our lead-
ing regional distributors, but some strong international printers are Question: What does digital transformation mean for the printing and
also coming here to share their ideas in this FLEX programme. We packaging industries? How does FESPA Middle East 2024 focus on these
have got Sustainability Spotlight. We know that the recent COP28, post-pandemic digital trends in the industry?
which was held in the same venue as ours, was very important.
Obviously, we are building on that sustainability theme, and it’s a very Answer: It is really interesting. We talked about this at FLEX nine months
important part of what we do. ago. The three main topics people discussed were automation (AI), digital
Then, of course, we also have all of the global exhibitors coming signage and personalisation. So those were three of the four trends that
here. So it’s not just the distributors, we are bringing some of the are coming up a lot. I think that what you are seeing in the market, not just
global head offices straight here to the show as well. So there are so here but around the world, is that people are moving from customisation
many things happening which we are pleased with, and finally, you to personalisation, which obviously lends itself well to digital technolo-
can become a member of the Club FESPA and do all networking with gies. So you are finding that people make a high-profit margin by person-
some of the best printers in the world in one space called Club FESPA. alising products. I think that is a massive change. I think AI is going to
The anticipation is huge. The content is strong. That is essential we affect that quite considerably.
spent a lot of money there, and we focus a lot of time on that because I think the thing which is sexy from our perspective is that the fact is that
that is the heart of the show. We are flying in. We have nine board people are seeing how print can transform a space and interior design is
directors coming from nine separate countries from Mexico to becoming much more beautiful and visible. I think you are going to see
Hungary and they will all be coming. print come to the fore there. I have always thought that Dubai is one of the
I have just been recently to Australia. We have some Australian most beautiful environments you could ever do business and you will see
printers coming all the way over from Australia, South Asia, North more and more print coming into those amazing environments.
America, Nigeria, Ethiopia, GCC and from the local region. It will be
very much an international show, and this is backed up by the exhibi- Question: What is the number of visitors expected for the event? How are
tors, not just local distributors, but also the international brands com- they going to benefit from the show?
ing directly, which I think is the first for the region. Answer: I think we are looking around about 4000 visitors. But remem-
Question: What are the key launches and special offers anticipated at ber, it is really important to talk about how you measure visitors because
the event? it’s not just the number; it is the quality and the fact that they are unique
visitors. So when we talk about visitors, the numbers do not include exhib-
Answer: I think that there will be a lot. I think it’s nice that it’s at the
beginning of the year. So there are quite a few new products coming itors. They do not include if you go out for a coffee and come back in for a
out. FESPA has always been a very strong place to launch new prod- coffee; you are one unique visitor. So, we have 4000 unique visitors, and
ucts. So, if you looked at the launch of the latest products in recent we hope that we will have more visits because they will have to stay for
FESPA, you know that whole range of things. It has always been hap- more than one day. There is going to be so much to see and do. So we will
pening at FESPA. So we imagine the same thing will happen at the have a high number of visits, but the unique visitors we expect to be
FESPA Middle East 2024. around 4000.

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