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EXHIBITIONS
“If we build it, they will come”, was
the battle cry of The Print Show team
when the event was first announced
at the end of 2014 and the show
certainly did not disappoint in its first
year, attracting thousands of visitors
and some of the biggest names in the
industry; Konica Minolta, OKI, Riso
and Ricoh to name but a few.
However, as is the case with many new
events, the second edition of the event is
a much harder task, with a certain level
of quality to maintain, as well as the
requirement to out-do the previous year’s
show by introducing new content and
exhibitors.
Walking around Hall 3A of the NEC in
Birmingham in mid-October, it was clear
that The Print Show achieved just this,
with the thousands of visitors that were in
attendance seemingly impressed with what
they saw.
Speaking shortly after the show, Event
Director Chris Davies said: “After the
success of our inaugural event last year,
we were extremely confident heading into
this year’s show and I’m really pleased
with how it went. Not only were we able
to bring in a number of new exhibitors,
but also record a significant increase in the
number of visitors that attended the show.
“The feedback we’ve had from
exhibitors has been really good and I’m
pleased to hear that so much business
With the second edition of The Print Show regarded as a huge success,
we take a look at some of the major headlines from the three-day event
The Print Show 2016 –
a platform for innovation
stage of daily sessions from the likes of
Adobe, Corel and Quark, while visitors
who fancied a break from the action were
able to return to the Printers’ Arms, which
was sponsored by Harrier Print. An added
bonus at The Print Show’s pub was the
opportunity to face off against snooker
great Ken Doherty in a game of pool.
New this year and a feature that was
heralded as a major success by organisers
and visitors alike, was the Printers’ Bazaar,
which played host to six sections, each
dedicated to a certain area of the industry
that traditional print companies can
expand into; 3D print, stickers and vehicle
wrapping to name a few.
Getting down to business
However, as is often with shows like this,
it is all about what happened on the floor
and what business was done over the
three days.
Many of the major exhibitors reported
sales, Cascade Group, a London-based
commercial printer signed a contract for
a Konica Minolta C1085 digital press at
the show and Grayson Print and Design
ordered a C71 High Chroma device as
well as a Vivid Matrix Foiler/laminator on
stand. Another sales success for Konica
Minolta was with Canada-based greeting
cards and gift packaging set-up GiftInTime,
who purchased a C1060L for its new UK
operation.
First-time exhibitor Duplo conducted
sales of over £400,000 during the three
days. The highlight on the firm’s stand
was its new PFi DI-Cut 300 die cutter,
which was handed its UK launch at The
Print Show. Such was the popularity of
the machine, that Duplo actually sold the
model that was on display at the event!
Sarah Crumpler, Duplo UK Marketing
Manager, said: “The show has certainly
lived up to expectations. We’re delighted
at not only the quality of leads, but the
real interest in our market-leading systems
that have provided the perfect opportunity
for UK printers to come and get their
hands-on with live application printing.
All our systems are designed to enable
customers to work smarter, faster and
more efficiently.”
Another successful company from
the finishing side of print was Intelligent
Not only were
we able to
bring in a
number of new
exhibitors, but
also record
a significant
increase in
the number of
visitors that
attended the
show
was done at the show, not only by those
visiting, but also between exhibitors,” he
added.
Retaining and adding quality
In addition to returning exhibitors,
including major brands Konica Minolta,
OKI and Riso, the organisers were also able
to secure the signatures of new exhibitors
such as Duplo, Spandex, Friedheim
International, Apex Digital Graphics, Intec
and Xeretec/Xerox.
And while the presence of so many
major names on the floorplan was enough
to bring significantly more visitors that
last year, what also caught the attention
of many was the return, and addition,
of various show features, including the
very popular Traditional Print Masterclass,
where visitors were able to take a look
into print’s past and view some of the
technology that helped shape the modern
print industry.
Also returning this year was the
Business Seminar Theatre, which played
host to a series of informative sessions,
including a presentation from Julia
Bradbury of the BBC’s
Countryfile
, who,
in partnership with Premier Paper Group,
looked at the benefits of going green
and adopting an environmentally-friendly
approach.
The Software Training Theatre, this
year sponsored by Roland DG, was the
Duplo, one the
new brands on the
floorplan for this
year, made more
than £400,000 in
sales at The Print
Show
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