The Spanish graphics industry and visual communication trade show will showcase the latest in printing and finishing technology
Graphispag aims to activate and revalue printing with innovation and sustainability
Everything is ready for Graphispag. From 1 to 3 October, the only trade fair for the graphics and visual communication industry in Spain in 2024 will be held at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue. The event will showcase the latest innovations from around a hundred companies, technology suppliers of printing and finishing, and activate the industry’s debate, focusing on innovation, personalisation and sustainability to increase the value of graphic products.
Graphispag 2024 will be an essential meeting place for professionals in the graphic arts and companies using printing and visual communication solutions who are looking for inspiration on market trends, as well as business and investment opportunities in printing technology for the automation of processes or the incorporation of new media and consumables that contribute to reducing the environmental impact of printed products.
The trade show, which expects to welcome more than 11,000 visitors, will also address new business models for graphic services companies and industrial applications of printing in sectors such as packaging, furniture, consumer electronics, interior decoration and sporting goods, among others.
The president of the Graphispag organising committee, Xavier Armengou, assures that the graphics sector is maintaining the upward recovery trend of the last two years, so there is greater optimism and confidence: ‘Graphics companies are aware that now is the time to invest in innovation and more versatile equipment to improve their competitiveness and increase the value of their catalogue of printed products in order to differentiate, diversify and respond to the new demands of customers’.
The newest graphic technology
To help in decision-making, Graphispag, which will have more than 6,000m2 of net exhibition space and activities, will feature more than a hundred exhibitors from eight countries, including the leading suppliers and distributors of printing, finishing and converting technology, as well as printing, signage and visual communication materials and services companies. The presence of firms such as Digidelta, Emg, Epson, Fujifilm, Heidelberg, OPQ Systems, Mastertec Develop, Realisaprint, Roland DG, Siesa and Zund stands out.
The printing machinery sector accounts for 30% of the exhibitors, followed by finishing and converting equipment with 19%. Meanwhile, materials, media and consumables companies account for 16% of the offer and printing, signage and signage services, 10%. The sectors of software and design tools, textiles, advertising claims, functional printing, visual communication, as well as guilds, associations and specialised press complete the fields in which the rest of the participating companies are framed.
Industry debate
How can printing companies attract more customers? What impact do artificial intelligence and personalisation have on productivity in the printing industry? What formulas exist for printing in a more sustainable way? These are some of the questions that will be answered in the ‘Impulse-Dialogues’ space at Graphispag, designed to promote debate in the sector. The programme offers more than twenty conferences, round tables and presentations with the participation of 60 speakers.
The consultant and sales expert Mónica Mendoza will talk about omnichannel commercial strategies for graphic companies to win customers. For his part, consultant Jaume Casals will offer an overview of the major trends impacting the sector and will identify the attitudes that printing companies need to have in order to face their future. In addition, Juan Blanco from Grafiklandia will help to discover how to transform the daily work of the printing company with applications and artificial intelligence tools that maximise quality and productivity and help to create personalised products.
He will also talk about sustainability, functional printing, graphic design, packaging printing and applications of digital printing in different sectors of the manufacturing industry, as well as lines of financing and subsidies available to companies in the graphics sector.
In addition, the Gremi d’Indústries Gràfiques together with Pla Associats will present a proposal for the future of the sector based on a new collaborative and circular production model in which companies optimise and share technology and human capital.
As a complement, Graphispag has created a networking area to facilitate the exchange of experiences and information between graphics professionals and to encourage commercial agreements or collaboration between companies.
Live demonstrations
To test the operation of the graphic technology on display and inspire new ideas for the creation of unique printed products, Graphispag will include two live demonstration areas: ‘Click & Print’, focused on the possibilities of personalising all kinds of objects, and ‘Interior design and wrapping’, on the application of printed materials on different surfaces.
At the same time, the show is premiering the ‘Hacking the Icons’ project, an exhibition in which six industrial design agencies are restyling some of their most iconic works by applying digital printing to them. The aim is to highlight the value of printing in the design, manufacture and mass customisation of all kinds of products in areas such as furniture, consumer electronics and household items.
Another new feature of this edition is the themed routes to help visitors discover technologies and materials focused on commercial printing, large format, personalisation, packaging and labels, interior design and the publishing sector.
Finally, several organisations will be holding meetings, gatherings and assemblies within the framework of the fair.
Held with Liber
Graphispag will be held simultaneously with Liber, the International Book Fair, in Pavilion 2 of the Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue. This coincidence reinforces the traditional relationship between the printing industry and the publishing world. It will be a good time to find out about the new needs of the book sector in terms of formats, finishes, print runs, printing on demand and personalisation of publications.
Graphispag is a biennial show organised by Fira de Barcelona in collaboration with Graphispack Association and is supported by more than 40 professional organisations linked to the graphic and visual communication industry.
Barcelona, September 2024
Maria Dolores Herranz
Tel. +34 93 233 25 41
mdherranz@firabarcelona.com