Fespa exhibitions director Roz Guarnori said: “We’ve heard lots about diversification and the next generation of the industry out in the marketplace and the show will have industrial print, digital textile, digital corrugated. We also have our Print Make Wear theatre and tours for those looking to see demonstrations of fast fashion production.”

He added, “Munich is once again proving a popular destination for visitors, with a show footprint larger than Berlin. We expect a busy four days next month.”

Meanwhile Fespa has fleshed out the 2019 speaker line-up. The seminar programme at the Trend Theatre has been confirmed, with a keynote speech on Thursday 16 May from BMW Group head of additive manufacturing Dominik Rietzel about the future of 3D printing. This year’s event will also feature daily panel discussions on a wide range of subjects including working for a living in print, interior decoration, automation, and creating a future for print companies. The panel sessions will be chaired by Sonja Angerer who owns Munich digital print operation Rrrabbitproductions.

The over-arching themes of Fespa 2019 have been shaped by the findings of a ‘print census’ undertaken by the organisers coupled with feedback from visitors to last year’s event. The six dominant trends that are shaping the current wide-format market are textile printing, environmental considerations, customer demands, digital technology investment, the evolving product mix, and optimism in the industry, according to Roz Guarnori, exhibitions director at Fespa.

The census findings led to the addition of Colour L*A*B* at this year’s Fespa, a technology showcase and conference programme. One in three respondents to Fespa’s research stated that they intend to invest in colour management technology and training within the next two years as part of a focus on consistency and customer satisfaction.

Sustainability is another trend that will be centre of attention at this year’s show as it continues to be a hot topic for the print industry.

Fespa will also host an interactive Printeriors feature at the entrance to Messe München, which will showcase interior and exterior wide-format print applications, such as printed deck chairs and parasols and sustainable signage solutions.

In addition, the World Wrap Masters European and Series Finals will also take place throughout the show for visitors interested in vehicle wrapping, with shortlisted entries to the 2019 Fespa awards displayed in the entrance of the Messe.