FESPA, together with its Brazilian partner APS Feiras & Eventos, has announced a new roadshow event - the FESPA Brasil Forum - travelling to six Brazilian cities. The roadshow will be scheduled from September to December, ahead of the next FESPA Brasil exhibition in São Paolo, 6-9 April 2016.

Funded through FESPA's Profit for Purpose reinvestment programme (see footnote), the FESPA Brasil Forum will bring together industry professionals from the digital wide format printing sector to discuss the future of the market and new opportunities. The first series of Forums will run under the title 'Business, Opportunities and Technology'.

The Forums will be hosted in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Blumenau, Curitiba, Brasília, and Recife, giving print professionals from all over Brazil the opportunity to participate and engage in discussions with their peers on important topics affecting the speciality printing sector regionally, nationally and at the local level.

The Forum agenda will include discussion of the key findings from the recent FESPA Print Census, a worldwide survey conducted by FESPA in partnership with InfoTrends, which provides a valuable overview of the trends and directions in the digital wide format print market. Subsequent discussion topics will include changes in the market, trends, and other sector topics relevant to local industry professionals such as textile printing, industrial printing and more. In the afternoon, the FESPA Brasil Forum will incorporate a technology programme for printing professionals, aimed at optimising workflow processes.

At each Forum, in addition to regionally relevant topics, local characteristics will be underlined, making each event tightly focused and ensuring discussion about the most relevant segments for each local print community, for example, textile printing, sublimation, ceramics, industrial printing, customisation, substrates, processes, etc.

FESPA CEO Neil Felton comments: "Since FESPA entered the Brazilian market in 2013 with the launch of FESPA Brasil, we are increasingly excited about the potential of the Brazilian market for speciality print and signage, and see our Brazilian events as a fundamental building block in FESPA's global growth strategy. Within our global portfolio, FESPA Brasil is the exhibition with the highest number of visitors per square metre, an important measure of the vibrancy of an exhibition and the market it serves. With the roll-out of the FESPA Brasil Forum, we expect to engage an even wider community of print professionals the length and breadth of Brazil, and to cement FESPA's commitment and investment in this market."

Ismael Guarnelli, Director of APS Feiras & Eventos, highlights the rationale for the roadshow format: "Brasil has very specific characteristics within each region. For example, there are places in Brasil where digital printing is stronger while in others, visual communication leads the way. Through the FESPA Brasil Forum, we will be able to advance our understanding of the needs and demands of each region, and provide a more tailored exhibition in the future, reflecting what industry professionals really need."

Brazilian industry professionals have reacted positively to news of the FESPA Brasil Forum events. Director of Planning and Marketing at Alphaprint, Hadriano Domingues, comments: "The idea is very positive. The Forum will help to better understand the industry, which is positive for both suppliers and printers. This analytical activity outside of the exhibition is fundamental for discussing the market, what the segments are, their potential, and also in aiding the development of the sector as a whole."

Tamlyn Kaori, Strategic Marketing Analyst at Mimaki, comments: "The Forum is very interesting. We hold itinerant events and support initiatives that focus on the educational aspect. The choice of cities is interesting because they are large printing centres."

For further information regarding the FESPA Brasil Forum events, printers in Brazil can visit: http://www.fespabrasil.com.br/pt/forum-fespa-brasil