Buyers with spending intentions worth $486mn+ gather at inaugural regional expo

The inaugural FESPA Middle East 2024 exhibition (29 – 31 January 2024, Dubai Exhibition Centre) connected senior decision-makers from print and signage businesses with leading OEM suppliers and distributors, and featured a strong programme of educational content, facilitating conversations on investments, partnerships and industry growth plans.

54% of visitors shared they were planning to invest at, or within 6 months of, the show. Of those visitors who shared their investment budget, the average was $205,000 per visitor, with a collective budget of over $486 million.

With a compelling line-up of over 150 brands, the event attracted a high quality audience of senior decision-makers, who accounted for 51% of visitors. A further 18% were influencers in the decision-making process and 78% of the audience held the position of Owner, Director, Managing Director, Partner or Manager of their business.

Over the three days, the event attracted 3,146 visits from over 2,500 unique visitors from 88 countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey and Iran.

The response from visitors was upbeat, with delegates praising FESPA for the opportunity to access innovative technologies and connect with new suppliers. Shoaib Merchant, Director of Champion Group shared, “All the important industry players were there and there were a lot of products on show. It was a great opportunity for the industry to come together to discuss the latest trends and technologies and I hope that FESPA organises more events in this region in the future.”

Nafeesa Janmohamed Chief Executive Officer at Delfina printing and promotions Ltd, Dar Es Salam, Tanzania, commented, “This show was spot on, all the important printers attended, all the important products and brands were at the event and I was totally impressed.”

Sabahat Zafar, CEO of SIFZ Services LLC added, “It was a very helpful event for printers and sign makers. There are so many updated machines that are coming to the market and I could see the best options at FESPA Middle East. FESPA should keep on coming so we can keep finding out about the latest technologies.”

The educational feature programme was also well received. Visitors learnt about alternative materials and substrates for more environmentally-conscious production at the Sustainability Spotlight and explored the world of vehicle wrapping at World Wrap Masters. The FLEX sessions and colour management workshops inspired lively discussions and delegates had the opportunity to network and connect with the wider community, as well as become FESPA Direct members at the Club FESPA lounge.

Exhibitors commented on the high quality of contacts and conversations. Yasin Merchant, Founder & CEO, Signtrade, shared, “We’ve had good footfall, lots of high-quality visitors and we’re happy that a lot of them are new customers now. It’s been a great experience and I wish FESPA would have hosted an event in the Middle East sooner.”

Rashed Abdeljalil, Business Development Manager, Flex Europa, added, “FESPA Middle East has been an incredible experience and we’ve made a lot of meaningful connections during the show.”

Mathew Faulkner, EMEA Marketing & Innovation Director, Wide Format Printing Group, Canon Europe, explained, “FESPA have a big draw within the wide format industry so it’s important for us to be present at their events and to share new opportunities for the market in the Middle East. FESPA Middle East was of the same high quality as FESPA in Europe. There was an excellent content programme, covering a wide variety of new and existing market opportunities and we’re really looking forward to next year’s event.”

Shihab Ahmed Zubair, Regional Sales Manager, Epson, said, “FESPA is always our favourite show so we were very excited for FESPA Middle East. FESPA will add a lot of value to the region from an educational standpoint, providing fresh ideas to visitors and having all the key brands at their events. We had a great show and we’re hoping for more events in the future.”

Folker Stachetzki, Head of Marketing, Brother, shared, “The Middle East and North Africa is one of the fastest growing markets for us and there’s a trend towards high volume, high-quality print production. The show was very good and we had very high-quality visitors. We were very excited to exhibit and it definitely won’t be the last time.”

Karl Helfferich, Sales Director, Berger Textiles, explained, “I have to say we were very happy to be there. The visitors were both international and regional and the leads that we got were of very high quality.”

Danna Drion, General Marketing Manager, Mimaki Europe, added, “We had a very busy show, a lot of building new relationships with customers and prospects, and it was great to see so much interest in this region for our products and innovations. Being at the event with our partners and distributors allowed us to enrich our partnerships and to work together on this great show, and we’re looking forward to the future.”

Bazil Cassim, FESPA Regional Manager, Middle East & Africa, comments, “The inaugural event reaffirmed the need for a dedicated exhibition for speciality print and signage in the Middle East. For three days, the halls of the Dubai Exhibition Centre were abuzz with conversations about investments, partnerships, industry trends, shared experiences and creative business growth ideas. In addition to our comprehensive line-up of represented brands, visitors also had the opportunity to immerse themselves in a series of educational opportunities. The response from exhibitors and visitors alike was overwhelmingly positive and we’re thrilled to bring FESPA Middle East back in 2025 and to continue expanding our offering in this region.”

FESPA Middle East will return to the Dubai Exhibition Centre from 20 -22 January 2025.