FESPA Brasil / ExpoPrint Digital 2013 ended on March 16 after four days presenting market launches and the main products of the big companies from the visual communication and digital printing sectors, in the Blue Pavilion at Expo Center Norte in São Paulo.

The numbers surprised organizers and exhibitors, reinforcing the consolidation of the brands in the market. There were 13,184 visitors, a number much higher than anyone expected. More than this: in addition to the quantity, the audience stood out for its quality, with business decision makers filling the always crowded aisles of the fair, according to testimonies from the exhibitors themselves.

Visitors had the opportunity to visit 112 booths and 231 brands at FESPA Brasil / ExpoPrint Digital. The amount of business was surprising. The estimate for business generated during the fair was around R$ 120 million, according to testimony from 88% of exhibitors. Also, according to estimates, business that should be generated six months after the fair tops R$ 150 million.

>>>>>The FESPA brand establishes itself in Brazil with the success of the first edition

The consolidation of the FESPA brand in Brazil was evident in the words of the exhibitors. They were impressed with the quantity and quality of the public present at the four-day event at Expo Center Norte. With the results, there is but one goal: promote an even bigger event in March 2015, at the already confirmed second edition of FESPA Brasil.

Neil Felton, director of fairs for FESPA international, was obviously satisfied with the results observed in Brazil: "FESPA Brasil is becoming one of the most impressive launches that FESPA has ever done. I'm very excited about the future of FESPA Brasil." Neil stressed the relevance of FESPA to the market. "One of the main points about FESPA is making sure that we are educating the market. In 2014 we will bring a summit to Brazil to professionalize the printers. We will also be conducting a road show throughout Brazil to show our commitment to the market. FESPA is a non-profit organization and, as such, we reinvest a part of the profits into the market, which is why FESPA Brasil is an interesting project and very important for the entire industry."

Xaar, FESPA's global partner, promoted the seminar on "New Business Opportunities in Digital Printing", which was considered a success. For Edsel Lonza, sales manager at Xaar, "the seminar was very productive, with about 100 people present, and a high level of discussion and questions. It was possible to demystify various concepts and bring education, technology, and knowledge to a growing market."

Fujifilm, besides sponsoring the Application Village at FESPA Brasil, had a large booth featuring their equipment. "For us, FESPA was extremely professional with a very high level of visitation, customers that were really interested and real industry professionals. We managed to optimize the demonstrations as well as the meetings and discussions. We will certainly be present at the next edition", said Walter Tolosa, sales manager at Fujifilm.

Austrian Reinhard Kulterer of Trotec, which was with its Brazilian distributor Solugrav, signed another promising partnership with FESPA: "We are delighted that FESPA has come to Brazil. We are already clients of FESPA in Germany and Mexico. Now, for the first time in Brazil FESPA has been a great success for us. We had a good response from the public towards the technological innovations like the Speedy 400, which we are bringing to Brazil."

Evelin Wanke, Epson product specialist for the Wide Format line, highlighted the arrival of the fair being at a good moment: "Fespa Brasil was an important milestone for Epson because it coincided with our biggest release in 2013. We have brought to the market printers for printing on fabrics through the digital sublimation process. The public that visited the event was very focused, which equated to great results for the company. The first edition of FESPA came to Brazil at just the right time and showed us that it came in order to raise the level of knowledge in the Wide Format markets."

LSK, which has begun participating in fairs in this area, celebrated the results of FESPA Brasil. Fernanda Moré, business consultant at LSK, analyzes: "The overall picture was very positive. Expectations were exceeded in all aspects. This is the first fair dedicated to digital printing in which we have participated." Alpha Resiqualy, the distributor of Color-dec in Brazil, evaluated the fair: "It was a job well done in the first year and the trend is for growth. I hope that it becomes permanent and that we are together next year," declared Edilberto Leal.

For Markus Runk from the marketing area of Sign Supply: "The assessment of FESPA Brasil is quite positive, we managed to close some deals and we saw a great influx of people in the first couple of days." At Danfex, the thought was the same: "It was excellent, FESPA Brasil provided us with good business due to the qualified public who attended the event," says Juliana Almeida from the marketing area.

>>>>> FESPA Brasil is marked by the differentials

FESPA Brasil 2013 also featured a series of side events during its execution, for example, the successful International Conference on Visual Communication and Digital Printing. Over four days, a number of renowned professionals in the market passed on their knowledge on various topics related to the theme of the fair.

And this was what one of the speakers - the commercial manager of Océ, Ricardo Pi Martin Vieira - reported: "During the talk it was possible to perceive that FESPA Brasil had assembled a very focused decision making public. The quality of the attendees is paramount. Besides quantity, the public is also relevant in quality, with people interested in doing business." Océ also promoted Ocean of Colors, a meeting to talk about printing.

FESPA Brasil marked the beginning of the partnership between Océ and Canon. Eduardo Buck, sales manager at Canon, spoke about the company's work and how the fair was received: "Canon has been developing projects and investing in the training of the Brazilian entrepreneur, giving support to new projects that develop the culture of printing. We had a good understanding of the public that attended the fair."

Océ, with its Arizona line, reached its goals for the four days of the fair by the second day of the event. "FESPA Brasil surpassed all our expectations. The organization of the fair deserves congratulations", reported Eduardo Petroni, director of Océ in Latin America.

It was also possible to applaud in the Wrap Cup Masters Series, the championship for vehicle wrapping, which was promoted in the first three days of the fair. The final winner was Jefferson Pimenta of São Paulo, who won the right to compete in the world championship in June in London. "It was a great feeling. Now I will prepare to have the pleasure and honor of bringing the world championship to Brazil."

>>>>> ExpoPrint Digital 2013 surprises exhibitors

Exhibitors confirm the success of ExpoPrint Digital 2013. Their booths were always full of people interested in discovering the innovations in the market and, more than this, wanting to close a deal. Alphaprint presented a series of solutions to visitors during ExpoPrint Digital. Hadriano Domingues, director of marketing and planning, emphasized the participation in the fair: "The booth had a lot of movement from the beginning till the end of the fair, several projects were set up and orders confirmed. A very pleasant surprise."

The first edition of ExpoPrint Digital was of great relevance to Heidelberg. For Dieter Brandt, president of Heidelberg Brazil: "For four days, we could welcome thousands of visitors to our booth, where the focus was on showing the benefits of true hybrid printing. The Speedmaster SX 52 with Anicolor technology and the Linoprint C 901 digital equipment together with the software package of the Prinect family for W2P & MIS, among others, impressed the visitors who came from all corners of the country. Besides this, we held a meeting with the topic "hybrid printing", which featured exceptional presentations and a round table where our guests could gain practical perspectives on how to take advantage of the strategy of becoming a true hybrid printer. Many orders, especially for the Linoprint C 751 and C 901, were taken during ExpoPrint Digital, and many projects commenced, which left us very optimistic for the coming months."

Ferrostaal was with MGI at ExpoPrint Digital. For Jânio Coelho, general manager of Ferrostaal, the exhibition "exceeded all expectations. It was the first time that Ferrostaal has presented itself at a traditionally digital fair. ExpoPrint Digital surprised us with a very interested public."

EFI participated at ExpoPrint Digital with its own booth - EFI Metrics - and also with equipment in Alphaprint. For sales manager Marcelo Maeda, "we are happy with the results. The first day was well above expectations, we were able to move forward with some sales cycles and got a lot more to keep us working until the end of the year. It is quite a positive assessment."

After many years without a presence in Brazil, Xeikon, with the PTC, took the 3030 model to ExpoPrint Digital 2013: "The number of visitors was very good and the product created a new vision of what's involved in several areas of digital printing. It was a landmark and we had a good start. We believe that with the fair we can multiply our numbers this year and the next", reported Michael Troccoli, general manager of PTC and president of ABFlexo.

Konita Brazil was visited by the international president of the company, Weng Yinqiao from China, who spoke about the good times that the Brazilian market is experiencing, especially with future events such as the World Cup and the Olympics. For Dalmar Baeta Lopes, director of Konita Brazil, "it was excellent for Konita Brazil to consolidate the brand in the country. We were honored by the president of Konita Hong Kong. There is great expectation for growth as the fair has been a success and we are extremely pleased with the result obtained."

According to Karina Escobar, director of Calcgraf, the evaluation was very positive. "We attended 163 companies, with 80% being potential clients and 20% companies that already use our solutions and with whom we had the opportunity to strengthen the relationship and present new items." The quality public was highlighted by Mayara Almeida of Furnax: "It is a public with a difference, with people such as company directors who are willing to buy. We already have machines reserved and more business in the works. The expectation was very good and the result was more than we expected." Basilios Eleutheirou, partner and sales director of Slem, says: "Our participation was excellent. It is the third time we have attended ExpoPrint, because we feel that we can benefit the clients who are in the digital area and they understand and are very receptive."

For Rafael Veras, the communications director of Xerox Brazil, "Expoprint was without doubt a great success for us and especially for our network of channels that now safely go back to their bases with a wealth of material that will transform into much more business over the coming months." Sales were positive for Xerox: "In the event in which one of our partners, Meta Solutions, celebrated the installation of the first digital iGen150 in the domestic market, another important partner and co-participant in our booth, NewMSE, also established important contacts and sold at least five DocuColor 8080 printers and several X700 and X560 models to various clients from around the country. In a similar manner, resellers such as Apollo, Tecniplot, and Teletoner also negotiated X1000 printers and many other devices for their clients."

Rafael concludes by addressing the evaluation of Xerox Brazil about ExpoPrint Digital: "For us, a very positive evaluation and the result of the commitment and dedication of Xerox to a market that is extremely promising in Brazil and worldwide. It was without doubt a great event that contributed enormously to the integration and development of the printing industry in the country." Helio Oliveira, Commercial Director of NewMse which participated in the fair through a partnership with Xerox, pointed to the quality of the public circulating, which generates interesting prospects for all the brands exhibited and maintains the credibility of ExpoPrint Digital 2013 as a generator of business.

>>>> Director of ExpoPrint Digital 2013 and president of Afeigraf highlight quality of the fair

"It was a pleasure to be director of ExpoPrint Digital." That's how Eduardo Buck summed up the successful 2013 edition of the fair. Buck commented on the work done: "It was an innovation that the market gave me. As director, I was very pleased with the quality of the whole process developed. The APS Feiras & Eventos' team did a brilliant job of finding all the necessary solutions for the digital printing market."

The variety of solutions was a differential: "Looking at who went to the fair, we managed to bring together all the possible suppliers for the solutions necessary for the industry. It was possible to see various types of softwares, applications developers, finishing suppliers, consultants, and franchises. The entrepreneur went to the fair to seek solutions and without a doubt the solutions were found", says Buck.

The president of AFEIGRAF, Dieter Brandt, emphasized: "Just a few years after its launch, ExpoPrint is already considered one of the most important printing fairs in the midst of the worldwide printing industry. Held every four years in Brazil, ExpoPrint Latin America is among the four largest printing fairs in the world. At this fair you can see the latest innovations presented at Drupa and also the latest releases. With ExpoPrint Digital covering the rapid advance of new digital printing technologies, we have created another important event addressing "knowledge transfer", where anyone who seeks technological improvement in the printing production process will find new opportunities to expand the areas in which one's business is active. Partnering with FESPA was beneficial because it creates a synergy between the printing segments which generate new and attractive business for printers."

The result was satisfactory: "We are delighted with the presence of 13,184 visitors who visited the fair many times. We cannot forget to mention the fact that ExpoPrint Digital attracted (in just its first edition) decision makers not only from São Paulo, but from all corners of the country. Many deals were done during ExpoPrint Digital. This is the reason why most of the exhibitors have already confirmed their attendance for the March 2015 edition", says Dieter Brandt.

The quality of the fair will be reflected in its continuation: "The success of this fair will bring an answer to the digital printing market. It is a great motivator to continue. I am sure that everyone felt this and in 2015 they will support the industry again, making the event an attractive one as was seen here. It was a well-structured project and all work that is well-structured and thought out, and which brings an effective result to the market, tends to repeat itself", concluded the director of ExpoPrint Digital 2013, Eduardo Buck.