FESPA has published the framework programme for the Trends Theatre at FESPA Global Print Expo 2018, which takes place from 15 - 18 May 2018 at Messe Berlin, Germany.

The Trends Theatre seminar programme addresses the themes of a series of white papers produced by FESPA together with research organisation Smithers Pira, which explore five key areas of growth for the speciality print community: Décor; Digital Textile; Signage; Industrial; and Digital Print for Packaging. Many of these trends are also reflected in the FESPA Census, and in the focus of visitors attending FESPA events. Seminars will be presented by industry consultants and thought-leaders, providing visitors with the latest industry data and insight. All Trends Theatre sessions are free to attend for visitors to FESPA 2018 Global Print Expo and European Sign Expo 2018.

Smithers Pira will host a daily industry trends seminar, exploring the content of the white papers in more detail, with a focus on how print service providers (PSPs) can benefit from these market growth areas. These sessions will run as follows:

• Signage: Tuesday 15 May and Friday 18 May
• Décor: Wednesday 16 May
• Digital Print for Packaging: Wednesday 16 May and Thursday 17 May
• Industrial: Tuesday 15 May and Thursday 17 May

Information from the Digital Textile white paper will be presented elsewhere on the show floor. More information about textile sessions will follow at a later date.

Reflecting the same trend-led themes, Sonja Angerer, industry editor and owner of Rrrabbitproductions, will moderate a daily panel discussion on one of the five topics, as follows:

• I can see clearly now - industrial inkjet after the hype: Tuesday 15 May
• Our house in the middle of our street: New opportunities in the décor markets: Wednesday 16 May
• Boxes, little boxes - digital printing and the packaging industry: Thursday 17 May
• Signage Printing - Should You Take The Money and Run?: Friday 18 May

Sonja and her hand-picked expert panellists will explore the challenges and possibilities in each of these areas, helping PSPs and sign-makers attending the sessions to understand how to capitalise on these opportunities.

FESPA Print Census 2018
Expanding on these trends to coincide with the release of the findings of the second FESPA Print Census, Ron Gilboa, Group Director of Production Technology at Keypoint Intelligence will dive deeper into the 2018 survey outcomes, focusing on the areas of change since the 2015 edition and exploring what the results mean for the global wide format print community.

The remaining sessions over the four days will be led by FESPA 2018 exhibitors. More information on the full exhibitor seminar line-up and topics, together with detailed session times, will be announced closer to the exhibition.

Head of Events at FESPA, Duncan MacOwan comments: "We know that a key motivation for many visitors to FESPA exhibitions is their search for inspiration and ideas for new opportunities to help their businesses grow. Through FESPA's unique Profit for Purpose reinvestment programme, we're able to undertake significant international research projects with expert, independent business intelligence providers. Live events such as the FESPA 2018 Global Print Expo then give us natural platforms to share these findings with our community through free seminars and interactive discussions. Having aligned the FESPA 2018 Trends Theatre seminar programme closely to this latest body of research, we're confident of delivering meaningful, up-to-date content that is focused on the areas of most interest to our visitors. By accessing the seminar sessions most relevant to their development plans, visitors will take away valuable insights that will help their business take off."

The full FESPA 2018 Trends Theatre programme is live on the www.fespaglobalprintexpo.com website now. To pre-register to attend FESPA 2018 use promotional code: FESM804.