FESPA Event to be Held in February
The first FESPA Americas event is confirmed to take place from Feb. 24 to Feb. 26 in Orlando, Florida at the city's Orange County Convention Center.
The event will run alongside the established Graphics of the Americas (GoA) show, organized by the Printing Association of Florida (PAF).
FESPA Americas 2011 will be a pan-regional event, targeting audiences from the commercial and wide format print communityin the United States, the Caribbean, and Central and South America, and will include visitor programmes in English and Spanish.
The first FESPA-branded exhibition to take place in North America, FESPA Americas 2011 is further demonstration of FESPA's strategic commitment to become the world's leading global connected community of wide format imaging professionals.
FESPA has received positive feedback from vendors and print service providers since its intentions regarding FESPA Americas were first communicated in March 2010, then pending conclusion of FESPA's negotiations with PAF. Many exhibitors have already signalled their intention to participate, and FESPA has received numerous approaches from US-based business support organisations keen to contribute to the event.
FESPA board member Christian Duyckaerts will chair a FESPA Americas steering group involving prominent members of the regional wide-format community, the first meeting of which will take place during FESPA 2010 in Munich. Fellow board members Yasar Guvenen and Lascelle Barrow will take responsibility for development of relationships with associations and printers in the regions.
A FESPA Americas exhibitor forum will be held in Orlando, Florida in October 2010 to coincide with the IFAI graphics conference (27-29 October 2010), at which FESPA will deliver a keynote presentation.
FESPA managing director Frazer Chesterman explained, "The time is right for FESPA Americas.
Coming out of the worst recession of the post-war era, entrepreneurs on either side of the Atlantic agree that the rules of engagement have changed, and that success will be founded on an open attitude to innovation in all areas of the business.
"We operate now in a global economy where the greatest threats and opportunities come irrespective of national boundaries. This means that entrepreneurs have a great deal to gain from exchanging ideas across continents. As a business support organisation with an increasingly global footprint, we're confident that FESPA can add significant value for printers in the Americas, complementing the events currently available to PSPs in the region."
For more information, visit www.GOA2011.com.