FESPA is forming a joint venture with Brazilian event company APS, the organiser of ExpoPrint, the largest digital printing event in Latin America. The joint venture company’s first initiative will be to launch FESPA Brasil alongside ExpoPrint Digital 2013, which takes place in Expo Center Norte, Sao Paulo, from 13-16 March 2013.
By co-locating FESPA Brasil with ExpoPrint Digital 2013, the event will now have a dual focus. FESPA Brasil will offer visitors a comprehensive showcase of the latest innovations in wide format printing (screen, digital and textile), garment printing and digital signage. ExpoPrint Digital will continue to provide an overview of transactional printing, direct mail, variable data printing, digital publishing, digital label and packaging.
FESPA Brasil 2013 will combine a high-quality exhibition consistent with FESPA’s events worldwide with educational features delivered by FESPA and tailored to the Brazilian market’s specific requirements. These will include a FESPA Brasil Conference, a FESPA Planet Friendly programme of environmental content, a Brazilian FESPA Hall of Fame, a Brazil Wrap Cup vehicle decoration event and an applications showcase reflecting the most exciting growth applications for the Latin-American market.
The joint venture between FESPA and APS gives FESPA 50 per cent ownership of FESPA Brasil. FESPA’s share of profits from the event will be deployed as part of FESPA’s global ‘Profit for Purpose’ reinvestment programme, to benefit the global FESPA community of print service providers.
Neil Felton, Managing Director of FESPA Exhibitions and Events explains, “Brazil is recognised as one of the world’s most rapidly developing economies, and the FIFA World Cup and Olympics will deliver a huge boost to this already vibrant marketplace for wide format print.
“We’ve been evaluating this market for several years, and liaising with local trade associations to understand the opportunity and demand for FESPA’s event proposition. We feel that this partnership model with a leading show organiser in the region is the best, allowing us to combine APS’s Brazilian market knowledge and contacts with our recognised global expertise in delivering content-rich visitor experiences for wide format printers.”
APS is the appointed organiser of the main four-yearly ExpoPrint event on behalf of exhibitors association Afeigraf. ExpoPrint attracts over 35,000 visitors. APS also licenses the ExpoPrint brand from the association for its more regular ExpoPrint Digital event.
Neil Felton continues, “ExpoPrint is a strongly established brand in Brazil, and we are all confident that by co-locating FESPA Brasil with ExpoPrint Digital, we can offer regional visitors fresh perspectives. We know there’s a strong appetite in Brazil for the compelling educational and inspirational content that is such a popular feature of our events elsewhere in the world.”
Alexandre Keese, Director of APS, adds: “The market will be surprised at the quality and content of the exhibition that FESPA will bring to Brazil. The visitor will experience a show of great solutions, gaining knowledge that helps his professional life along with conferences and other actions that we are planning.”
FESPA’s venture in Brazil follows the organisation’s four-year success story in Mexico, where it took over an established visual communications event in 2008, which has subsequently enjoyed 30% growth under the FESPA Mexico brand.
The joint venture between FESPA and APS will be directed by Neil Felton, FESPA’s Managing Director of Exhibitions and Events, and APS Director Alexandre Keese. Brazilian sales and event operations will be managed by the local Brazilian APS team, specifically Sales Manager Sandra Keese. International sales and marketing will be managed by the FESPA team from the UK, specifically Americas region Exhibition Manager Michael Ryan and Americas Marketing Manager Lorraine Harrow, who will have the Brazilian assistance of APS Marketing Manager Leandro Causo.