It is now less than one month until the doors of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre open for the first Visual Impact expo in the Queensland capital for more than six years – and there will be plenty of opportunities for industry businesses to ‘connect with success’ at the show.
“Visual Impact is the industry’s leading show for sign, display, print and graphics and we’re delighted that this year’s show is completely sold out, with exhibitors planning to show solutions for everything from signage and displays, to wide-format printing, textile printing, LED and illumination, fabrication, routing, engraving and laser cutting, software and workflows,” says Charly Blades, events manager for show organisers, Visual Connections.
“The benefits of trade shows are well-established, with the opportunity to see and experience all the latest technologies and connect with the organisations and people who can help you chart a course for success in your business.
“This show will be one of the most comprehensive we’ve staged in Brisbane, and the response has been excellent, with hundreds of industry professionals already registered,” she says, while acknowledging that the vast majority of registrations – as always – will likely come in over the coming month, with an expected total of somewhere around 2500 attendees over the three days from 17 – 19 July.
The list of exhibitors at the show is extensive, led by Platinum Sponsor Roland DG, Gold Sponsors Avery Dennison, Epson, Graphic Art Mart, HP, Spicers and Trotec. They will be joined by a host of other leading names, including Ball & Doggett, Mimaki Australia and Roland DG, Celmac, Elizabeth Machines, Sign Essentials, Epson Australia, Graphic Art Mart, HP, Multicam and Wilenco.
They will be joined by Smartech, Spicers, Alfex CNC, Amari Visual Solutions, Avery Dennison, Creative Graphic Solutions, Currie Group, Bannermate, Smartech, Lettertech Australia, Paper Handling Equipment (PHE), Stick On Signs and Trotec Laser.
Velflex, Mutoh, Pozitive and Neofoam will also have sizeable stands, as will Adzon, Arlon, Banner Brother, Complete Signage Installation, Dakco LED, Digital FX, Eventec, i-Create Laser Cutting & Engraving, Interone, M-Power Software, O’Brien Engineering, Prime Graphics, Print IQ, Pulse Laser Systems, SALed, SAS, Signovate, Sign To Badge Solutions, Worldkougei, Zoometc, as well as Australian Skills Management Institute, Ecolease and Finance@Work.
Industry associations ASGA, LIA and FPLMA will be have their own stands, and Lettertech and BounceLED will be running a channel letter-bending workshop on all three days (sessions are just $25 per person with bookings essential).
The popular Try-A-Trade area, designed to allow students and others considering industry careers to get a hands-on experience of some typical activities, will also be running. Staffed by Tina Mavris and John Watters from AusSIP, representatives from Brisbane TAFE and industry volunteers, it will offer all the resources of the new Sign & Print Career Connections program.
To add to the action on the show floor, the show will feature a packed program of what organisers are calling ‘Connections Sessions’ – short, sharp and focused mini-seminars which will be held in the more intimate environment of the ‘Connections Centre’. The idea, says Charly, is to give visitors a chance to make new connections while gathering the information they need.
“Seminar sessions are an integral part of any trade show, but with a three-day show, we know time is tight and people usually have a long list of things they want to see,” she explains.
“To cater for this, we have arranged shorter sessions – half an hour or less – from market leaders and industry experts, in a smaller area and run in a more informal style which will promote conversations and encourage connections, not just between the presenter and the audience, but also between attendees.”
Topics to be covered include topics of wide general interest including sustainability, creating an engaged workforce, apprenticeships and training, and industry trends, to more specific sessions on heat printing and heat transfer vinyls; colour profiling; architecture, interior design and printed décor; and even the benefits of white ink.
Speakers will include: London Mills, Visual Media Association; Fiona Jacklyn from MEGT; Jeremy Brew from HP; Ben Carroll from Velflex; Chris Sherry and Matthew Francis, Avery Dennison; Renee Kruit from POLI-TAPE; Myra Anwar, Smartech; Zeff Lowe and Ryan Warby from Epson and Dan Sefton from Metamark.
Visual Impact Brisbane will run from 17 – 19 July at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre at South Bank. Registration is free of charge to industry professionals – click here to register online, or go to www.visualimpact.org.au for all the latest information including the full visitor guide and most up-to-date floorplan.
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