With global restrictions lifting, FESPA is working full steam ahead at its upcoming events and plans for 2022.
Sprinter spoke to its recently appointed president Christophe Aussenac, about what the industry can soon expect from the association and what his main priorities are.
According to Aussenac, the current climate is difficult for everyone, but it gives companies an opportunity to reflect on their businesses and recreate their futures.
“FESPA serves 37 different countries and aims to provide the platforms for businesses to think, meet and speak to others to be able to do this. We have and will always drive positive change. There is a lot of history at FESPA and I’m honoured to be able to continue this history,” he said.
Aussenac also mentioned that sustainability and education are his two main priorities in this role, adding that these topics will be addressed at every opportunity available.
“I have two projects that are very important to me. The first its sustainability. We all have known how it works for years but today, customers ask us more of it. And we must be better at our production and be more sustainable ourselves to be able to offer this to them. Where FESPA comes in is in the creation of our planet-friendly guide. We’ve had it for 10 years or so and the latest one is due out next month,” he said.
“The second project is around education. We need to be visible for the younger people and get them into the printing industry. We need to encourage them to be creative and show them that printing is an interesting job.
“At FESPA, we work a lot for the art. So, one idea we came up with is to promote car wrapping as that’s one of the interesting elements of print for younger people. We could potentially also create a FESPA Erasmus one day for young people to try the trade in another country. I hope to be able to launch this in my time.”
Events are also of top priority at FESPA, with planning for the FESPA Global Print Expo 2022 in Berlin from 31 May to 3 June well underway.
“Meeting people is at the heart of FESPA. When you are a businessman, sometimes you need to be able to connect and talk to other similar businessmen to share ideas and strategies. FESPA facilitates this with our events,” Aussenac said.
“The next step, for us, is in two months for the Berlin show. It will be a very, very good show. I look forward to meeting people there and spending some time together. There will be so much news, innovations, and applications at the event. It is the place to be if you are digital print on screen printer – it’s the biggest show in the world.
“There will also be a growing focus on the textiles space as textile printing and applications are booming in Europe, especially Italy and France.”
Aussenac also had a personal message for his members in Australia, who he said are very proactive in bringing the Australian FESPA community together.
“The FESPA Australia membership is growing and I’m so happy to see that there have been many events and activities organised to bring the local community together. It’s so important for us in Europe to see this as even though Australia is geographically far from Europe, it’s making the efforts to remain connected,” he said.
“If any of our members visit Europe, we will welcome you, with lots of pleasure. And thank you for your involvement and your passion.”
To find out more about FESPA Australia, including membership, contact membership@fespaaustralia.org.au.
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