【Final Report】viscom 2017

Dec 25, 2017

viscom to take place concurrently with promotional products show PSI from now on

New concept and January dates received well
“viscom’s new January dates were chosen wisely: no longer will we be in the midst of the hectic end-of-year business but get to kick off the new year.” Martina Gralki-Brosch, the Federal Guild Master and Chair of the German advertising technology association ZVW, expresses what many of the altogether 231 exhibitors at this year’s viscom are thinking.

Because from 2019, Europe’s trade fair for visual communication will have a permanent home and new dates: In January. Annually in Düsseldorf. Concurrently with PSI, the Leading European Trade Show of the Promotional Products Industry. With the first event scheduled from 8 to 10 January 2019. The rhythm change means that viscom will not take place in autumn of 2018.

What also speaks for those dates, adds Martina Gralki-Brosch, is that people are more willing to invest early in the year: “January is a great time for major investments. Besides, the Düsseldorf site is perfect, since the majority of sign and illuminated-advertising makers are located in North Rhine-Westphalia.”

Europe’s largest network for advertising and selling
Her words get straight to the heart of the decision taken unanimously by organiser Reed Exhibitions and viscom’s Advisory Board. The new concept creates Europe’s largest alliance of advertising and sales trade fairs. “They cover the entire spectrum of visual, textile and haptic advertising while creating important synergies”, says Hans-Joachim Erbel, the CEO of Reed Exhibitions Deutschland. Together, the two shows – which will continue as independent trade fairs – draw more than 1,200 exhibiting companies and approximately 28,000 trade visitors from 80 countries. Focus topics will include Promotion & Sales, Signmaking & Print as well as Textile & Soft Signage.

It’s a convincing concept, emphasises Jürgen Zietlow from German Publishing Group GmbH: “viscom now taking place in the second week of January, during the start-of-the-year business, is beneficial for the industry. And we expect the concurrency with PSI to have a stimulating effect. Plus, it gives us exhibitors a chance to reach the audience of two trade fairs. That’s why we’ll definitely return in 2019 and why we want to actually increase our footprint.” Achim Thörner, too, has high hopes for the new viscom. Says the sales manager of ComPlott Papier Union GmbH: “We’re excited.”

viscom 2017 with qualified contacts and concrete intentions to buy
Despite lower exhibitor and visitor numbers, the exhibitors said they were satisfied. Even though the number of visitors – 7,231 companies from 62 countries – remained below last year’s (9,184), many participants emphasised the quality of contacts and concrete order and project enquiries. “We’re very satisfied with this year’s viscom. The decision to come was definitely correct. We had high-quality visitors at our stand”, says Volker Lienig, the sales and marketing manager of MUTOH Deutschland GmbH, reflecting the sentiments of many other exhibitors.

ComPlott’s Achim Thörner was struck by the concrete intentions to purchase: “Visitors come to buy and not just to look.” Frank Schenk from EPSON Deutschland GmbH shares that assessment: “The quality of visitors this year was excellent. Now we’re excited to see how things will continue in 2019.”

Outlook 2019
Starting in 2019, viscom will occupy Halls 13 and 14 at the Exhibition Centre Düsseldorf; PSI will be in Halls 9 to 12. Serving as a central hub specifically for marketing decision-makers will be the Marketing and Retail Forum, which covers the topics POS, Premium Packaging and Brand Communication, plus Merchandising and Licensing.

With that, viscom is expanding its presence in this area, as well, underscores viscom director Petra Lassahn: “As a trade fair for users, our strength lies in bringing together three factors – technology, design and brands – and to show what’s possible in visual communication and creative design these days.” An illustrative example is the premiere of the Brand Communication School, the place where international packaging specialists shared insights into their expertise.

The special show “The Emperor’s New Signmaking” – a project created in collaboration with art and design students from the University of Wuppertal – showed that there are almost no limits to the imagination anymore in digital printing. The project’s focus was on interior design. More and more commercial furniture and equipment suppliers as well as interior designers are counting on printing technology to create individually designed interior spaces. “An attractive market for print services providers is opening up in this area”, says Petra Lassahn. The revamped viscom from 2019 is aimed at developing these market opportunities even more intensively.

The next viscom will take place in Düsseldorf from 8 to 10 January 2019. Detailed information can be found at www.viscom-messe.de.