The 3rd edition of the Southern European Printing Congress was held in Lyon on 26 and 27 June at the Palais de la Bourse.

An international event

After Barcelona in 2015 and Milan in 2016, the 3rd edition of the Southern European Printing Congress was held in Lyon. The event is organised by four associations: FESPA (Federation of European Screen Printers Associations) France, FESPA Espana, FESPA Italia and Apigraf (Portugal). FESPA France brings together screen printing and large-format digital printing professionals. The association was created (formerly GPSF) in 1951 to meet the challenges of new markets. These printing techniques are particularly effective communication tools for marketing, creativity and design.
Today, the association brings together companies and managers from different countries who are keen to give new impetus to their businesses.
The four associations present have worked hand in hand to set up and support emerging projects in printing solutions for the industrial and communications markets.
The aim of the event is also to encourage closer links and interaction between members of the associations, their customers and the market as a whole. Networking is a fundamental element of the Congress.

Format of the event

The event was spread over two half-days. After a welcome coffee at 2pm on 26 June, participants were taken through a series of conferences focusing on the various sectors of the printing market.
Printing professionals and experts were also able to meet for networking sessions, including the “Speedy meeting”, a short 5-minute discussion format. This was an opportunity for all the speakers and participants to meet and present their companies and projects. The idea was to facilitate future collaborations and exchange ideas. The first day ended with a networking dinner, also designed to encourage exchanges between colleagues. The event’s sponsor manufacturers, Hexis and ESKO, were also present.
Conferences resumed the following day at 9.30am. The event ended at 2pm with a cocktail reception.
The programme also included conferences on textiles, packaging and decoration.
All the conferences were simultaneously translated into French, Spanish, Italian, English and Portuguese, to reflect the international dimension of the event.

Access conditions

The event was open to members of each FESPA association on payment of a fee, as well as to the entire printing community in member countries.

EDP Award 2017

At the show, manufacturer SwissQprint won 2 EDP Awards:

  • For its large-format flatbed printer
  • For its loading and unloading robot

A few words about previous editions

The 2016 edition of the Southern European Printing Congress was held in Milan, following the success of the 2015 edition in Barcelona. The event was a great success in 2016, as it was in 2015. Sean Holt, General Secretary of FESPA, hailed the success of the event, stressing the importance of networking to share knowledge and skills.

There’s every chance that these first three editions will be the first steps towards a long-term event for the future. A conference to watch…

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