FESPA 2026 Demonstrates the Strength of Its Expanding Multi-Event Format
FESPA 2026 reinforced its position as one of the world’s leading platforms for the speciality print industry, attracting a global audience eager to explore innovation, investment opportunities, and emerging market sectors. Held from May 19–22 at Fira de Barcelona, the event brought together six co-located exhibitions and three conference programmes under one roof, creating the most diverse FESPA showcase to date.
The event combined FESPA Global Print Expo, European Sign Expo, Personalisation Experience, WrapFest, Corrugated, and Textile, offering visitors access to a broad spectrum of technologies, applications, and industry expertise. Marking the first FESPA flagship event in Southern Europe since 2012, the exhibition highlighted the organization’s commitment to connecting increasingly diverse business communities across print, signage, packaging, personalization, wrapping, and textile sectors.
FESPA 2026 welcomed visitors from 126 countries, with the largest attendance coming from Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Portugal, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, and Switzerland. The event recorded a total attendance of 24,798 visitors, including 15,495 unique attendees, representing a 10% increase compared to the previous year.
The exhibition also attracted a highly influential audience, with 85% of visitors holding senior decision-making positions and 77% identified as directors, CEOs, owners, or managers. Organizers reported a collective median visitor budget of €3.5 billion, reflecting a 20.68% increase over 2025 and indicating strong investment intentions across the industry.
Michael Ryan, Head of FESPA Global Print Expo, said the expanded format was designed to provide visitors with broader opportunities to learn, discover adjacent market sectors, and explore new growth avenues.
According to Ryan, visitor engagement patterns revealed strong crossover interest among the co-located events, enabling attendees to explore multiple industry segments during a single visit. He noted that the comprehensive format offers decision-makers access to specialist expertise while helping them validate current business strategies and investigate future opportunities.
The event also introduced two new verticals—Corrugated and Textile—further expanding FESPA’s reach into adjacent sectors. Corrugated created a dedicated platform for manufacturers and suppliers involved in packaging and display solutions, while Textile focused on innovations and applications across fashion, apparel, sportswear, and interior décor.
WrapFest was incorporated into the flagship exhibition portfolio for the first time, showcasing vehicle and surface wrapping solutions alongside live demonstrations, technical workshops, and skills development sessions.
Returning co-located events, European Sign Expo and Personalisation Experience, continued to attract strong interest. European Sign Expo highlighted advancements in signage and visual communications, while Personalisation Experience explored the growing commercial potential of customized products and print applications.
Complementing the exhibition floor, visitors had access to three conference programmes—the FESPA Conference, Corrugated Conference, and WrapTalks. These sessions provided industry insights, expert presentations, and panel discussions covering trends and developments across print, signage, packaging, textile decoration, personalization, and wrapping.
Leading exhibitors praised the event’s expanded format and business opportunities. Industry participants highlighted the value of connecting with decision-makers, exploring emerging technologies, and engaging with professionals from adjacent sectors.
The successful launch of new exhibition segments and continued growth in attendance reflect FESPA’s long-term strategy of supporting innovation, knowledge exchange, and business development across a rapidly evolving global print ecosystem.
Following the success of the Barcelona edition, FESPA Global Print Expo, European Sign Expo, Personalisation Experience, WrapFest, and Textile are scheduled to return from April 6–9, 2027, at Messe Munich, Germany, where the industry will once again gather to explore the future of print and related technologies.
