FuturePrint 2021: The Year in Review
As the year reaches its end and the shortest day fast approaches it is time to look back on the year and consider what kind of a year it has been.
In terms of the virus, to a large extent, the year is ending as it began. Super high cases, uncertainty and supply chain problems all mean we continue to see a bumpy road ahead which is further compounded by increasing inflation. But during the first part of the year, the heavy restrictions and lockdowns we endured did make way to a more hopeful and free summer period. The vaccination programme certainly seems to have helped reduce and control severe disease, it is just amazing how the virus mutates and spreads so quickly in the colder months. Let's hope the defining characteristic for Omicron in 2022 is that while it is super contagious it is a milder variant in terms of symptoms.
Despite it being a bumpy year, it has been a positive year for the Print technology industry and the community we serve. 2021 was not a year that was defined by the same shock and trauma of 2020. It was a year where the industry adapted, empowered by a stoic need to go on and do stuff regardless of the conditions. In Q1, FuturePrint hosted two very successful virtual events that were highly popular due to a potent mix of great content and full lockdown.
The Villa Sarasin and the Palexpo Congress Centre in Geneva will play host to the June 2022 FuturePrint Leaders Summit.
The Virtual FuturePrint Leaders Summit was a stand out event. Hearing from leaders we think is hugely important right now and will continue to be so. In 2022, we shall be hosting our LIVE FuturePrint Leaders Summit, as a hybrid event, 29-30 June, and we hope you join us in Geneva, or online, and be a part of it.
In March, we enjoyed a presentation by Roger Martin-Fagg, a behavioural economist who is also a great speaker. Roger predicted the 2008 crash and his session was entitled ‘Get ready for the Coming Boom’. You can view his talk here. Roger was interesting, optimistic and prescient. However, the supply chain problems that have defined the second half of the year are proving to deliver sustained problems across the world and across industries. The current spike in inflation is surely a result of this but also down to a huge increase in demand in line with more freedom, frustration and money which has been placed into the economy. The one saving grace we should all hold onto is that as Roger pointed out, prior to COVID, there was no recession. So there will be a fast return to economic growth. Inflation is part of that, but the supply chain crisis has certainly brought inflation forward.
Innovation & Collaboration
Innovation has increased in its speed due to the new problems and digital inkjet has seen a spike in interest as a powerful coalescence of need, combined with technology that can enable solutions to problems. The traditional manufacturing model has been challenged. The cross-continental model has proven inflexible and unfit for purpose. With container ships unable to access ports, shortages have led to crises for many products reaching consumers. Digital production, which enables closer to customer production, is now a priority for many brands and retailers. While over time the supply chain issues are bound to settle, many do not want to suffer a similar experience again should another pandemic hit. This could be a watershed moment for technology.
This is as much about mindset as it is about technology. The best ideas are shaped and integrated successfully through collaboration with a number of stakeholders and thematically, collaboration has risen in its accepted importance across the supply chain.
Digitalization, Automation & Packaging
In partnership with Ricoh, we kicked off the year, January 14 with a really popular session focused on Digital Manufacturing which featured some experts from the digital manufacturing sector. This session which you can see here, was really helpful in that it highlighted the trends, helped to explain what is and what isn’t digital manufacturing and also inkjet technologies' role within this strategic change to how things are made. Often, people seem frightened of new technology and what this may mean to people’s livelihoods. Digital manufacturing technology, of which digital printing is a part, I believe, should be seen as a liberating and helpful addition to the entire process.
Developing the Right Technology
In June, we hosted the FuturePrint Tech Fest. This event was designed to provide insight into how developing the right technology to solve the right problems is so pivotal to success. There are many examples of where clever technology is developed but which does not end up having impact or a great role to play. The purpose of this event was in part to highlight best practice with technology development.
Part of the event was shot in a studio and followed the 5 Steps to Success themes with expert panels in each session.
Social Change, Consumers & Sustainability
In 2020, we talked a lot about how things have accelerated during COVID. The speed of change has certainly continued in our view. Social attitudes have quickly changed and hardened and the environment has risen to the top of the agenda. On November 11 we hosted our hybrid event, the FuturePrint & Pack Summit which focused on Digitalization and Sustainability. With speakers such as James Bull, Head of Packaging at Tesco leading the packaging content, we gained a lot of positive feedback and inspiration for how leading retailers are placing the environment and sustainability as a key strategic goal.
Events, Buying Changes & Omnichannel
Despite more freedom and widespread vaccinations, it has certainly not been a year that can be described as ‘business as normal’. We expect next year to be similar, more freedom, but continued disruption in Q1 particularly given the rate at which Omicron is spreading. We think this further underlines a new trend going forward that we believe will remain. While in-person events are vital, both exhibiting companies and visitors to events will be far less speculative with the events that they attend and far more forensic with their ROI before they make a decision to participate whether they are the buyer or the seller.
According to independent research by Gartner on buying trends which is further supported by our own in-house research, buying behaviour has shifted. Much of the buying research and justification phase is now done online. While the final decision may be done virtually or in-person (depending on restrictions) the people who attend events will be there to finalise decisions, not to gather a broad range of information. As a result, omnichannel is the future in our view. Deploying all of the channels to reach people is the new normal, events are no longer the dominating format that digital merely supports. It is now far more balanced. This challenges marketers to adapt, and those that do will continue to thrive.
Our year in numbers:
27,000 Visits to FuturePrint (75% growth)
45,000 Pageviews (103% growth)
21,000 Unique visitors (78% growth)
3 Virtual events
1 Hybrid event
4,767 Virtual delegates
110 In-person delegates
85 Different countries
183 Speakers
7 Webinars
27 Podcast Interviews
1,700 Podcast downloads
1,122 Downloads of reports
11,000 Views on our YouTube channel
66,000 Minutes of viewing on our YouTube Channel
16,498 Subscribers to the FuturePrint Newsletter
200+ articles
2 Reports
1 Survey
2022 will be another growth year and we have some exciting new plans in development. If you would like to discover more about becoming a FuturePrint Partner, then please do get in touch by emailing Marcus Timson