Marcus Timson, FuturePrint

LabelExpo and the labels market are now digitally immersed and fully integrated. To a large extent, digital is not even a big story for the labels sector. It is mainstream and only in danger of disrupting itself!

The following words are just my impression from one day's visit, but as an events and print person myself, I think I can pick up on themes pretty quickly and gain an impression. Here's my opinion and short write-up!

After 4 long years, the return of the event to the Brussels Expo was highly anticipated by many. And the big news is that since its inception, initially in London, and then the relocation to Brussels for nigh on 40 years, the event will finally next be taking place in 2025 in Barcelona. This is a shame for Brussels but a gain for Barcelona and in my view a big upgrade for both exhibitors and visitors.

Sorry Brussels, but you are not user-friendly. An event of this stature deserves to take place in a location that people actually want to travel to. Barcelona is an amazing city, with international appeal and an amazing venue, exciting scene, cuisine, culture, beaches, and dynamism. For an international visitor, Brussels is just not inspiring, and events such as this should be inspiring, including the location and the venue. The move to Barcelona will no doubt pay off with greater exhibitor support and general happiness combined with many visitors who will add a couple of days to their trip. This kind of thing is an important factor. Events should be enjoyed, not only endured!!

But it is not Brussel's fault that the weather was unseasonably hot. Exhibitors were telling me they had never attended a more uncomfortable event anywhere in the world, such as the degree of discomfort due to antique expo halls, ill-equipped with weak air conditioning.

I visited on Day 2, and the show was really busy. I wonder how busy it was overall compared with the previous pre-pandemic editions. The fact is that LabelExpo is now smaller, not significantly so, but more in line with the general trend of the market, and the tone of the economy. There were some obvious blank spaces unfilled by exhibitors. The label sector, while relatively protected from the ups and downs of the economy is still impacted by how the pandemic has changed buying behaviour. This is as true of a business-to-business market, as it is for the business-to-consumer market. We have all found different ways of buying and selling because we had to during the pandemic. For sure, people research far more online. Gone are the days when trade shows commanded the full attention of any sector. Seeing a machine is still very important but there has been a big growth in brands hosting their own events. This will affect attendance. I imagine numbers will be lower but that seniority has increased. But we will wait and see what the organisers say.

Now to the show itself and how digital is developing. As I wrote at the beginning - digital is now immersed and fully integrated into the label sector. It has now reached a general level of acceptance. It can produce the necessary quality of 300 DPI and at the requisite speed. The digital hall was still there - with a few of the big names opting to retain their usual position, but many others were spread out throughout the show. Digital is being used with analogue and hybrid is back in growth mode. So while digital is of course very important it is no longer the disruptive new kid on the block. It has been accepted and integrated.

Wider economic trends are further underlining these changes. The short-lived boom after the restrictions of the pandemic seemed to end before it had even begun, and this soon gave way to a more chaotic European economy caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The ensuing cost of living crisis has hit all of us. There is no doubt that everyone is feeling this - it is both a concern for the future and a greater restriction on current investment. It is tough, but the market still needs solutions to problems and one of the undeniable long-term problems is the lack of people. I heard many times that the industry is fast looking for automation solutions to get around the problem of not having enough people in the sector to do the work. Wages have increased in many economies by 10% matching or to some extent exceeding inflation, but people are leaving the working population, and there are not enough waiting or wanting to take their place. For a great explanation of this, check out a recent podcast with Dario Urbinati from Gallus, who explains better than I can! Cue a role for technology, and surely automation will increase as a clear investment trend after this event - in fact, many tell me this is well underway. There is no stronger influence on buying behaviour than pressure to deliver a product regardless of how. And those that invest in this from the top down, will win.

LabelExpo will continue to be an important show. This will be the case wherever the organisers decide to host it in Europe. The fact that it has remained in Brussels for so long is the most surprising factor. Everyone I talked to is really looking forward to Barcelona!

Thank you and congratulations to the organisers for a great show and for providing some nice hospitality in the press office :)