Since its founding, the FESPA Foundation has focused on using the power of print to create positive, long-term impact. At this year’s FESPA tradeshow, Summa formally joined the Foundation, the charity of the global print and sign industry association. This new partnership underscores the shared commitment of Summa and FESPA to sustainability, education and community development within and beyond the print industry.

The FESPA Foundation’s work centres on three objectives: promoting more sustainable practices within the print industry, inspiring and educating through access to learning resources, and empowering underserved communities by supporting schools worldwide.

With the adoption of Batau Primary School, Summa becomes a key industry partner supporting the Foundation’s mission. The school, located in Limpopo, will benefit from targeted improvements that strengthen the learning environment for its students and teachers.

‘Giving everyone a chance, regardless of where they come from or who they are, is something deeply rooted in Summa’s values and management philosophy,’ said Summa CEO Stijn Henderickx. ‘We believe in the opportunity to foster a more inclusive society, in particular for the youth of today, both through mentoring and charitable projects. Joining the FESPA Foundation is an excellent way to create opportunities for underserved communities and we couldn’t be happier to participate in this project together with our reference shareholder Apheon and the whole Summa team.’

Sara Horlock, Group Partnership Manager at FESPA, commented, ‘Thanks to the support from Summa, who is once again showing leadership in our industry, and Apheon, we can move forward with the development of Batau Primary School, the next school supported through the FESPA Foundation. Their contribution directly supports our educational and community initiatives and helps us create meaningful, long-term impact. We are particularly encouraged by the shared belief that our industry can play a positive role in driving change.’

Summa has already been actively supporting FESPA’s Print for Good campaign in the past as part of its engagement to sustainable growth and is delighted to take this next step in creating lasting social impact.

For Apheon and Summa, joining the FESPA Foundation is a natural extension of their shared values. Apheon has been chosen year after year as a leader in sustainable private equity, just recently being recognised as ‘Diversity and Inclusion Leader of the Year’ at the 2026 Real Deals Private Equity Awards.

‘Sustainability isn’t a hollow catchphrase at Apheon, it’s part of our identity and what sets us apart,’ said Patrick Gavoty, Head of Sustainability at Apheon. ‘Helping young people from underserved backgrounds receive access to opportunities is a central commitment to Apheon, because we believe that businesses who respect the planet, look after their employees and support their communities in turn benefit from their actions in the long term. Supporting the FESPA Foundation thus became an obvious choice, and we look forward to seeing the first tangible outcomes of the Batau project.’

The partnership between Summa and the FESPA Foundation was officially signed at FESPA Barcelona in the presence of Michael Ryan, Apheon partner Pieter Lambrecht, and Summa CEO Stijn Henderickx.

SUMMA
https://www.summa.com/en-int

FUJIFILM SOUTH AFRICA – SUMMA DISTRIBUTOR
+27 11 430 5400
https://www.fujifilmgraphicsystems.co.za/

FESPA FOUNDATION
https://www.fespa.com/en/about/fespa-foundation/

The Sign Africa and FESPA Africa Johannesburg Expo, where industry meets opportunity, is taking place from 8-10 September 2026. The event will feature live on-stand demonstrations, conducted by product experts from all the leading brands and companies. They will also advise you about the latest and most relevant products to help streamline and grow your business.

The event is a platform for visitors to get their fingers on the pulse of this vibrant, ever-evolving industry. It will assist with your digital technology investments and allow you to research product diversification as well as new ideas for next-level business growth and profitability.

The signage and print industry is changing rapidly and print service providers need to keep up with innovations and trends. Experience opportunities in:

– Wide format and digital printing.
– Signage and sign systems.
– Digital signage and LED displays.
– Vehicle wrapping and paint protection films.
– Textile, apparel and DTF printing.
– Screen and pad printing.
– Laser cutting, CNC and engraving.
– Vinyls, media and substrates.
– Colour management and RIP software.
– AI Design and workflow automation.
– 3D printing and 3D milling.
– Laminating and print finishing.
– Wayfinding, banners and display systems.
– Promotional products and branding.
– Sportswear.
– Print and cut (labels).
– Digital packaging.

Please register online for free attendance to the Sign Africa and FESPA Africa Expo, taking place Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 8-10 September 2026, Gallagher Convention Centre, 9am-5pm.

I want to exhibit.

SIGN AFRICA EXPO
+27 11 568 1894
www.signafricaexpo.com

The expansion into new print-related vertical markets reinforced the organisation’s FESPA Future strategy to Connect, Inspire and Support increasingly diverse global business communities. FESPA 2026 comprising FESPA Global Print Expo, European Sign Expo, Personalisation Experience, WrapFest, Corrugated and Textile welcomed visitors from the speciality print, signage, packaging, personalisation, wrapping and textile sectors to the Fira de Barcelona.

The event was the first flagship exhibition in Southern Europe since 2012 and, with six co-located events and three conference programmes under one roof, it was its most varied and multi-faceted to date.

The co-located event portfolio also broadened FESPA’s reach and audience, strengthening its position as a leading platform for innovation, knowledge exchange and business growth across the speciality print industry and beyond.

FESPA 2026 welcomed visitors from 126 countries with the largest audiences coming from Spain, Italy, the UK, Germany, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Poland, Belgium and Switzerland (in descending order). This reinforces the value of FESPA’s peripatetic pattern, making the 2026 event easily accessible to southern European printers and supporting exhibitors to make connections with new prospective buyers.

FESPA 2026 achieved a total visitor attendance of 24,798, making it one of the most successful editions of the global event to date. 15,495 unique visitors attended the show, a 10% year-on-year increase on the 2025 event.

85% of visitors were senior decision makers, with 77% directors, CEOs, owners or managers. The collective median visitor budget was €3.5 billion, a 20.68% increase on 2025, signalling strong propensity to invest.

Michael Ryan, Head of FESPA Global Print Expo, commented, ‘By bringing together six clearly defined events, our aim was to give FESPA visitors a richer mix of opportunities to learn, be inspired and explore adjacent market sectors and applications. The patterns we’ve seen in event registration, usage of the FESPA app and conference attendance made it clear that most visitors have several overlapping areas of interest, so this approach serves their needs perfectly.’

‘For example, they might come to the show primarily for FESPA Global Print Expo and also engage with European Sign Expo, Textile and our FESPA Conference programme. This highlights the exceptional value of a comprehensive global event with multiple exhibition and content strands; it gives decision-makers access to a vast spectrum of specialist expertise to validate their current direction while also investigating new growth opportunities, all in one place.’

FESPA Global Print Expo’s returning co-located events, European Sign Expo and Personalisation Experience, further enhanced the visitor offering. European Sign Expo showcased the latest innovations, products and solutions for the signage and visual communications sectors, while Personalisation Experience provided a dedicated platform for industry professionals to explore the commercial potential of customisation and discover new opportunities for personalised print applications.

This year, FESPA also launched two new co-located events, Corrugated and Textile, and it included WrapFest in the flagship event portfolio for the first time.

Corrugated brought together manufacturers of corrugated packaging and display solutions, as well as leading suppliers of machinery, print technology, software, materials and automation systems to create a hub for innovation and collaboration across the sector.

Textile offered a focused environment for professionals in printed textile applications across fashion, apparel, sportswear and interior décor. Visitors were able to explore emerging trends, discover new technologies and applications, and exchange knowledge with industry experts.

WrapFest 2026 showcased the full spectrum of vehicle and surface wrapping solutions, including self-adhesive films, software, design tools and accessories. Complementing the exhibition, the event delivered a programme of live demonstrations, practical workshops, technical advice and skills development opportunities, providing valuable hands-on learning for wrap professionals.

Visitors also had the opportunity to attend three conference programmes at the event: The FESPA Conference; The Corrugated Conference and WrapTalks.

Each programme delivered valuable industry insights, expert-led sessions and panel discussions, and practical takeaways. Together, the three programmes covered key topics relating to: print, signage, packaging, wrapping, textile decoration and personalisation.

FESPA Global Print Expo, European Sign Expo, Personalisation Experience, WrapFest and Textile will return to Messe Munich, Germany from 6–9 April 2027. FESPA Africa, which is co-located with Sign Africa, Africa Print, Graphics, Print & Sign and Modern Marketing, will be held from 8-10 September at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand.

FESPA
https://www.fespa.com/

According to Emma Lown from Screenmoove, and writing for Digital Signage Today, most digital signage installations fail quietly. The screens are on, the content looks fine, and nobody asks why the results are underwhelming. That is the problem. Digital signage has spent years being evaluated on presence rather than performance, on whether it looks good rather than whether it works.

That is starting to change. Retailers, gyms, restaurants and healthcare environments are beginning to treat their display networks the way they treat their websites: with attention to user behaviour, conversion logic and measurable outcomes. The gap between installations that drive results and those that simply occupy wall space is almost never about the hardware, it is about intent.

Walk into a busy gym and you will find screens showing brand content that members stopped noticing within two weeks of joining. Walk into a well-run gym and the screens are part of the member experience, class schedules are timed to pre-session traffic peaks, motivational content is calibrated to the energy of the room, and upsell prompts for PT sessions appear at the exact moment someone is between a workout and the exit.

The difference is not the screen. It is the understanding that a screen placed in a high-dwell environment is a touch point, not a billboard. People in a gym changing room, a restaurant waiting area or a retail queue are paused, primed and looking for something to focus on. Installations that capitalise on that attention convert. Those that treat the screen as a static poster replacement do not.

The same logic applies in retail. Window displays drive footfall. In-store screens can drive category engagement, basket size and time spent, but only when the content is mapped to where customers are in their decision journey. A screen near the entrance serves a different function than a screen at the point of purchase. Content that ignores that distinction is content that under performs.

The installations that consistently outperform have three things in common.

First, they start with the customer journey rather than the screen placement. Before any hardware is specified, the question is: what does the person standing here need to see, feel or do next? That question changes everything: the content brief, the height of the screen, the loop length, even the brightness level. When the journey comes first, the technology serves a purpose.

Second, they treat content as infrastructure. A one-time content build, left to run unchanged for six months, is not a content strategy. High-performing installations have a content calendar, a review cycle, and someone responsible for keeping the messaging current and relevant. The screens in a quick-service restaurant that update daily to promote a high-margin item outperform those running the same loop from launch. This is not a complicated insight, but it is one the industry consistently overlooks.

Third, they measure what matters. Dwell time, footfall, queue length, basket uplift, the metrics available to a retailer or hospitality operator are significant. Installations that are connected to real business outcomes, even loosely, get maintained, updated and expanded. Those that exist as standalone display investments tend to fade into the background, literally and commercially.

For operators reviewing existing installations, the quick wins are almost always in content rather than hardware.

Review loop length. Most content loops run too long, particularly in high-footfall environments where average dwell time is under two minutes. A loop that takes four minutes to complete means a significant portion of visitors see only part of the message. Shorter, tighter content performs better in fast-moving environments. Longer, richer content works in high-dwell settings like waiting rooms or hotel lobbies.

Review content timing. Scheduling content to match footfall patterns is straightforward with modern playback software and is almost universally underused. Breakfast messaging during morning rush, lunchtime promotions at midday, evening upsells as the day winds down. The principle is simple and the implementation is not complicated.

Review screen placement logic. A screen positioned at eye level in a queue is an entirely different asset to the same screen mounted above head height on a wall. Where the human eye naturally travels in a given environment is the starting point for placement decisions, not available wall space.

For operators planning new installations, the most valuable investment before hardware is a clear brief. Who is the audience? Where are they in their decision journey? What behaviour does the screen need to influence? The answers to those questions will do more for the outcome than any specification decision.

Treating a digital display network like a conversion channel, with the same rigour applied to a website, a campaign or a sales process, is not a complicated shift. It is simply a more useful frame for an asset that most operators are significantly underusing.

This article appears in Digital Signage Today.

The Foundation is encouraging individuals and businesses to dedicate their 67 minutes this Mandela Day to making a tangible difference in the lives of learners at under-resourced schools across South Africa.

With Mandela Day taking place on 18 July 2026, the Foundation is inviting volunteers from the printing industry and the wider business community to participate in projects that help improve educational environments and create better opportunities for young people.

Last year, the FESPA Foundation welcomed volunteers to Dennilton, Limpopo, to improve facilities at Batau Primary School, including classroom refurbishments and upgraded learning spaces, as part of the FESPA Foundation’s 2025 Mandela Day initiative.

Building on this impact, the Foundation continues to encourage more companies to join the initiative and turn their 67 minutes into lasting change for learners across South Africa this Mandela Day.

Get Involved

You can make a real difference by supporting the valuable work of the FESPA Foundation. Participating in the initiative offers more than an opportunity to give back. It allows you and your team to:

– Help improve educational opportunities for children.
– Contribute to environmentally responsible reuse of materials.
– Take part in meaningful team-building experiences.
– Support a project that delivers long-term community benefits.

Join the initiative or donate here.

FESPA FOUNDATION
https://fespafoundation.org/about/

The ‘Roots of Tomorrow’ project came about through the FESPA Foundation, with Digidelta an official partner of the initiative. Each year, the FESPA Foundation mobilises international printing industry partners to contribute products, materials, and services in the months leading up to the FESPA Global Print Expo in a sustainable manner.

Digidelta recently used its BIOND Bio-Print Film P HT BF 90 White Matt film to produce a set of wall graphics for classrooms at a primary school in South Africa.

For its 2026 edition, the initiative took on the theme of the ‘Big Animal School’, centred around a collective effort to rebuild classrooms in South African primary schools. Digidelta’s role was to both design and produce educational wall graphics for the under-renovation Batau Primary School.

Due to the classroom setting where the graphics would be installed, this posed an additional challenge for Digidelta. Strict rules and regulations meant it was limited to only using materials and consumables that ensure the printed applications would be suitable and safe in this environment.

With more than 40 years’ experience in the printing sector, coupled with far-reaching knowledge of print materials and hardware, Digidelta was ideally placed to support. After evaluating the project and how to deliver the best possible quality, the company’s expert team at its Torres Novas site in Portugal settled on BIOND Bio-Print Film P HT BF 90 White Matt.

Part of Digidelta’s BIOND range of bio-based printable films, the product is free from plasticisers and has a 90-micron thickness, permanent high tack adhesive and a bubble-free liner. Together, these features ensure high stability during printing and place the product as an ideal solution for a wide range of promotional applications, including interior wall graphics. In addition, the film carries an EN†13501-1:2018 reaction-to-fire classification as proof of its safety for use across various indoor environments.

However, material was only part of the equation, with Digidelta also tasked with using hardware that would deliver high-quality output. Having served as a Mimaki distributor in the Iberia region for almost 25 years, Digidelta knew immediately where to turn for the most effective solution.

The company opted for the Mimaki UCJV330 print and cut UV LED inkjet printer, the flagship UV model from Mimaki that can print on media up to 1mm thick and as wide as 1.6m with the 130 model or 1.6m on the 160 machine. Other features include a maximum cutting speed of 300mm/s and a range of colour options across various inksets.

In terms of inks, to meet the strict criterion of printed applications inside classrooms, Digidelta chose to run with Mimaki LUS170 inks. These carry the key UL Greenguard Gold certification, regarded as one of the most demanding standards for low emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in sensitive environments, including spaces where children are present.

After the graphics were produced in-house by the expert team at Digidelta, they were shipped to the 2026 FESPA Global Print Expo, where Digidelta exhibited, and will be sent on to the school in South Africa ready for installation in classrooms later this year.

Each Batau classroom is dedicated to one ‘Big 5’ animal and a specific educational focus. The Lion Classroom focuses on leadership and confidence; the Elephant Classroom wisdom and strength; the Leopard Classroom agility and creativity; the Rhino Classroom strength and authority; and the Buffalo Classroom teamwork and resilience.

‘We wanted each classroom to feel educational and inspiring, rather than simply decorative,’ said Fábio Costa, Marketing Manager at Digidelta. ‘Each animal theme represents different qualities such as teamwork, creativity and leadership, helping create an engaging environment for students.’

Armando Mota, CEO of Digidelta added, ‘At Digidelta, we have always believed that the purpose of what we manufacture goes beyond its technical performance. We created BIOND because we believe it is possible to make materials that are better for the environment and for the people who live alongside them.

‘When the FESPA Foundation came to us with this project, it felt like a direct expression of that belief. A bio-based film, in a school, on walls that children will look at every day for years. That is the world we are trying to help build.’

FESPA FOUNDATION
https://www.fespa.com/en/about/fespa-foundation/

DIGIDELTA
https://digidelta-internacional.com/

The FESPA Foundation received donations in the form of pencil cases and printed materials during the Sign Africa Durban expo. The event was held from 27-28 May.

Among the companies who lent their support were NUtec Digital Ink, Visual Communications Supplies (VCS) and Sign-Tronic.

The FESPA Foundation is dedicated to transforming the speciality print and visual communications industry through sustainable practices, community support, and educational outreach. The Foundation’s ‘Print for Good’ initiative provides printed educational materials to under-resourced schools. Their Adopt a School programme connects corporate print partners with schools in need, building partnerships to tackle urgent needs like safe classrooms, reliable infrastructure, working libraries and food security.

FESPA Foundation executive director Steve Thobela ka Mdlalose said, ‘NUtec has partnered with us for quite some time, they have contributed previously to the Foundation and we are truly grateful for what they continue to do. We are very proud of their contribution, it is making a big difference. This time they donated beautiful, fancy pencil cases.’

‘VCS became very excited when they heard about what we are doing and the concept of ‘print for good’. Expo organisers Practical Publishing gave them a file and they printed on the spot while everybody could watch this happen, and I believe that influenced a lot of printers. So we are truly grateful that they helped us promote the Foundation as well.’

‘Sign-Tronic also asked us for a file, from which they printed. We are truly grateful for the support we have received from them over the years.’

Thobela ka Mdlalose added that during the expo they spoke to quite a number of potential donors, ‘There are companies producing T-shirts that they said would consider printing for us.’

‘For individuals that have offered to make donations, we’ve directed them to the QR code on the website, and that’s really helpful as they can donate live. Many people have pledged a lot of support in that regard. So it was very beneficial to be at the expo.’

The event was sponsored by Roland and Stixo.

FESPA FOUNDATION
https://www.fespa.com/en/about/fespa-foundation/

Entrepreneurs must build products or services that meet complex and evolving customer needs, manage cash flow, grow teams and respond to shifting market conditions, often all at once. And they must do it in an environment where the odds are not always in their favour. Starting a business often means navigating unfamiliar territory while making high-stakes decisions in real time.

In South Africa, small businesses play a vital role in the economy, contributing significantly to GDP and employment. Yet the path to sustainability is far from guaranteed, with estimates suggesting that between 60% and 80% of small businesses fail within their first few years of operation.

Against this backdrop, entrepreneurship can easily begin to feel like a solitary pursuit. Many founders believe they are expected to have all the answers and demonstrate constant certainty. But this expectation is often one of the biggest barriers to growth.

‘The idea that entrepreneurs must navigate every challenge alone is deeply misleading,’ said Allon Raiz, CEO of Raizcorp. ‘Asking for help is not a weakness. It is one of the most powerful leadership behaviours a founder can develop.’

The most effective entrepreneurs rarely operate in isolation. Instead, they rely on mentors, advisors and peers who have faced similar decisions before them. In many ways, this, says Raiz, reflects a form of ‘entrepreneurial ubuntu’, where progress and success are strengthened through community.

Globally, business leaders emphasise the importance of collaboration and seeking guidance. Entrepreneurs such as Emma Grede, co-founder of the fashion brand Good American, have spoken openly about reaching out to competitors when facing a complex business challenge. Her reasoning was simple: sometimes the person best placed to help you solve a problem is someone who has already solved it themselves.

This perspective highlights an important shift in how leadership should be understood. Asking for help is not simply about support or reassurance, it directly influences how entrepreneurs make decisions about pricing, partnerships, market entry and operational systems. Without external input, founders are often forced to make these decisions in isolation, which can limit growth, delay access to markets and reinforce inefficiencies within the business.

Why Ask For Help?

In the South African context, isolation is a common reality for entrepreneurs. Many operate their businesses without access to experienced mentors, banking professionals, strong professional networks or peer communities where challenges can be openly discussed. As a result, capability gaps persist, not because entrepreneurs lack ambition, but because they lack structured access to guidance and shared learning.

‘Operating in isolation means having to make critical decisions without the benefit of perspective,’ said Raiz. ‘This can lead to slower growth and costly mistakes, and missed opportunities that could otherwise have been avoided. Access to experienced mentors who have already walked the entrepreneurial path successfully, as well as peer communities of founders facing similar early-stage challenges, plays an important role in bridging the capability gap that still exists in the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.’

Learning from others accelerates understanding and helps entrepreneurs avoid reinventing the wheel. Instead of spending valuable time solving problems from scratch, entrepreneurs can draw on the experience of others and focus their energy on building resilient and commercially viable businesses.

That being said, mistakes are also a crucial part of the learning journey and an inevitable part of building a business. The challenge is ensuring those mistakes become learning moments rather than fatal setbacks.

Structured Entrepreneurship Ecosystems Are Important

‘Successful leadership and entrepreneurial journeys do not come from having every answer,’ said Raiz. ‘Recognising when to seek guidance and surrounding yourself with people who help you think more clearly about the decisions you need to make is what helps build a stronger business.’

As South Africa continues to look to entrepreneurship as a driver of economic growth and job creation, the focus must extend beyond funding and access to opportunity. The ability to draw on the experience of others is what ultimately determines whether businesses remain small or scale sustainably. In this context, asking for help is not a weakness, but a competitive advantage.

RAIZCORP
www.raizcorp.com

The FESPA Foundation will once again demonstrate how the industry can drive meaningful, lasting social impact, as the global print, signage, packaging, textile and wrapping communities gather for four days of innovation, collaboration and business development.

FESPA Global Print Expo 2026 returns to the Gran Via, Fira de Barcelona, Spain, from 19–22 May 2026, alongside European Sign Expo, Personalisation Experience, WrapFest and the brand-new Corrugated and Textile.

The FESPA Foundation is set to be present throughout the event, inviting visitors, exhibitors and partners to contribute to its ongoing mission: supporting schools in underserved communities around the world. The FESPA Foundation’s presence at the show will offer a tangible connection between the creativity and capability on display across the exhibition floor and the real-world educational environments that benefit from industry support.

The FESPA Foundation was launched in 2025 as a global initiative dedicated to transforming the speciality print and visual communications industry through sustainable practices, community support, and educational outreach. Since its initial launch, the initiative has actively supported five schools, operating under the strapline ‘Print for Good’.

It has also empowered communities and created lasting impact through the power of print. Through its initiatives, the FESPA Foundation continues to use its donations, comprising printed materials, equipment and funding, to support schools by helping them to improve learning conditions and improve access to education.

The FESPA Foundation would like to thank its many sponsors and donors, whose continued commitment has made its achievements over the last year possible. This year, a number of exhibitors at FESPA 2026 will produce assets live at the show. Donated items will include books, pencils, t-shirts and other garments, educational posters and a range of community-focused resources, to be distributed to the FESPA Foundation’s partner schools.

Sponsors and partners for this year include: DSV, Durst, FESPA Netherlands Association, Messe Frankfurt South Africa and Summa, whose support reinforces the power of print to make a difference.

Building on the success of last year’s donations in Berlin, the FESPA Foundation has launched a new campaign for 2026, titled ‘Back to School’. The campaign will focus on items for children who are starting or returning to school after the holidays. Arlon, Brother, Canon, Digidelta, Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems, Mimaki and Roland are amongst the donors for the new initiative.

Neil Felton, FESPA CEO, commented, ‘We’re delighted to welcome the FESPA Foundation alongside our flagship event once again this year. It’s incredibly rewarding to see our global community come together to create meaningful impact and to truly demonstrate print for good. By bringing together sustainability, education and community support, we’re helping to transform hundreds of lives and reach those who need it most, while empowering individuals with the skills, resources and opportunities to build brighter, more sustainable futures. Together, with our incredible community of visitors, exhibitors and partners, we’re proving that our industry can be a force for lasting, positive change, well beyond the printed page.’

At FESPA 2026, visitors will have the opportunity to support the FESPA Foundation through both materialistic and monetary donations.

To found out more about how to get involved with the FESPA Foundation, click here.

FESPA FOUNDATION
https://www.fespa.com/en/about/fespa-foundation/