Well, the second quarter of this year has kicked off to a fine start. Live events are back in action with many venturing overseas to attend them, each with their own purpose in mind, to gather knowledge, research new innovations, seek creativity and connections or simply just to feel a little bit …. normal again in an industry that stood still for more than a few years.
It certainly has created a bit of a positive buzz as many are diving deep into networking, meetings, and connecting as their business and livelihoods depended on it. You just can’t bet that face-to-face interaction between people or underestimate the sore feet from walking the isles, monitoring your stand, the dry mouth from talking constantly, and the overwhelming head spins of all the tasks and follow-up calls you have after a day on the floor at an Expo.
Having visited the Visual Impact Expo, in Sydney recently it was no surprise to see that many suppliers had gone above and beyond with their stand presentations as they stood proud on their patch eager to greet you and happy to share their knowledge and expertise on new products, machinery, and services. It was inspiring to see how far technologies have come in just over 3 years, so much R&D has been developed and was shown, in streamlining manual processes with AI in manufacturing and almost every stand showcased a sustainable approach to their products and machinery, this is where Australia is leading on this aspect over New Zealand.
Some great takeaways from the Visual Connections Expo, were the overall positive vibe, the genuine connections made with existing and new suppliers, inspiring workshops made for everyone – you just need to give it a go and lastly seeing how serious the suppliers were about making a difference to the sign and print industry by providing more sustainable options for change.
So, combining all the positive vibes, genuine connections, inspiring experiences, and sustainable changes on the horizon, it certainly gives us something to look forward to for the NZ Sign and Print Expo, Create, Make & Innovate Auckland in July. The future of our Kiwi sign and print industry looks bright, as many are busy, thriving, and evolving preparing to embrace the new technologies and opportunities as they arise.
