After a year’s social distancing, PSI, PromoTex Expo and viscom will bring the promotional product, textile and finishing industries back together again under one roof from 12th – 14th January 2021 in Düsseldorf, Germany. This will not only provide an opportunity to meet up again at long last, the fairs also signal the start of a long-awaited new financial year and will have a wide-ranging programme, both digital and on-site, to offer.
Companies who have already booked stands for 2021 include uma pens, JCK Group, TROIKA, Anda Presents, Kalfany Süße Werbung, Matterhorn, Mascot, Trotec Laser and OKI. As Liudger Boell, CEO of TROIKA says, “We need to be patient and we will still have to wait some time before we see a sustainable upturn in the industry. Which is why it is all the more important to send out a positive signal in 2021. Ultimately, it is the customer we have to persuade with our ideas and not the controllers of this world. And for that we will need all our optimism and powers of persuasion over the next year. We’ll see you in 2021!”
Kai Gminder, Managing Director of Gustav Daiber GmbH, agrees wholeheartedly, “At the moment, one thing is perfectly clear for Daiber: if PSI takes place, then we will be there. PSI is and always has been the leading fair in our eyes. So let’s hope it really will be a happy and prosperous New Year next year. Let’s be honest, there is no better time for looking forward.”
Digital solutions
While the first trade fairs with well-functioning concepts have already been taking place since autumn 2020, PSI, PromoTex Expo and viscom are also all geared up and ready to go with a fresh hygiene and safety concept in January. As well as having a well-conceived guidance system, the concept will use safety rules that are already familiar from the retail trade – keep your distance, pay attention to hygiene and wear a mask. According to Michael Freter, CEO of the fair organizer, Reed Exhibitions, “The concept is so well conceived that nobody needs to stay at home for safety reasons”.
Petra Lassahn, director of the three trade fairs says, “We are currently developing new digital solutions that will provide many opportunities for those visitors who cannot make it to Düsseldorf next January. Amongst other things, the new concept also includes exhibitors’ specially prepared product highlights, and events will also be streamed. Another new event is “video matchmaking”, which the fairs will be using to bring both exhibitors and visitors together live.
PSI show & PromoTex Expo
The PSI Newcomer Area, which is moving to Hall 9 in 2021, provides fresh impulses, unusual ideas and brainstorming products. Here you will find exhibitors who are at the show for the first or second time as well as inventors with new ideas for shaking up the industry. In the adjacent hall you can taste and try things at Gusto. The tasting area in Hall 10 will no doubt be as popular as ever in 2021 with promotional products that appeal to the senses, whereby all hygiene standards will be met, of course.
In 2021, PSI will become one large platform for sustainability as the PSI Sustainability Awards will be presented at the fair for the very first time. The green trophies will be awarded in Hall 10 during the course of the event.
PromoTex Expo will also be laying more focus on the topic of sustainability as well. The centrepiece will be provided by the Textile Campus in Hall 11. This is where information, networking and education relating to climate protection in the world of textiles will all come together in one event. You can learn here more about new strategies, trendsetting concepts and innovative projects for responsible action from real-life experience. They will also be able to learn how textiles and clothing can be produced more sustainably yet still gain a foothold in the marketplace.
Personal contact and training opportunities
Major focus will also be laid on matchmaking during the pandemic since making and maintaining contacts are a couple of the main reasons for visiting a trade fair in the first place. Visitors will have the opportunity of meeting business partners, investors, manufacturers or distributors in the Matchmaking Lounge in Hall 10. It is also possible to arrange appointments beforehand.
The Forum experts will be demonstrating in Hall 10 just how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the advertising and textile industries as well as what new business models and the latest technical developments in the marketplace can look like. The latest topics concerning the industry will be addressed and discussed on stage. These events will be supplemented by a training programme offered in the Corel & Adobe Forum in Hall 11 where you can discover everything about the latest software solutions and how they can be integrated into their daily workflow. Professionals will also be sharing valuable tips and tricks and answering questions relating to the different software programmes.
Inspiration for advertising technicians and finishers
Over the last few months, advertising technicians have led the way and developed ideas for preventing infection by creating barriers, distancing markings, one-way systems and other products. The special show Ideenschmiede (Engl. “ideas forge”) in Hall 11 takes a look at some of these product ideas and uses prime examples to show just how advertising technicians can ramp up their portfolio in these difficult times.
The special show “Make Your Shirt” inspired fair visitors in 2020 with its DIY character. In 2021, the format has been taken a stage further and now goes under the name “Fulfil Your Shirt” and demonstrates the production process of a T-shirt, from being given an initial QR code right through to being delivered to the customer. As well as granting the opportunity to create your own print motifs, the focus will also be on the industrial mass customisation of personalised textiles. Visitors can look forward to seeing how digital IT and shop solutions can be linked with digital printing.
First Digital Friday
For the first time this year there is Digital Friday to all those who have missed things during the fair or cannot make it to Düsseldorf. On Friday, all digital events will be available on-demand, including videos of the exhibitors and speakers. You will also be able to use the digital networking and sourcing offers that day.
