FESPA Mexico 2014 opens in less than one month （21-23 August 2014） at Centro Banamex, Mexico City, as the largest FESPA Mexico event so far.

This year’s event sees a 13% exhibitor increase from the 2013 show, with 37 new manufacturers on the show floor and 34% of exhibitors coming from outside of Mexico. Global brands such as Agfa, Canon, Durst, Epson, Fujifilm, HP, Konica Minolta, MS and Xerox have a direct presence at FESPA Mexico. Local distributors Celupal, DT Tec, Grupo Roma, MTM, Sagaro and Tubelite have all increased their presence for this year’s show.

At the event, visitors will have access to a host of seminars and feature content including Connect Conference, World Wrap Masters and Garment Central.

Visitors will hear about the latest industry trends and insights into future technology at Connect Conference. Taking place across the three days, it will provide educational and informative sessions on industry topics. Speakers will include global brand names such as Clear Channel, Corel, GMG and Wasatch, as well as local marketing companies Diestra Brands & Retail and Mente Digital.

Wrapping aficionados are invited to take part in the World Wrap Masters. The competition, sponsored by 3M, will see 16 teams of two compete by wrapping vehicles, mannequins, speakers and other objects to win the $2,000 prize. Second and third prize winners will receive $1,000 and $500 respectively. The competition will be judged by Wrap Masters expert Ole Solskin, who will also be on hand throughout the event to offer training for budding wrappers.

Garment Central, hosted by garment guru Charlie Taublieb, will offer textile printers and garment decorators workshops on screen and textile printing. The workshops will be a mix of presentations and hands-on sessions on subjects such as trends in ink, special effects, colour management and shirt treatments.

The top five designs of FESPA Mexico’s t-shirt competition will be displayed onsite to showcase the design and creative possibilities available with garment decoration. The winning design, which will be announced on the first day of the show （Thursday 21 August）， will be printed in the Garment Central area for visitors to take home.

Visitors are also invited to take part in the FESPA Mexico visitor competition, to stand the chance of winning an iPad Air. To enter, visitors simply download and print the FESPA Mexico postcard here - or pick one up during the show - detail why printers should attend FESPA Mexico and drop the postcard off at the FESPA stand （A72）。 The entries will be judged by FESPA and the winner will be announced at the end of the last day of FESPA Mexico 2014, Saturday 23 August.

FESPA Mexico 2014 marks the next destination for the FESPA Print Census, which launched at FESPA Digital in Munich, Germany in May 2014. The Print Census aims to gather the most comprehensive data compiled about the global wide format printing community and will travel to each FESPA exhibition. So far, the Print Census has been to Munich and Johannesburg and visitors to FESPA Mexico can take part in the survey by visiting the FESPA stand.

Michael Ryan, Group Exhibition Manager, FESPA, comments: “We are now in the final run-up to the seventh edition of FESPA Mexico, which will already be a record breaking show in terms of exhibitor numbers. 2014 is the largest exhibition we’ve held in Mexico City, which is a reflection of the optimism of the market. Our visitor pre-registration data also indicates a growth on previous years, with PSPs attending from across Mexico and Central America.

“At this year’s event there’s so much on offer that will help printers develop and grow their own business. With new exhibitors and global brands, as well as thought provoking content, hands-on demonstrations and workshops, there’s plenty for visitors to explore and learn.”