Virtual events are being launched across print in order to plug the gap left by the postponements of drupa, Fespa, SDUK and more.

The FTA has announced Virtual FORUM 2020, an online replacement for this year’s in-person conference, where content previously planned for the event will be broadcast live in a webinar format utilizing FTA’s Zoom Meeting platform. FTA members receive complimentary registration for the three-day event; non-member registration is $200.

Each day of Virtual Forum 2020 will feature a pair of technical sessions spread between the morning and afternoon.

Meanwhile the Association for PRINT Technologies (APTech) is relaunching the LeadingPRINT Summit as a full-scale digital event enabling both association members and non-members to access the event for free. The Summit will deliver the same incredible content and leading speakers as on the original agenda. The live event will take place on April 28, 2020.  

Resolve Business Management (RBM) has launched Global PrintExpo, which it is calling ‘the world’s first virtual exhibition and conference for the printing industry.’

The event, set to open in June 2020, will work in the same way that a live exhibition does, except that you can visit the show 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, from anywhere in the world. 

A 10,000sqm venue and all the stands inside it will be rendered in proportional dimensions allowing ‘visitors’ to navigate through the hall and visit stands, where they will be greeted by 3D representations of products, HD videos and downloadable literature, generating real time sales enquiries.

Then there is FuturePrint Virtual Summit, taking place from 2 – 4 June and organised by FM Future. The event is set to feature webinars, interviews, discussions and virtual networking sessions. Topics will include commercial print, industrial print, wide-format and packaging.

In advance of the event the organisers will be hosting a series of webinars looking at topics including inkjet’s suitability for producing decorative surfaces and what the future might hold for inkjet technology.

A statement from the organisers said that ‘the objective of the summit is to provide an online platform to connect the international print industry, to facilitate knowledge sharing, valuable networking, product and service updates and provide the inspiration and support to stimulate business during and beyond this very challenging period.’

In addition to these new exhibitions individual companies are also launching their own initiatives in order to promote their new products.