57th edition of Media Expo opens

The show floor highlighted cutting-edge technologies, materials and applications, offering visitors fresh ideas and business opportunities across signage, branding and display solutions. The show features media solutions gaining prominence across digital signage, POP and POSM, outdoor branding, digital out-of-home, along with key growing segments such as large-format printing machinery and signage fabrication equipment. Besides, evolving infrastructure in India, such as metro rail, malls, airports, smart cities, highway infrastructure and corridors, has built a strong demand channel for the signage, indoor and outdoor advertising industry.

This year, the show reinforces the growing leadership and influence of women in the printing industry through a special all-women inauguration panel which included Caroline Sommerer, head of large format marketing, HP; Tejasa Purandare, director, Cosign India; Gaurika Taneja, director, Wyte India; Anju Agarwal, director, Ansure Tech; Namrata Sharma, founder, Global Print Connect Partner for Kao Inks & Seko Instruments; Diya Nalwaya, co-founder, Jupiter Branding Solutions; Dreams Joshi, head, overseas sales, Mehta Hitech Industries; Manju Pravin, national head, marketing operation, Monotech Systems; Nidhi Agarwal, CEO, co-founder, Design NBUY, regional director, Webtoprint; Neha Arora Tyagi, deputy general manager, Colorjet India; Ujjwala Upadhyay, sales analyst, 3M; Raj Manek, executive director and board member, Messe Frankfurt Asia Holdings; Winston Pereira, executive director, Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs; and Samson Simon, group exhibition head, media and print expo and extended board of management, Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India.

Manek said, “It is encouraging to witness the strong industry response at the 57th edition of Media Expo Mumbai. The show continues to evolve alongside the rapidly transforming landscape of signage, branding and digital communication, bringing together technology providers, creative professionals and business leaders on one platform. It is also heartening to see the scale and variety of advertising, branding and signage solutions gaining wider adoption across sectors such as retail, infrastructure and advertising as these industries continue to expand.”

As MSMEs are the backbone of the growing economy of the country, the signage, indoor and outdoor advertising and branding industry too reflects the outlook. The MSMEs today are diversifying into newer avenues from signage into illuminating signages with exploring various materials from metal to metal-like finishes, acrylic and acrylic-fluorescent lettering, LED-lettering, dimensional signage, all-weather signage, and more. The indoor and outdoor advertising and branding industry, too, is exploring unique avenues such as LED walls, backlit-LED thin-frame panels and unique digital-programmable displays, which act as a sustainable alternative to vinyl.

These programmable displays are making inroads into malls, metro stations, retail (POS-POSM), airports, events and entertainment and more. Companies like Epson India, HP, Mimaki India, Pidilite Industries, Garware Hi-Tech Films, Colorjet India, Arrow Digital, and ADS LED, along with several other industry players, will showcase the new solutions shaping the industry.

Complementing the expo, Media Expo Mumbai hosted a series of knowledge-driven sessions featuring industry leaders who will share insights on innovation, business growth and the evolving role of print. Day 1 highlighted PowHER in Print - a women-focused initiative featuring an all-women curated session in collaboration with Girls Who Print.

The discussions will explore women’s leadership in the print industry, the impact of AI and automation on brand experiences and the importance of upskilling for the tech-led transformations.