Fespa webinar signals major expansion for Barcelona 2026 line-up
During a live webinar on 4 November, the Federation of European Screen Printers Associations (Fespa) unveiled two new co-located events for its 2026 Barcelona show, along with strategy updates around sustainability, personalisation and automation
14 Nov 2025 | 324 Views | By Treya Sinha
The webinar organised on 4 November by Fespa brought senior executives together to outline the association’s direction and upcoming event portfolio for May 2026 in Barcelona. The session emphasised Fespa’s commitment to serving its global print community and introduced the launches of corrugated and textile, two new event brands built around packaging and textile production, respectively.
Fespa CEO Neil Felton described the organisation’s mission to “connect, inspire and support” and reiterated its aim to help members become “more knowledgeable and profitable” amid evolving market trends. He noted that Fespa’s strategy, outlined in its “FESPA Future” manifesto, seeks to provide platforms where businesses can anticipate change and act on it.
The first of the two new event brands, Corrugated, is a joint venture between Fespa and Brunton Publications. Slated to take place alongside the flagship Fespa Global Print Expo at the Fira Barcelona Gran Via from 19-22 May 2026, it offers a dedicated exhibition and free‐to‐attend conference programme for corrugated packaging and three-dimensional display production.
Felton said, “Packaging and three-dimensional display using corrugated materials have been gaining prominence at FESPA events in recent years, and this dedicated event … will offer the perfect environment for converters and display producers to explore fresh opportunities for growth and diversification.”
Fespa has appointed Nick Kirby (Non-Executive Director, Zeus Packaging) as its Corrugated Ambassador. Kirby said: “Corrugated is an exciting event launch and one that I’m proud to support in my new role with Fespa. I’m looking forward to seeing it come to life in Barcelona in 2026.”
The second new event, Textile, builds on Fespa’s multi-decade history in textile printing technologies. The dedicated conference and exhibition will serve apparel, sportswear and decor professionals, covering machinery (roll-to-roll, DTG/DTF), software, finishing equipment, materials, inks and coatings. Guests will hear sessions on productivity, waste reduction and sustainable on-demand manufacturing.
In the webinar, Felton also highlighted Fespa’s research and sustainability efforts. He flagged the upcoming publication of the Fespa Print Census, conducted with Keypoint Intelligence, which captured responses from 801 printers across 89 countries, deep-dive analyses of automation, sustainability and AI will be published later in the year.
He also noted the forthcoming release of a Sustainability Guide addressing anti-greenwashing, aimed at helping printers communicate credible environmental action.
Felton described the 2026 expansion as “a moment of growth” for Fespa and its community, underscoring that the new events reflect market shifts and Fespa’s role as a connector and enabler.