Speciality print leaders from five Southern European countries will meet in Porto next month for the eleventh FESPA Southern European Congress, taking place on 11–12 November at HF Ipanema Porto, Portugal.
The two-day event, which is organised by five FESPA member associations – FESPA France, FESPA Italia, FESPA España, APIGRAF (Portugal) and the FESPA Hellas Association (Greece) – gives members of the community in Southern Europe the opportunity to benchmark their own strategies against peers facing similar conditions, as well as compare notes with neighbouring markets on customer expectations, workforce shortages, investment and new technology.
Owners, CEOs, senior managers, suppliers and technology leaders from screen, digital, textile and signage printing are expected to attend.
Paulo Dourado, Director of Communications at APIGRAF, comments: “Portugal is proud to host the Southern European Congress in Porto. Our markets face many of the same challenges – from AI and sustainability, to finding skilled people. Ultimately, we’re stronger when we discuss and tackle these challenges together.”
The Agenda
The programme will commence on 11 November with a speed networking session that pairs print companies, suppliers and associations for structured introductions. A market overview, Big Picture: The Southern European Printing Industry, will follow. Helder Martins and Luis Loureiro of SISTRADE will then present Artificial Intelligence in the Printing and Packaging Industry followed by Walter Bano’s session, titled: Fotoba: Automation, Sustainability and Cost Reduction in Large Format Finishing.
On the second day, business leaders from across the five associations will share examples of how their companies are adapting, under the banner Innovation best practices. Speakers will include: Jorge Nogueira, CEO of Sign; Ander Soriano, General Manager of ESTUDIOS DURERO; Sébastien Trautmann, President of Groupe Oxysign; Chris Trochoutsos, IT Director and R&D Project Manager at Pressious Arvanitidis; and Nikolaos Ferous, Managing Director of FERCON Consultancy.
In addition, Graeme Richardson-Locke, FESPA’s Head of Associations and Technical Lead, will lead later sessions on sustainability.
The Congress will close with visits to three companies in the print, graphic arts and textile sectors.
The Southern European Congress was launched in 2015 by associations in France, Italy and Spain to strengthen ties between neighbouring markets. Portugal’s APIGRAF joined soon after, and the Greek association followed in 2023, which extended the event’s reach to five countries.
Registration for the 2026 FESPA Southern European Congress is open at: https://www.apigraf.pt/sepc-2026.php#registration
