Local sign conference cancelled, awards at PacPrint

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Signage printing event the Asga and Fespa HP National Conference, which was scheduled to take place in Sydney on 19 February, has been cancelled, with the accompanying HP Awards For Excellence rescheduled to the opening night of PacPrint on 28 September.

The conference will be reformatted as a series of online webinars that will be released throughout next year. Julie Rochester, president of Asga – the Australian Sign and Graphic Association – said. “Although disappointing, both the Asga and Fespa Boards have decided that due to the continuing disruption caused by Covid felt it best to cancel the conference.”

“We were also concerned that we may not be able to match exhibitor and visitor expectations of the event if we were to go ahead in February. Delaying the Awards night to coincide with a major industry event makes sense. We believe that by September 2021 there will be minimal event disruptions due to Covid, and there will be an eagerness for people to network and celebrate the industry’s successes in person.

“With an ongoing demand for information and training, online webinars and training courses have proven popular in 2020 it didn’t make sense to delay the delivery of the conference material until September. Instead, the Asga will present a series of webinars in 2021, which we’re really excited about.”

Fespa Australia president Nigel Davies said, “Although restrictions are lifting, conditions are still unpredictable and uncertain. Originally scheduled for the 1 May this year, we are grateful for the patience of the sponsors and award entrants.

“Consultation with sponsors on this latest delay has been positive, as too has initial feedback from Award entrants. All 2020 Awards Finalists will receive a digital badge which can be used for marketing purposes until the category wins are announced at the Presentation Dinner, which we believe will be seen as a win-win for this latest postponement.”

“Our industry has shown, more than ever, resilience, creativity, diversity and more importantly patience in adapting to the changes that have been forced upon us. However, we are finding that at last, there is an air of hope and optimism as we look towards 2021.”

Covid continues to wreak havoc on the local and overseas events, expos and conferences. Last week the postponed drupa and interpack were cancelled, and earlier this week the Fespa Global was postponed for the third time, it will now take place in October.

PacPrint is scheduled to run 28 September to 1 October in Melbourne, and as well as the HP Awards for Excellence on the opening night will include the National Print Awards on 30 September.

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