During the session, Wayne candidly discussed his time with the now-defunct International Printing Machinery and Allied Trades Exhibition (IPEX), which he joined as Sales Director in 2012.

IPEX was the longest-running printing and graphic arts trade show in the English-speaking world. The trade show was held every four years except for the final show, which was held after three years in 2017.

Wayne said: “IPEX would almost leapfrog the drupa exhibition, showcasing new innovations and products, many of which were in their BETA phase, which then allowed its visitors to purchase them for real at the following drupa show.”

Wayne explained that a change in exhibition culture and attendance by the OEM “big hitters” contributed to the demise of IPEX, as they became more self-sufficient, creating less appetite for the physical trade shows that would usually dominate.

Wayne said: “We’ve been seeing exhibitions reducing in footfall over the last 10-15 years. Not only did we see this with IPEX, but drupa are now seeing it too.

“A lot of the big OEM’s now have their own open houses, their own demo centres, and everything is online – so there isn’t the same hunger to attend trade shows as there was 15 years ago, because before, if you wanted to know what was out in the market, the only way was by attending shows.”

Wayne still believes there is a place for in-person trade shows, though, saying: “Customers still do love coming to exhibitions, it is still an experience for PSPs to show face, shake hands, enjoy a beer or two together and network.”

The launch of Resolve, Printing Expo Online and Printing Connect Online

Wayne then turned towards the digital market, launching Resolve Business Management, a print solutions company with the primary goal of selling keyline MIS software, with his business partner Chris Watson.

In 2020, the duo then launched the idea for a virtual online tradeshow, Printing Expo Online, which was proven to be ‘ahead of its time’, having been brought to market only a few months prior to the pandemic.

Wayne said on the venture: “The fundamentals are the same. Everybody still has to register to attend. There is booth visitor tracking, so each exhibitor receives statistics and data to see how well they have performed, and consequently, since 2020, we’ve had over 150k visitors from just about every country on the planet.”

While growing this innovative business model, Wayne and his team also launched Printing Connect Online, a resource hub for companies to source information.

He said: “Printing Connect Online is a directory type website that covers blogs, videos, product info, press releases – so it’s a great way for companies, such as Infigo, to sell globally, in territories which they might not otherwise have the budget to market to.”

“Game on” Wayne

Moving onto more personal topics, Chris asked Wayne about his allegiances to Dartford Football Club, which as a keen amateur player himself, is one of his main passions away from print.

Having formed a close relationship with the club hierarchy through his daughter, a former player for the club Women’s team, Wayne was introduced to the sponsorship side of operations.

Wayne explains: “On match days, I look after the sponsors – wine and dine them, that sort of thing.”

“I truly love the club and have been behind them for 4-5 years now. Although times have been tough recently, the team will always come back stronger and are expecting some really big things from them in the near future.”

“It’s purely a volunteer role, I will get involved as much as my free time will allow, but my underlying passion for football definitely fuels my desire to see the club grow and succeed.”

Listen now on Spotify and YouTube

Wayne’s vast knowledge and experiences throughout his 30+ years within the industry provides incredible insight for this PrintPod episode. It provides incredible understanding for anyone particularly interested in the future of the print trade show, or would like to discover more about Wayne’s vision for the future of the print industry.

So, to hear more from the podcast, make sure you subscribe through our YouTube Podcasts or Spotify for Podcasters channels, for regular updates on the latest trends in print and business in general – from industry leaders to those taking up their first role in the print industry and everyone in between.