Eye on Display Editor Jack Gocher recently chatted with Chris Davies about all things The Print Show in this exclusive interview
What do you love most about The Print Show?
Bringing the UK industry together. As the only event dedicated to the UK market, this is the only opportunity where you can meet up with so many peers, colleagues and customers all under one roof. I like nothing more than to see visitors connecting with exhibitors at the event, and as the show covers so many areas of print, we see a lot of business conducted on the show floor, which is fantastic for us as an organiser.
What products are you looking forward to seeing in action?
I wouldn’t want to be accused of favouritism! There will be so much to see at the show this year, with our line-up of exhibitors being one of the strongest since we launched back in 2015. Alongside leading manufacturers such as Fujifilm, Konica Minolta, Liyu, Mutoh, Mimaki, Agfa and Vivid Laminating Technologies, we’ve got some hugely diversified distributors including CMYUK and Quality Print Services, so to pick out one piece of kit would be almost impossible.
What’s the most bizarre request you’ve received from an exhibitor, attendee or guest?
Where do I start?! A few years ago, when we were running our celebrity speaker area, one of our famous faces – who shall remain nameless – would not take part in the book signing session unless we kept them out of view. Luckily, with it being a print exhibition, we were not short of exhibitors who could help us, with several friends supplying us with roll-up displays that were quickly moved into position around the signing area.
What’s the funniest thing you’ve overheard at the show?
Again, there are plenty of stories I could share here, but it would probably be one of the NSFW tales we were told by another anonymous celebrity before they took to the stage. Let’s just say they weren’t shy in spilling the beans on other famous folk!
It’s tough at the top – If you could swap jobs with anyone at The Print Show for a day, who would it be and why?
Great question. Everyone on the team works so hard not only at the show but throughout the year to pull the event together. The build-up days ahead of the show alone are enough to warrant a two-week holiday in the sun for anyone! To be honest, I love what I do so much that I wouldn’t want to swap with anyone.
Conversely, who would you put into your role and why?
While I absolutely love doing what I do, putting the show together and getting to meet and work with so many great people along the way, it is bloody hard work. Long drives up and down the roads of the UK, overnight stays away from the family, not to mention long hours that stretch way past the normal working day. Again, I probably wouldn’t want to swap with anyone; it might be nice to have a personal chauffeur or a private helicopter to ferry me about!
What’s the wildest after-party story you’re willing to share from The Print Show?
I might need a lawyer present to vet this one! As you can imagine, there are plenty of late nights when we are out and about meeting exhibitors, not to mention during the show. Not so much an after-party tale, a few years ago, we woke up one morning after an evening of drinks with the team and some exhibitors to find our company van had been stolen from the hotel car park. It wasn’t found until a week or so later, dumped not too far from the hotel and completely stripped of its parts. That proved an interesting chat with the insurance company!
How do you like to spend the first evening after the show is all finished?
Well, the show doesn’t really end for me until the hall is emptied of the last little bit of used masking tape, which usually takes us until the end of Friday. Nothing quite beats the feeling of walking back through the front door of my house back in Bristol, opening a bottle of wine with my wife and enjoying a night of peace before the planning for the next year starts the following Monday!
