Standing out on a busy exhibition floor is crucial, but also challenging. This means exhibitors are increasingly needing to find creative and memorable ways to grab their attention, and one of the most effective ways to achieve this is through personalisation.

From customised merchandise to interactive installations, personalisation transforms print from something people simply observe into something they actively experience. For printers, it represents a great opportunity to attract visitors to their stand, spark conversations, and leave a lasting impression. As we prepare for FESPA 2026, we’re exploring how print personalisation can elevate the exhibition experience, and how printers can tap into this potential and boost engagement.

Why print personalisation works on the show floor

Trade shows are high-energy environments where visitors are constantly bombarded with new technologies, products and ideas everywhere they turn. To cut through this noise, exhibitors need to create moments that feel personal and stop them in their busy tracks.

Rather than quickly stuffing a packet of sweets or a poster into their tote bags as they walk by, when a visitor is invited to create something that is uniquely theirs, like a sticker, magnet, bottle opener, T-shirt, or even something edible, it becomes an experience. It shifts their role from a passive observer overwhelmed with information to an active participant excited to create something personal to take home, give to a loved one, or eat themselves! This increases time spent on the stand, but it also encourages social sharing and word-of-mouth too.

For print businesses, it’s a chance to demonstrate their capabilities without a sales pitch. Rather than talking about the benefits and ease of print personalisation, they can show it happening in real time from design to production.

Looking back at past activations

Over the past few years, we’ve seen first-hand how personalisation can transform event engagement.

At FESPA 2025, visitors were able to design their own latte mugs using Antigro software and have these printed live on the Inkcups stand, as well as custom stickers, golf balls and bottle openers through our partnership with Roland DG. Plus, the popular FESPAVerse sticker wall invited attendees to add their own sticker to a galaxy-themed display throughout the week.

At ISA International Sign Expo in the USA this year, print personalisation was used to encourage networking and connection. Using our Sticker Builder tool alongside JabberYak’s smart icebreaker technology and Roland DGA’s print and cut capabilities, attendees could create stickers that reflected their interests, making it easier to spark conversations. Meanwhile, we utilised the popular sticker wall again but this time with an American football-inspired scene in partnership with Roland DGA which invited attendees to add their face to a football game scene, encouraging a playful and interactive element to the show floor.

What’s in store for FESPA 2026

Building on these successes, we are bringing an even broader range of live personalisation experiences to FESPA 2026, all designed to demonstrate how print can engage, connect and inspire visitors.

In collaboration with Imago, visitors will be able to personalise and print their own magnets on the Imago stand (Hall 2, Stand A26) as well as their own cookies on the Antigro stand (Hall 3, Stand B33). Using Antigro’s software, attendees can design their products on-screen, including the option to ‘cartoonise’ their photos, before seeing them produced live. The option to design custom cookies is a great way to demonstrate that personalisation isn’t limited to two-dimensional print.

On the Kornit Digital stand (Hall 3, Stand A95), visitors will have the opportunity to design their own T-shirts using Antigro software. Once created, print-ready files will be generated automatically and sent to production, allowing attendees to see their garments being designed and printed in real time.

And, we might be biased, but no show would be complete without an Antigro-powered interactive sticker wall. Following the success of previous installations, this year’s ‘FESPA Brava’ sticker wall, located near the Antigro stand, will invite visitors to upload their photo, create a custom sticker, and place their face in the vibrant seaside scene.

In addition to creating a fun and interactive experience for attendees, these activations showcase how cloud-based customisation software can make personalisation accessible to businesses of all sizes, enabling them to offer their customers seamless print design with intuitive interfaces, real-time 3D previews and automated print-ready files.

By turning print into an interactive and memorable experience, exhibitors can attract attention whilst creating meaningful, personal connections with their customers.