The Association of Event Organisers has recognised FESPA for its international exhibition growth, sustainable event management, and community reinvestment initiatives
Global print federation FESPA has secured the Organiser Team of the Year accolade at the Association of Event Organisers (AEO) Excellence Awards. The award honours FESPA’s collaborative international team culture and its operational success in managing a diverse global portfolio of wide-format print, textile, and signage exhibitions.
In its winning submission, FESPA demonstrated strong performance metrics across its recent exhibition cycle, showcasing sustained growth in visitor registration numbers, high decision-maker attendance, and strong commercial returns for international exhibitors. The independent judging panel also commended FESPA’s commitment to industry reinvestment through its Profit for Purpose framework, which pours 100 per cent of trade show surpluses back into the graphic arts sector. This commercial success was paired with strict environmental compliance, as FESPA secured the updated ISO 20121:2024 sustainable event management standard and achieved documented year-on-year CO₂e reductions.
Beyond driving commercial success on the show floor, FESPA was recognised for its community outreach through the FESPA Foundation. Established in 2025, the charitable arm repurposes surplus substrates and printed materials from its trade show floors into educational kits and infrastructure funding for schools in developing regions. To date, the foundation’s work in South Africa and Brazil has directly benefited more than 1,000 students by upgrading local school environments using exhibition trade waste.
Neil Felton, CEO of FESPA, commented, “This award-win was made possible thanks to the passion, dedication and resilience of our global team, who consistently go above and beyond to deliver exceptional events for the print sector and its related industries. What makes FESPA different is our purpose-led approach, as everything we do is rooted in our mission to ‘Connect, Inspire and Support’ our global community.”
Felton added that the win reflects the collective efforts of its worldwide association members, who facilitate continuous knowledge-sharing through targeted conferences and technical workshops running alongside the main trade exhibitions to help print service providers adapt to changing market trends.