Aspiration into Reality: the story behind the FESPA Foundation
Neil Felton, FESPA's CEO and Founder of The FESPA Foundation shares the inspiration behind creating The FESPA Foundation and how it came to be.
What was your inspiration for The FESPA Foundation?
I’ve been CEO of FESPA for 14 years. During this time, two things have never ceased to amaze me about the speciality print industry – the incredible array of vivid printed applications on display at our shows, and the tangible sense of a global community with a shared passion for print.
In my job I’ve travelled to almost every continent – to exhibitions in Africa, south east Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Within striking distance of many of these events, you can’t ignore the fact that there are communities in great need. And you can see how much they would appreciate some of the items that we take for granted and even throw away.
What turned those thoughts into action?
I’ve thought for some time that there must be a way to channel the phenomenal print that is created at our events for good. I think we all hate to see things go to waste.
Some of our exhibitors have donated prints from events to good causes, and we’ve tried to foster bigger initiatives involving multiple exhibitors. But it’s always been hard to scale these – to establish a way to produce items that have real practical value, and then distribute them where they will genuinely benefit people in need.
The happy coincidence for me was hearing the amazing adventurer and humanitarian Kingsley Holgate speak at an event. Listening to his stories about the impact of his health and educational projects in southern Africa, I knew that this might be the connection that would finally turn aspiration into reality.
How does it feel to see The FESPA Foundation come to fruition?
Following many months of planning and discussions, lots of sheer hard work from many members of the FESPA team and beyond, and with the support of a whole range of partners, it’s so rewarding to finally see The FESPA Foundation come to life and launch our first active projects.
Without doubt one of the most moving moments of my life was to watch the elated faces of the kids at Evane Intermediate School in KwaZulu Natal in South Africa, when we transformed their school with donated print and other items to enrich their educational experience. As a father myself, it was absolutely humbling to see their delight.
And that was just one project, enabled by a handful of committed partners in South Africa. I really can’t wait to see what we can achieve when our wider community comes together behind the FESPA Foundation.
I sincerely hope that, together, we can support and inspire many hundreds of young people, enhancing their education and communities, and building firm foundations for happy, healthy lives.