Current and future trends, the power of AI and how to do business in Saudi Arabia and Africa

FESPA Middle East 2025 will return to Dubai from 20 – 22 January at the Dubai Exhibition Centre. During this 3-day event insightful and educational sessions will be running during a 3-day conference programme that will offer useful insights and trends for those in the speciality and signage sectors.

During the first day of the conference programme the sessions will cover the current trends along with industry insights, the future trends in Visual Communications, the power of AI, and how to successfully conduct business in Saudi Arabia and Africa.

Current Trends and Industry Insights

Caption: George Simonian, Dean of Applied Arts Faculty, BADR University

George Simonian is the Dean of Applied Arts Faculty at BADR University in Cairo. He has vast knowledge regarding both printing and visual communication sectors. He will share his expertise and focus on the current trends and insights that will shape the future for the industry. Topics that will be covered will include the latest innovations in technology, the emerging opportunities and changes in the market. Visitors to this session will gain business strategies and advice on how to adapt to an ever-changing landscape.

What does the future hold for Visual Communications?

Caption: Christian Duyckaerts, Managing Director at Retail Collections

Christian Duyckaerts is the Managing Director at Retail Collections and a FESPA Board member. Retail Communicators provides retail communication and POS solutions, they create and produce all visual communication for stores in a productive, innovative and sustainable way. In his session Christian will share the latest trends in the printing world and will cover how AI is influencing the industry and how the circular economy is encouraging more sustainable production. In addition, he will discuss crucial updates on the current EU regulations to ensure your business is up to date and how these regulations will affect your business and the industry.

The Power of AI

Caption: From left to right, Richard Askam, Carlo Pepe and Ian Swarbrick

Richard Askam, TED Speaker and Co-Founder of You Are The Star Books, will head a panel discussion on experts on the transformative role of AI in helping brands, retailers and print buyers to create the best strategies to use when doing business in Saudia Arabia. The discussion will focus on how to address challenges and driving innovation fully utilising AI. Industry experts that will join will include Ian Swarbrick, Managing Director, XL MEA Group. XL MEA Group are a market leading organisation with offices in the UK and the UAE and offer bespoke Training, L&D, Customer Education & Professional Services to the Corporate & Education Sectors.

Carlo Pepe Co-Founder & AI Business Consultant at Koshima will also join the session. Koshima help to empower businesses to use AI efficiently with tailored solutions for each business’s unique goals. They identify key AI use cases that deliver real value and real results.

How to successfully do business in Saudi Arabia?

Caption: from left to right, Amit Radia, Ian Swarbrick and Richard Askam

Learn from leaders within the industry on how to best navigate and overcome challenges of creating new businesses in the region. The Saudi economy is predicted to grow by 4.4% in 2025 which is the fastest growth within 3 years there are numerous opportunities regarding investment in these markets. This session will provide useful advice on truly understanding the subsidiary laws of Saudi Arabia and how to hire employees and ensure that they are compliant at all stages of the process.

The experts leading this session include Richard Askam, Co-Founder of You Are The Star Books, Ian Swarbrick, Managing Director at XL MEA Group and Amit Radia, Founder and CEO of Atlas Group – Print & Beyond. Atlas Group offer innovative print and digital media solutions with a key focus in the Middle East and Africa and have expertise in advertising campaigns, new business development, and new media.

How to penetrate the African Market

Caption: Navan Hasan, Associate Editor at Africa Business Pages

Africa is a large market that is full of potential for both the printing and packaging industries. Navan Hasan is Associate Editor at Africa Business Pages an award winning online B2B portal that promotes direct trade to and from Africa. In his session, Navan will discuss the various strategies to find business partners, buyers and distributors in Africa and will help you take full advantage of Africa’s lucrative markets.

FESPA Middle East 2025 is a world-class regional speciality print and signage exhibition. The event will offer a meeting place for visionaries to discover the latest industry innovations and learn from leading global experts, allowing you to discover industry possibilities, and make investment decisions to grow your business. Register to visit here.