Officially inaugurated by HE Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Director General of Dubai Government’s Media Office, the SGI Dubai 2019 hosted exhibitors from all over the world, letting them explore the region’s US$ 35 billion market. According to a report by Smithers Pira, the printing market of the MENA region is estimated to reach US$54 billion by 2022 and is now poised to grow at 9 percent annual rate across all segments.

Some of the key exhibitors that pulled crowd at the SGI 2019 included Canon Middle East, EPSON, Brother International, OKI, Starflex, ORAFOL and others showing their latest machines and technologies for the signage and graphic arts industry. The show was turned out to be an ideal networking platform where exhibitors could reach out to a host of trade visitors comprising PSPs, sign makers, architects, media agencies, brand and image consultants and many others from diverse market clusters.

SGI Dubai 2019 witnessed a gamut of activities organised as part of the three days of expo. SGI Dubai ‘Wall of Fame’ live car wrapping demonstration was one such session that entertained and pulled crowd. On the sidelines of the show was a thought-oriented panel discussion conducted under the banner ‘Knowledge Series 2019’ by industry experts.

Record breaking indoor banner rolled out

Created by EPSON team in collaboration with the organisers, SGI Dubai 2019 unfurled a remarkable poster of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and ruler of Dubai. It is claimed to be one of the largest indoor banners ever produced in the world till date. It measured 7x7 m, symbolising the industry’s gratitude towards the inspiring leader for completing 50 years in service to the nation.

EPSON showcases value addition

‘Value Added Signage Solutions’—this was the theme of the stall of EPSON at the show, highlighting a range of products such as new digital signage solutions, latest video projector line and software solutions for signage. The key products on display at the stall of the company comprised a range of its popular SureColor series, viz. SC-S80610, SC-F9300 and SC-F2100.

Latest innovations from OKI

OKI Europe at its stall during the expo unveiled some innovations that would take the businesses across in-store graphics and general sign making to another level. The array of products shown by the company included its ever demanded line of versatile large-format ColorPainter printers such as H3-104s, M64s and M64 LCIS as well as the label printer Pro1050. Also on display at the company’s stall included its white and neon printers highlighting prowess in heat transfer solution and others including in-store solutions.

Canon imagePROGRAF TM Series introduced

Canon Middle East at the expo announced the launch of the line of imagePROGRAF TM Series inkjet printers, which are designed for poster graphics, CAD and GIS applications. These versatile printers address the needs of customers in diverse domains including corporate, construction and engineering, retail, education and government sectors, enabling them to produce high-end graphics, & drawings and posters, etc.

New verticals in 2020

Since it first edition two decades ago SGI Dubai has been a premier signage and graphic arts expo in the Middle East. It has been announced that the 2020 edition of the show will be completely different as it will cover allied fields that had never been focused in the past, such as AI (Artificial Intelligence) and advanced display technologies and solutions like outdoor 3D screens, bendy display and holographic signage. SGI Dubai 2020 will be held from January 12-14 at the same venue.