When the pandemic struck, Italian manufacturer Lombardi Converting Machinery were quick to adapt to social distancing demands. In May 2020 they launched a weekly ‘Reboot’ livestream, helping revive a market stuck under lockdown. Now, after a year of Reboot broadcasts, they have gone a step further by hosting a three-day virtual tradeshow, ‘Flexoworld’.
Taking place between May 18th and May 20th and hosted live from Lombardi’s headquarters in Brescia, Flexoworld was designed to take viewers on a journey through the world of flexography. Each day was dedicated to a distinct theme – finishing, narrow web and mid web – and showcased the company’s primary product lines, Digistar, Synchroline, Invicta i1 and Invicta i2. Featuring case studies, speed tests and talks on various industry hot topics, the event was hailed a roaring success.
“I’m very happy, really”, says marketing manager Nicola Lombardi. “Flexoworld was just an idea born from the desire to experience the sensations of a real fair, which have been missing for too long. Despite the difficulties […] we managed to create a real blockbuster of flexography: we are talking over six and a half hours of content [involving] many national and international guests [connecting] from Istanbul, Dubai, London…
“In short, wow! I am still excited that all of this is now online, projecting Lombardi Converting Machinery into the digital age. Honestly, after a Labelexpo [there is a] feeling of tiredness [as a result of] standing up all day. With Flexoworld, we sat in front of a computer, but I met many people, from every continent, exactly as [if] we were at the same stand.”
Organising a fair has been one of Nicola Lombardi’s professional dreams, and doing so during a pandemic presented a particular challenge. “The dedication to work and the desire to help the company with all my strength proved to be the key to success”, she says. Whatever social distancing rules are in place, Flexoworld shows that with such determination industry events can still prosper. And while we wait for Flexoworld 2022, you can watch the action from this year’s event via the Lombardi Converting Machinery YouTube account.