Each day, 16 individual competitors will be whittled down to one during three competitive rounds. Participants will be challenged to wrap a variety of cars with speed and precision. They will be given just half an hour in the first round, increasing with each progressive stage, and culminating in a daily final. The winners from each of the first four days will then go on to compete in the two-part Grand Finale on the last afternoon of the show, where they will be challenged to wrap the side of a Chevy Corvette convertible and the front of a racing motorbike – all in one piece.
“The wrappers will be evaluated on the quality of their work, although speed will be a decisive factor should there be a draw,” says FESPA Wrap Cup event coordinator Dirk Moebes of Digital DesignWare. “This is going to a fun event, both to watch and take part in, but above it will be an excellent way for competing print service providers to showcase their skills among peers.”
Competitors will be judged by a panel of three, including Robert Ivers, founder of the PDAA (Professional Decal Application Alliance) and Hans van den Berg, technical training manager of FESPA Wrap Cup sponsor Avery Graphics. The top prize is an €18,000 Rockhopper 3 Extreme wide format printing system supplied by Belgium-based manufacturer Mutoh. Second prize is a Royal Sovereign RSC-1400H laminator, including auto feeder and rewinder, with a value of approximately €5,500. The third prize winner will take home a Mimaki vinyl cutter worth €3,500, while the fourth prize, supplied by Avery Dennison, is an Apple iPad worth €800.
All the vehicle prints used by the contestants during the different contest rounds will be produced on a Mutoh Blizzard series Eco printer. The printer incorporates Mutoh’s award-winning Intelligent Interweaving technology and is ideally suited for the production of vehicle wrap prints.
Any company with some experience of vehicle wrapping can enter a representative. To sign up, visit www.fespa-wrap-cup.com. A registration fee of €200 is payable, but all participants are guaranteed to take home a prize package worth at least €2,000, even if they do not survive the first round. The finalists will be presented with products and services worth more than €8,000 each at an exclusive awards ceremony following Saturday’s final.
FESPA’s Marcus Timson says the event will be: “An amazing platform for gaining exposure to potential customers, and participants are guaranteed to take home a share of €200,000 worth of superb prizes. We’re looking forward to a spectacular and adrenaline-powered competition, showcasing the skill and creativity that are making vehicle decoration one of the most innovative and effective outdoor marketing tools in today’s promotional mix.”
The FESPA Wrap Cup is part of the FESPA Innovate! Programme at FESPA 2010. For more information about the show, and the full programme of satellite events, please visit www.fespa2010.com
www.fespa-wrap-cup.com
