Ahead of the FESPA World Wrap Masters Europe 2021, we spoke with judge Justin Pate to find out about his work in the wrapping sector and his thoughts on this year’s competition.
Hello Justin! It’s great to have you involved in the FESPA World Wrap Masters this year. Can you start by telling us a bit about your history in the wrapping market?
I have been in the wrap business since 1996. I started off as a freelance installer and then, in 2007, I transitioned into teaching both in-person and virtual, first with DVDs, and then online.
In 2014, I started The Wrap Institute, which is a neutral, online training platform that now has almost 2,400 how-to videos.
At The Wrap Institute, we make training videos for the library, product and promotional videos for all the manufacturers in the industry and product in-person and live streaming events worldwide. Our slogan is Never Stop Learning! and it fuels our company.
How did you come to be involved in the World Wrap Masters?
I got to know (guest MC) Ole Solskin back in 2014 and we had a strong connection about training and the wrap industry. I did a private event at his cool wrap shop in Denmark and then he asked me to be a judge in 2016 for the FESPA World Wrap Masters in Amsterdam.
I was a judge again the next year in Hamburg and would have loved to continue judging the following two years, but I had scheduling conflicts which kept me from doing it.
We’re really looking forward to having you back again! How important do you think the World Wrap Masters is to the industry?
I think it's very important to the wrap industry on a lot of levels. I love how it brings people together worldwide into one area; this in turn creates a super lab of techniques, perspectives and personalities.
This by itself makes the competition more interesting, plus it somehow raises the bar from round to round much quicker than a standard wrap competition.
I also like how the regional shows inspire installers to enter those with the chance of entering the big World Wrap Masters event.
How much are you looking forward to judging the final this year?
I’m really looking forward to judging again as it is one of my favourite things to do! I take it very seriously and give 100% focus as I totally respect the competitors.
What would you say are your main hopes for the event?
I hope that people truly enjoy the moment because with Covid putting a pause on events like this. We should really appreciate it more than ever.
Finally, why should companies consider entering the event in the future and what value will it offer to them?
This is a great event to showcase a material, tool and brand at a deep level throughout the duration of a show. Plus, when you see the world’s top wrap installers using the products, it has a long-lasting effect that ripples out worldwide thanks to social media and streaming the events.
Let’s get ready to wrap ’n roll!
There are still a few available places in the competition. Compete against the best wrappers in Europe and register now to compete in the World Wrap Masters Europe 2021, taking place 12th - 15th October at the RAI exhibition centre in Amsterdam.