GRAPH EXPO 15 Takes Chicago by Storm, Displaying the Latest Technologies

CHICAGO—September 14, 2015—GRAPH EXPO 15 hit Chicago's McCormick Place on Sept. 13, and will run through Wednesday, Sept. 16, featuring the latest technologies from more than 430 exhibitors, dynamic show floor features, more than 50 co-located events and an unmatched educational slate. For the third year, the CPP EXPO which serves package printers and converters, will be co-located with the show.

With a theme of "Transform," GRAPH EXPO 15's highly interactive show floor attractions will be complemented by a robust slate of trending educational sessions responding to the needs of the 12 major graphic communications industry segments:

• Wide-format inkjet printing
• Package printing and converting
• Commercial printing
• Mailing and fulfillment
• Corporate/education/government printing centers/in-plant
• Manufacturing/industrial printing
• Transactional printing
• Quick/small commercial printing
• Book printing/publishing
• Newspaper printing/publishing
• Photo imaging
• Marketing/creative services/media/print buying.

GRAPH EXPO 15 show goers will discover a host of learning opportunities among 13 show floor pavilions and specialty sections, including a robust lineup of industry expert panel presentations and special events in the Printerverse Theater. Co-located CPP EXPO will also present a specialized slate of educational opportunities for package printers and converters.

Learning Opportunities:
Educational opportunities began on Sunday morning, Sept. 13, with the always-popular EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK Conference, co-sponsored by EFI and Xerox. This year's "The Essential Element for Focused Growth" themed session focused on business growth strategies explored the latest issues, trends and solutions in the graphic communications industry. The half-day conference wrapped up with the announcement of the "Best of Category" selections from the 2015 Must See 'Ems competition winners, all of which were prominently recognized by booth signage on the show floor. Also, the annual "Legacy Award" was presented to a previous year's Must See 'Ems winning technology that has had a significant, lasting and continuing influence on the graphic communications industry. The program concluded with the announcement of the winner of the 2015 Positively Print Award, which honors a print advocacy program designed to promote the enduring power, sustainability and effectiveness of print in today's media mix.

Immediately after the close of EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK, the doors to GRAPH EXPO 15 opened with the slate of 50-plus seminars, continuous sessions in the Printerverse Theater, plus special workshops and panel presentations that were open to all attendees, offering unprecedented learning opportunities for graphic communications professionals from every segment of the industry. Complete seminar details are available online.

On The Floor:
Along with hundreds of exhibitors displaying their hardware, software, products and services, the GRAPH EXPO 15 show floor features 13 show floor pavilions and specialty sections that include three new for 2015 show floor attractions: Materials Matter, Applications Island and the Industrial Printing Pavilion.

Materials Matter celebrates the essential role that materials play in the print ecosystem. Inside the new 1,200-square-foot specialty showcase, multiple substrate manufacturers will demonstrate the powerful role that their paper and non-paper substrates play in every print job.

For attendees who come seeking to expand sales offerings, there is Applications Island, the exciting show floor "oasis" of the hottest, unique print applications designed to help printers gain new customers and new print jobs. This beach-themed show feature is completely created in print applications, and everything from the display walls to the furniture is a real and unique print application. Here, show visitors can find categories of print, such as cross-media direct mail, digital label, books and more. Each category features several unique high response applications!

This year, making its world debut, is the Industrial Printing Pavilion, featuring Future Print sponsored by FlexTech Alliance. The pavilion offers live demonstrations of 3D printing to demonstrate how the exciting "new" worlds of package printing, commercial printing and industrial manufacturing converge. The Industrial Printing Pavilion is sponsored by The Society for the Plastics Industry (SPI), producer of the large NPE show; Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC); and, CPP EXPO.

Show floor features will be:

• The Inkjet Candy Store, back by attendee demand, sponsored by the International Sign Association (ISA), will be all together in one featured space, and side-by-side in live demonstrations, with the newest technology in wide-format inkjet.
• The Wide-Format Pavilion features the hottest output equipment, software, media/substrates, inks, finishing equipment and supplies, plus new applications and solutions.
• Prepress/Software: Workflow & Design enables attendees to see the most exciting new software and test-drive the very latest equipment!
• Press/Finishing highlights includes cutting-edge innovations in digital, offset, flexo, gravure and hybrid print technologies, plus the most complete array of binding and finishing equipment and supplies.
• The Mailing & Fulfillment Center, sponsored by the United States Postal Service—still the world's largest mailing show—features all the latest equipment, software and supplies, research, market data, best practices and solutions for bridging print with marketing.
• The Marketing Pavilion is a "how to" hub of marketing education, resources, and networking, featuring all the latest marketing and graphic communication tools and technologies.
• The Newspaper Pavilion is a dual marketplace and networking hub for newspaper production pros and increasingly commercial printers. Sponsored by News & Tech, it features unique new applications and workflow solutions designed to help cut costs, boost profits and make informed buying decisions.
• The In-Plant Place, sponsored by the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA), is a dedicated networking hub exclusively for in-plant pros from every industry segment—government, corporate and education—to come meet, unwind, learn and share.
• The Printerverse, sponsored by the Print Media Centr, is the highly interactive show floor hub to meet, tweet, learn, interact and explore the latest innovations and applications that are driving our industry forward in exciting new directions. The Printerverse Theater will feature a continuous lineup of expert panel presentations and special events throughout the show.
• Education Main Street will feature representatives from colleges, universities and educational organizations providing information on curriculum offerings, scholarships and talented, skilled students seeking internships! And, for the first time ever, in Booth 570, "The Hiring Hub: Closing the Skills Gap" will be a re-creation of the SkillsUSA championship challenge and supporting teamwork required by our industry to ensure a quality future workforce. Here, show visitors will get a firsthand look at this unique display and also, during special sessions, interact with representatives from companies who have discovered a key to reaching skilled potential hires.

Additionally, two show floor Learning Theaters are offer daily quick-take 'hot topic' sessions that will engage, inform, and provide attendees with immediate take-away information:

• The Experiential Lab, sponsored by FlexTech Alliance (booth 4436)
• The Printerverse Theater (booth 3867), featuring an exciting lineup of expert panel presentations on a diverse array of timely topics and special events.

Beyond the Seminars Program:
Five free special industry presentations will be held during GRAPH EXPO 15 beginning on Monday morning:

• "The State, the Opportunity, and the Future of the GlobalPrintMediaChannel," moderated by Dennis Mason, Mason Consulting
• IPMA sponsored luncheon presentation, "In-Plants Make a Splash," with Howie Fenton, InfoTrends

Tuesday's free sessions will be:

• "The Emergence of Omni-Channel Marketing: An Industry View and Perspective," moderated by Matt Swain, InfoTrends
• "Game Changing Digital Print Opportunities in the Americas" a panel presentation presented by NPES
• "Haptic Brain │ Haptic Brand: A Communicator's Guide to the Neuroscience of Touch," presented by Sappi North America.

Additionally, three free exhibitor presentations were offered during GRAPH EXPO 15. Monday's session included:

• "Search Engine Optimization: 7 Tips for Local SEO & 5 Strategies to Take you Through 2016 by PrinterPresence," with Tawnya Starr.

Tuesday's two free sessions will explore:

• "Email Marketing Uncovered: How to Integrate Email Into Your Direct Mail Mix by AccuData Integrated Marketing," presented by Erika Serrano and Nate Petel
• "LED UV and the Future of Offset Printing by Air Motion Systems, Inc.," with presenter Steve Metcalf.

To explore the latest trends and current business opportunities in different regions of the world, the free International Day Program on Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., offers education and networking opportunities. The panel discussion, "The Ins and Outs of Doing Business Globally," will take an in-depth look at a number of export destinations for the U.S. market; including India, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Indonesia, and also share information and resources to help businesses assess opportunities to market their products and services with direction to help launch international trade activity. The program also will include an overview of the recent PRIMIR study, "Value-Added Printing & Finishing for Improved Profitability."

Show visitors this year can triple their ROI because of an unprecedented expo combination in Chicago's McCormick Place. As GRAPH EXPO 15 and co-located CPP EXPO will run Sept. 13-16 in the South Hall, PROCESS EXPO and the co-located International Dairy Show and InterBev Process show will take place Sept. 15-18, in the North and East Halls. With trending industry issues and innovations related to food packaging design, migration and expiration, these concurrent events offer a first-of-its-kind opportunity for printers, packagers, processors and converters to intermingle and explore the global scope of these vital facets of the graphic communications and packaging/processing industries. During the two-day overlap, attendees at either event will have single-pass entry into the exhibit halls for all events.

For the latest information, and to register for GRAPH EXPO 15, visit: www.graphexpo.com 

About GRAPH EXPO 15
Recognized as the most innovative and comprehensive exhibition in the Americas of inkjet, digital, offset, flexo, gravure and hybrid technologies, products and services for the commercial, transactional, converting and package printing, publishing, mailing, in-plant, photo imaging, marketing and industrial printing industries, this year's "Transform" themed GRAPH EXPO 15 offers an exciting show-going experience for a diverse spectrum of attendees. The industry event presents the latest graphic communications technologies in live equipment demonstrations across the exhibition floor, plus education on the most in-demand products and newest profit-making opportunities. GRAPH EXPO 15 offers more than 70 interactive learning sessions and 50+ co-located events for attendees across 12 key market segments.

About Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC)
GRAPH EXPO and PRINT are produced by the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC). GASC is owned by Epicomm, NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies (NPES), and the Printing Industries of America.

About CPP EXPO
CPP EXPO is produced and managed by H.A. Bruno, LLC. H.A. Bruno, with its U.S. headquarters in Paramus, New Jersey. It has extensive experience in producing and managing trade shows and conferences that create results-oriented markets for buyers and sellers in the following industries: converting and packaging materials, information technology and franchise business. For decades, the company has provided its clients with a most professional, customer focused staff that is highly regarded in the trade show business for its industry knowledge, its record of client service, and its responsive management team that has produced world-class events.

Source: GASC.