PRINT 09 Overcomes Challenges, Delivers for Attendees and Exhibitors

October 8, 2009

multipage

 
Dave Jackson, of EP Graphics in Berne, IN, was one of those who came to PRINT to buy. “PRINT gives you a chance to check out the newest equipment releases and talk with several industry experts in a very short period of time. Fortunately, we were in a position to be doing more than window-shopping,” he explained. “Over the past year we added digital printing to our bag of tricks, so we were shopping for software and finishing equipment to support that venture.”
 
Andrew Shama, from Proven Direct, Milwaukee, WI stated that his company attended the show because, “We like to put faces to names and to see all the new technology. The show provides a good way to arrange one-to-one meetings withspecialists at vendor companies, see new products that are hush-hush, compare products in person and see the equipment running.”

PRINT exhibitors observed that attendees represented not just commercial printers but all segments of the graphic communications industry, including digital printers, book publishers, newspaper publishers, in-plant printers, transactional printers, mailing and distribution professionals, along with print buyers, and among others. Sophia Farina, Quark Inc., director of marketing for North America, for example, pointed out that she was able to see not just printers but also graphic designers and students at the show, while Jeffrey Brewer, vice president and general manager for GBR Systems Corp., commented on the number of mailing professionals who attend. “Because PRINT focuses on the entire process, including finishing any number of ways, they deliver all the people we need to put that process together from one to the other. No other show does that,” Brewer said.
 
Summed up by Ron Pueschel of bielomatik jagenberg, Inc., “PRINT and GRAPH EXPO come the closest of all the North American shows to addressing all the market segments we serve.”

The breadth of segments represented and range of technologies shown at PRINT 09 was an attraction for attendees as well, who were able to take in the newest profit-boosting equipment, products and services from the 680 exhibitors during the show.
 
“PRINT is a one-stop shop for new technology and new products, and most of the vendors we want to see are here with their new equipment,” said Roger Supalla, operations manager at Card Fulfillment Services in North Mankato, MN. “In this economy, you have to justify spending money on travel. We felt it was very beneficial for us to attend and see the new inkjet technologies and many other technologies.”
 
According to Howard Harris, president of Eagle:XM in Denver: “Technology is all about creating a big bang, but the real challenge is how you put it together. PRINT offers a great opportunity to look at future applications that would serve our customers and the related technology to create efficient systems to meet their needs.”

As Mike Jeziak, president of Inkslingers USA, an experienced show goer and owner of a chain of tattoo studios, the patent for tattoos on clothing, and a large clothing line, remarked about the scope and breadth of PRINT 09, “We’ve gone to shows at the Rosemont Center and in New York, Las Vegas and Florida for years looking for one that has all the machines, graphics and packaging we need for our unique application, and this is the one I really needed to be at.”

Ultimately, “as trade shows have consolidated, our customers point to this show to find the solution to every application that’s keeping them up at night,” said Michael Aumann, president, Buhrs Americas, Inc. And, due in part to GASC’s efforts to make PRINT 09 a valuable and educational experience for those who were there, exhibitors and attendees alike expressed great satisfaction with the show.

“In spite of the economy, we had good attendance at our booth,” said Karen Gross, executive director of the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership. “We were able to reach a large number of our target audience in a short amount of time with a very concentrated effort by our staff. It’s difficult to reach these numbers in any other available format in such a short amount of time.”

Noted Jackson of EP Graphics, “We’ve been attending PRINT and GRAPH EXPO shows for 20-plus years, and this was the most productive show I’ve attended. All of our show goals were accomplished, and we are looking forward to the future with much optimism.”

Echoing the positive feedback about PRINT 09, Shamez Asaria, senior global trade show & applications manager of Gandinnovations stated, “We’re trying to pull people from different parts of the industry and this is a perfect show for us; Gandinnovations attends 32 show each year around the world, but we are planning to exhibit a GRAPH EXPO 2010 and anticipating a better economy to showcase new products—PRINT and GRAPH EXPO are good venues for that.”
 
Next up for the industry is GRAPH EXPO 2010, with the return of PackPrint, set to take place October 3-6, 2010, at Chicago’s McCormick Place South. Considered the commercial printing, publishing, package printing, mailing and transactional exposition for the Western Hemisphere, GRAPH EXPO 2010 is expected to welcome more than 550 vendors. Attendees will be able to see the latest graphic communications technologies, ‘live’ running equipment on the show floor, explore the newest applications, and learn about the most in-demand products and profit-making opportunities at six special-interest pavilions planned for the show that will include the debut of the new Newspaper Pavilion.

For additional information, visit: www.graphexpo.com.

About Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC)
GRAPH EXPO, PRINT and PackPrint are produced by the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC). GASC is owned by the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL), NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies (NPES), and the Printing Industries of America. GASC is located at 1899 Preston White Drive, Reston, VA 20191 USA, telephone: 703/264-7200, fax: 703/620-9187, e-mail: info@gasc.org.