Showing Off

Published: August 01, 2007, By Claudia Hine, Managing Editor

Show Preview

With 500+ exhibiting companies occupying more than 400,000 net sq ft of display space, Graph Expo ranks as one of the largest exhibitions across all industries in the US. In a newly published listing of the Top 200 shows in America, Tradeshow Week magazine ranks Graph Expo at #47.

This comes as no surprise to the show’s organizers, Graphic Arts Show Co. (GASC). According to Ralph J. Nappi, president, “This performance reflects the show’s growing inclusiveness as it delivers good value for both exhibitors and visitors across the entire range of specialties that make up graphic communications today. A label printing specialist, for instance, can come to Graph Expo and see everything that is new and important in that segment, along with hundreds of displays of technologies and products that can also help improve productivity and marketing opportunities.”

Graph Expo will take place September 9-12 at McCormick Place South in Chicago, IL. In addition to exhibits, the event offers an extensive educational program and a variety of special events for visitors.

Although GASC has decided to cancel the inaugural staging of PackPrint at this year’s show, the show company says converting and related technologies will be very prominent among the displays at what promises to be a record-breaking Graph Expo. GASC and the Flexographic Technical Assn. may not have abandoned PackPrint, however, and they are presently discussing the show’s potential for the future.

Navigating the Show
The seminar program is organized into 16 education tracks: Business, Color, Creative, Digital, Internet, Mailing & Fulfillment, Management, Marketing, Package Printing, Pre-Media, Pressroom, Print Buying, Production, Sales, Wide Format, and Workflow. Included in the Package Printing track are the following three sessions:

• Unwrap New Profits—Diversifying into Packaging by Malcolm Keif
• The Future of the Printed Product by Frank Romano
• Color Management for Packaging by Joe Suffoletto

On the eve of the show, GASC will offer the 12th edition of the Executive Outlook conference. The theme of this year’s edition is “The Printers’ Success Quartet: Economics, Markets, Technology, People.”

According to conference chair William Lamparter, president of PrintCom Consulting Group, “Executive Outlook will once again focus on helping show attendees navigate the aisles and exhibits by putting all of the new products and technologies in context, and laying the groundwork for sound investment decisions.”

Wide-format systems that allow the production of banners and building and vehicle wraps, as well as short-run labels, will be showcased in the Wide Format Pavilion. Two dozen firms will take part in this pavilion, which offers free educational sessions throughout the show at the Wide Format Theater.

Adjacent to this exhibit is the Innovation Gallery displaying the best examples of images printed on versatile substrates for a variety of uses. Items displayed are provided by wide format exhibitors.

For more information and a list of exhibitors, visit graphexpo.com.

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Show At-A-Glance
Where: McCormick Place South, Chicago, IL
Sun., Sept. 9: 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Mon., Sept. 10: 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Tues., Sept. 11: 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Wed., Sept. 12: 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

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Build Your Own Chicago Landmark
With Graph Expo around the corner, Chicago is on display. Wurlington Brothers Press, Chicago, publishes postcards, inspired by “Micromodels” of the 1950s, that can be cut and assembled into miniature paper models of such landmarks as the Sears Tower, Water Tower, and Marina City. See buildyourownchicago.com.

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