Show Preview | Graphics of the Americas 2014
- Published: January 31, 2014, By Claudia Hine
More than 7,000 printers, designers, and creative professionals from North, Central, and South America—and beyond—will gather in Florida at the Miami Beach Convention Center to attend Graphics of the Americas (GOA) February 27-March 1. Produced by the Printing Assn. of Florida, the annual expo and conference is now in its 39th year and both exhibitor and attendee registration is up again year over year.
George Ryan, GOA president, says, “Each year, conference attendees provide remarkable feedback about our popular educational sessions, and each year attendance continues to grow across the board. We pride ourselves on being the best in the business when it comes to our expert speakers and their relevant, inspiring content. We are excited to announce the 2014 line-up!” Seminars in both English and Spanish are offered.
Keynote Address
Peter Muir, president of Bizucate Inc., will present the keynote speech, “Where Will Your Profits Come from Tomorrow?” at 11 a.m. on opening day. His address will navigate attendees through key focus areas to help in identifying potentially profitable avenues for organizations in today’s marketplace.
“As we look into the future of communications and how we will generate increased profit,” Muir says, “there are basically two ways to make it happen: cut costs and sell more. Selling ‘for more’ has an even greater appeal. But how can we make the sale and charge more when most customers are asking for discounts? This session will show professionals how to do just that.”
Muir’s session will help attendees to better understand, or “absorb” an industry, and cover business development efforts—such as how to develop apps and services—that companies can use to serve key verticals and targeted groups for improved response rates, increased ROI, and more.
Ryan says, “Peter is a natural choice for our 2014 keynote address because of his keen ability to closely track the pulse of the industry. His talent of helping companies stay on the cutting edge with innovative strategies and techniques, make this session a must-attend for those looking for future growth and stability.”
Green Roundtable Forum
This year’s show will feature a special free event to address the latest environmental topics impacting the printing industry. Moderated by Richard Romano, the Green Roundtable will bring together printing industry manufacturers, print providers, suppliers, and certifying organizations to look at the current state of environmentally sustainable printing.
"The issues, trends, and legislation surrounding the industry can be difficult to understand, as information is constantly changing,” says Ryan. “The roundtable serves to help printers navigate the latest topics in this space and is an excellent venue to openly discuss the issues at hand.”
GOA Game Changers
GOA has announced participants in its inaugural Game Changers showcase, which highlights essential, future-oriented exhibitor technologies. The following solutions have been given the special distinction of being a GOA 2014 Game Changer:
- HP Indigo 10000 Digital Press
- Enfocus Connect ALL
- Printware LLC iJetPress Digital Inkjet Printer with iJet Color Workflow
- Nilpeter FB-3300 Flexo Press
- MGI Digital Graphic Technology JETvarnish 3D and JETvarnish 3D Twin w/iFoil
- Ricoh Critical Communications Solutions Suite
"We are proud to honor manufacturers and developers who are building solutions that will have lasting and positive affect on our industry," says Ryan. "I encourage attendees to visit these companies to see why they are impressing the market so strongly."
On The Show Floor
GOA reports a wide variety of products will be exhibited on the show floor. Categories include converting equipment and supplies, digital and conventional imaging equipment, inks and coatings, presses and printing accessories, and substrates.
Color-Logic (Booth 122) will show examples of its Process Metallic Color System using offset, flexo, digital press, wide-format, inkjet, gravure, and screen printing. Color-Logic software enables graphic designers to create foolproof metallic files in just seconds, using ordinary graphics programs. These metallic files may then be printed by licensed Color-Logic printers.
Esko (Booth 622) will focus on Kongsberg i-XE 10 and Kongsberg i-XP 24 digital finishing tables, which can cut and finish prototypes, labels, short run packaging, and wide format jobs. The latest version of its Suite 12 software (Studio, ArtiosCAD, Automation Engine, and Equinox) for packaging, labels, and displays will be showcased, and visitors can learn more about HD Flexo and Full HD Flexo through real-life production samples.
Nilpeter USA Inc. (Booth 345) will feature the FB-3300S flexo press. With maximum efficiency and low production costs, the servo-powered press produces a maximum web speed of 750 fpm. Cartons will be printed back and front, with cold foil and UV-lamination, die-cut and sheeted, live at the show.
OKI Data Americas (Booth 608), a platinum sponsor of the show, will demonstrate its expanding line of printing solutions, including a narrow format web product; film laminating and digital die-cutting solutions; and the CMYK color plus white or clear printing capabilities of select new C900 Series devices, and the OKI proColor series of printers.
Rollem International (Booth 337) showcases the Delta die-cutter, an all-new sheetfed, flexo-magnetic rotary die cutting system for label and packaging, offering short-run capacity with a production rate of 5,000 sph, quick changeover time, and easy operation. Delta will die-cut and kiss cut products including labels, decals, boxes, shaped cut-outs, hang tags, and round cornered card products.
Technifold USA (Booth 931) is featuring the patented Tri-Creaser premium creasing tool said to eliminate fiber cracking problems on folding or scoring machines. Also being displayed at the show are three new CreaseStream Mini scoring and perforating machines, as well as a range of creasing, cutting,g and perforating tools to fit web presses.
Xanté (Booth 309) will present the new JDF compliant iQueue 9 Ultimate Workflow. iQueue 9 makes it easy to manage multiple projects, make critical color adjustments, estimate job cost, import variable data, generate custom QR codes and more.
For a complete list of exhibitors, click here.
Printing in Latin America
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects the 2014 Latin American GDP at 3.1%. In its annual forecast of the printing industry in Latin America, GOA estimates Mexican printing growth in 2014 at 2%, assuming an economic recovery in the GDP with growth of 3%. The Brazilian printing growth will moderate in 2014 to 1.5%. In Argentina, the report finds that printing growth is estimated at 1% in 2014.
The Colombia print growth is estimated at 2% in 2014. "The Latin American print forecast proves to be a key indicator of industry trends for our very important core show audience," says Ryan. "We have our finger closely on the pulse of the Latin American economy and performance, in order to adjust our education and show offerings accordingly. The report seems to be positive for the region, overall."
For the full report, click here.
Show Hours
- Thursday, February 27 • 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
- Friday, February 28 • 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
- Saturday, March 1 • 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
