Greetings CMYK Enthusiasts!
It is my distinct honor to announce that The PrinterverseTM is BACK as a show floor feature at GRAPH EXPO 2015 – our fourth year! I just starting working on the site, and many announcements will follow about our sessions, special events, and of course our partners – the most amazing Intergalactic Alliance to date! So stay tuned for all of that and PLEASE connect with the Alliance through this handy Twitter List and on other social channels listed on the Alliance pages!
Even if your company is exhibiting, and/or sending people to the show in some capacity to work or attend, the majority of you reading this post will not be making your way to Chicago. It could be because of money, or your position, or where you are – especially if outside the U.S. or North America in general. This isn’t a secret it’s a reality. However, there are some of you out there who just might be able to work your system and get a ticket to the show. I want to help you do that! Here are a few reasons to attend GRAPH EXPO 2015 to include in your lobbying effort…
EDUCATION. It doesn’t mater what you do, or where you work. If you touch print, create print, blog about print, make videos about print, provide services for printers, create printing tools, provide print for clients, create print for clients, are a print customer or just want to know how it all works, this is ONE STOP SHOPPING for knowledge gathering. Trade shows are not only about selling equipment, and believe me, no one is buying anything without being educated on all the other options and processes out there. GRAPH EXPO has four days of classes and special seminars you can purchase and attend, some of the exhibitors present free sessions in their booths, most exhibitors have ongoing demos in their booths, and of course The Printerverse Theater is non-stop with free panels and special events every day.
Your argument: Smarter employees = smarter company = better ROI for clients = more clients/more money for your company.
NETWORKING. If you consider Print, Paper, Advertising, Marketing or Design your industry, or service those areas, then face-to-face human encounters are vital for your professional survival. I am still in contact with people have attended sessions with over the years, I know of many instances where a chance meeting in The Printerverse has created successful business relationships, and a few of our Alliance partners have even hooked up over the years. GRAPH EXPO is filled with people, just like you, who want to learn, and share, and help their customers to the best of their ability. Get to know them.
Your argument: Attending the show will help your company expand opportunities, create partnerships, and solidify existing relationships as well as help to form new ones.
ROI. I rarely get into this conversation because it is so subjective, and especially when you are pulling out the ROI card with people who use it themselves, but in this case the exception has to be made. The “R” part is only possible when the “I” occurs. What the “return” is that matters to your company is something you should figure out before you make your case to attend GRAPH EXPO, but if you do that, stick to the subject, and provide some sort of reporting that shows some of the “return” each day, the request will be harder to dismiss without a little consideration.
Your argument: You’ve got to spend money, to make money… and happy, smart, and connected employees are ALWAYS a great return for the investment they are already making in you through your salary!
BONUS ITEMS!
Here is an opportunity to WIN A FREE TRIP – and Exclusive GRAPH EXPO Experience that includes airfare, hotel, pass to The Executive Outlook Conference and MORE thanks to our good friends at NAPCO Media/Printing Impressions and GRAPH EXPO. I’m helping to share the contest info and encourage you to enter! You have nothing to lose!
Here is a link for a FREE show floor pass! Use code PMC15 when you register and yes, share it with everyone you know!
If all of your efforts fail, we have you covered! All of the sessions and special events going on in The Printerverse are broadcast LIVE via Livestream! See our GRAPH EXPO playlists for a taste of what is to come in September and “follow” the PrintMediaCentr Livestream Channel for programming notifications.
BE SOCIAL!
Whether you are physically at the show, or halfway around the planet, find and connect with the companies you are interested in on social, follow #graphexpo on Twitter, follow the Intergalactic Alliance on Twitter, and just be social! Nothing can replicate the experience of being there, but following what is going will keep you looped in, and buzzed in, and share-worthy!
Let’s start that social thing now… if you are coming to GRAPH EXPO 2015 let us know! Include your social info and let’s expand our world one connection request at a time!
PRINT LONG AND PROSPER!
Deborah Corn is the Intergalactic Ambassador to The Printerverse at PrintMediaCentr, a Print Buyerologist™, Integrated Marketer, Industry Speaker and Blogger, Cultivator of the Print Production Professionals Group, the #1 Print Group on LinkedIn, and host of the weekly industry #PrintChat on Twitter. She has more than 25 years experience working in advertising and marketing, and currently works behind the scenes with printers, suppliers and industry organizations helping them to achieve success with their cross media and social media marketing endeavors.
