I had the pleasure of meeting with Ralph Nappi at GRAPH EXPO in September. It was a bit like being called to the Principal’s office but with a much better outcome since he didnt call my mom or send me home. His office by the way looked out onto the show floor like Robert DeNiro’s did in Casino. It was very cool, and so was he, and we had a great talk about the industry and of course PMC.
Like anything, the success of this show starts with the team behind it and then filters to whom they work with and then to the Exhibitors and Attendees who bring it to life. PMC was honored to work with Chris Price and Debbie Vieder and the entire GASC team as a Media Sponsor for 2011, and we are already looking forward to GRAPH EXPO 2012 and doing it again!
Graph Expo eyes growth in 2012
By David Ward
Following a successful 2011 Graph Expo that saw attendance rise 7% over the previous year to more that 20,000 – and the amount of buyer companies rise 12% to 8,026 – show organizers are already looking at expanding next year’s exhibition.
“Early indications are the show will be bigger in space, because exhibitors were very pleased this year,” said Ralph Nappi, president of the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC), which produces Graph Expo. “So they’re already asking for more space and they have to do that now.”
Nappi also told PrintWeek that next year’s event, which will be held October 7-10 once again at Chicago’s McCormick Place, will also feature some new seminar tracks, adding, “We’re looking at new things next year that will continue to expanding our segments.”
Of course the success of this year’s Graph Expo can’t be seen as a sign of a robust US commercial printing industry, he cautioned. “The numbers don’t lie – even though the industry is improving, it’s been a tepid and spotty improvement,” said Nappi, who’s also head of the NPES – The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies. “But the commercial printers in the US are realizing this is a new reality and that they’ve got to get back to business and that means investing as well as educating their staff. What we saw at Graph Expo was a recommitment, with people realizing they have to get back in the game.”
In recent years Graph Expo has boosted the number of tracks and conferences held within the show, even branching into electronic communication. “We had an e-publishing conference during the Expo, we had a marketing discussion, and that’s along with traditional interests like mailing and fulfillment.” Nappi explained. “We now have nine different sessions, whereas five or six years ago, only a few of them would have been going on.
“These days, if you’re just putting ink on paper, you’re done,” he continued. “But if you’re thinking about much more than that – and the people at this year’s Graph Expo definitely were -then there’s a great opportunity. It’s not going to be easy, but the potential is there.”
Continues at: Graph Expo eyes growth in 2012 | printweek.com
