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GRAPH EXPO 2012, LARGEST ANNUAL GRAPHIC COMMUNICATIONS EXHIBITION IN THE AMERICAS OPENS IN CHICAGO

Monday 08. October 2012 - Record 48 Co-Located Industry Conferences and Events Deliver Diverse New and Expanded Education and Networking Opportunities

Graphic communications professionals from every key market segment will gather this week in Chicago’s McCormick Place for GRAPH EXPO 2012, the industry’s largest and most comprehensive annual exhibition and conference in the Americas. GRAPH EXPO will not only provide an opportunity for attendees to see the hottest new technologies-including many first North American introductions-but will also offer a full slate of educational seminars and presentations, 48 co-located events across 12 key market segments, dedicated floor pavilions, several inaugural events, debuts of new floor features, live technology demonstrations, and unparalleled networking opportunities. The “Print Integrated” themed exhibition will run from Sunday, October 7 to Wednesday, October 10 and feature more than 460 exhibitors.
Educational Opportunities
GRAPH EXPO learning opportunities begin on October 6 with the annual pre-show EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK trends and technology conference that this year will focus on “Using Marketing and Technology to Innovate and Thrive.” Sponsored by EFI and Xerox, the half-day conference, from 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m., will conclude with the announcement of the first-ever MUST SEE ‘EMS “Best of Category” technology award winners and third annual Positively Print awardees, recognized for effectively promoting in their campaigns the enduring power of print as a component of today’s integrated marketing campaigns. New for 2012 as well is the MUST SEE ‘EMS “Legacy Award,” that will recognize one past winning technology that has had the most profound impact on the graphic communications industry.
The 48 co-located events, conferences, user-group meetings and galas taking place in tandem with GRAPH EXPO will provide networking opportunities and education in the areas of commercial and quick printing, digital and transactional printing, future print, in-plant printing, marketing and creative, newspaper printing, package printing and converting, post press/finishing/mailing, print buying and brokering, and workflow/color management.
Other educational opportunities include some 50 seminar sessions and hands-on computer labs that will address the needs of the full spectrum of the graphic communications industry including, for the first time, a dedicated track for corporate/educational/government in-plant centers. Other highlights will include the co-located 7th Annual Print Buyers International Print & Media Conference, International Newspaper Group (ING) Conference, Xplor Conference, GAA Packaging & Products Technology Conference, Mogo Media e-Publishing Conference, and the 2012 Printing Standards Forum and G7 Summit from IDEAlliance.
On The Show Floor
New for 2012 is the Global Channel Partners Summit, a show floor hub for dealers to network with manufacturers and customers. Also new is The CPP Zone, a unique new converting area specifically designed to complement the growth of package printing exhibitors, technologies and offerings. Another show first sponsored by the Print Media Centr is “The Printerverse,” a place for attendees to meet, tweet, learn, share, and be able to experience and test drive some of the ground-breaking communications tools that are changing the graphic communications industry. Also new for 2012, inside the Marketing Pavilion, is the PODi Cross-Media Application Gallery (booth #1269) that will offer a wide array of “Best-of-Results” case studies on winning print-integrated cross-media applications plus simple ‘roadmaps’ for attendees on how to integrate them to generate strong results for their clients.
For the first time, in-plant professionals from university, corporate, and government printing operations will have a dedicated “oasis” of their own on the show floor at GRAPH EXPO 2012, The InPlant Place. Sponsored by the In-Plant Printing & Mailing Association (IPMA), the new networking and information hub will be located in booth #3461 and will offer attendees not only a wide selection of in-plant-specific education, networking, and relaxation opportunities but also onsite at GRAPH EXPO in-plant certification testing. The InPlant Place is part of the expanded GRAPH EXPO 2012 emphasis on in-house and corporate printing professionals by show producer the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC).
Other show floor highlights feature a variety of specialty show floor pavilions and sections including:
The return of the highly popular Marketing Pavilion, providing resources and networking opportunities for today’s marketers and Marketing Theater (booth #1274), offering a continuous daily schedule of 30-minute education sessions.
The fourth annual GREENspace, a showcase of sustainability and eco-friendly products and services, with the GREENspace Consultant’s Corner (booth #2939) where experts will be on hand to answer attendees’ questions about sustainability or regulatory compliance.
News Print-the newspaper pavilion, back by attendee demand for a third year at GRAPH EXPO as the dedicated show floor section for newspaper printers and production executives.
The Mailing & Fulfillment Center-the industry’s largest mailing event anywhere in the Americas-offering new solutions here, and extending even beyond its boundaries across the entire show floor.
Future Print sponsored by FlexTech Alliance to showcase two of today’s hottest technologies – RFID and Printed Electronics in “The Experiential Lab.”
Education Main Street, for attendees seeking well-educated, talented industry newcomers to augment their company’s workforce.
The Prepress / Software: Workflow & Design pavilion and the Press / Finishing / PackPrint/ Photo Imaging sections.
In addition, innovations and solutions in Wide Format printing/imaging and Package Printing will be demonstrated by vendors across the entire show floor.
Additional Offerings
GRAPH EXPO will also feature five free special presentations, each geared to a specific market segment. On Sunday, “Pathways to Profits and Productivity” will be offered for quick and small commercial printers. Also on Sunday, newspaper printers and publishers will be able to attend “NEWSFLASH! Research Data & Technology Update.” Monday will feature “2020: The Future Role of Newspapers” for newspaper printers and publishers. Also on Monday will be “Connecting Customers with Print” for in-plant printers. On Tuesday, package printers will be able to attend “Digital Printing Opportunities in Packaging – a 360 View.”
There will also be five free exhibitor presentations: “Discover How the Best Printing Companies/MSPs Dominate Their Markets” on Sunday; “Web-to-Print & MIS Integrated Workflows for Print” and “Optimize your Mail, Grow Your business – Let’s Make it Personal” on Monday; and “Getting Economic Value out of your Direct Mail Strategies” and “Surviving the Digital Document Revolution” on Tuesday.
Also on Tuesday, there will be an International Day Program, “The Latin American Opportunity – Status and Future Prospects.” In addition, GRAPH EXPO is a specially selected participant in the International Buyer Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The program brings international buyers together with U.S. firms at leading U.S. trade shows in industries with high export potential.