Who else had fun at Graph Expo? This year I had the opportunity to play many roles at the show. I took 20 students from Ryerson along with me to Chicago, attended the teacher’s conference hosted by the PIA, and ran around taking photos and chatting with you for our magazine. I’m not trying to brag, but rather to encourage you to become involved in our industry. I am definitely not alone in my multiple-role circumstance. Many of the readers I spoke to were similarly on their way to present at a seminar, doing training tutorials in their booths, meeting with clients or vendor partners, etc.
I also made sure to participate in some of the more social events. Those are always fun! For example, at the Give Back at Graph dinner hosted by EDSF, not only did I see some students receive awards, I also enjoyed watching Benny Landa create a fake bidding war at the charity auction, only to win, and donate back the item to the organization.
In terms of technology at the show there were many areas to plant your eyes. I definitely used the Must See’em awards as a guide. There were awards in many categories resulting in wins such as digitally printed metallic colours, paper you can “click” on, Facebook apps for creating a storefront and many more. The selection criteria and process for the awards have been updated this year, so I highly recommend that you check out the new and improved: http://www.mustseeems.com/
From the show I could definitely see a shift toward using and understanding other media, including investigating what mobile and social can do for printers. Sessions included topics like SEO, Social media for the printer, and many more. We will make sure to help you understand these topics in 2013.
While I enjoyed Chicago immensely, I am most looking forward to Print World. Read this issue for a preview of what you may find on home turf, and stop by and say hello to us at the show!