Why you can’t afford not to go
Mark your calendars. Print Ontario trade show is just around the corner
If you have seen one printing trade show, you have seen them all. Going to a show once every three to four years is plenty because nothing much changes, anyway. I can get what information I need on the Internet. I don’t need to buy anything now so why waste the time. These are just a few of the reasons I have heard over the years for not going to a trade show.
For those who have not been to a trade show in the last couple of years, or have never been to one, here’s what you are missing. Or, better put, what it’s costing you.
I probably go to four to six shows a year and each one offers something different. Even annual shows can be different from one year to the next. Sure, some exhibitors’ booths seem to look the same from one show to the next, but if you look past the façade and take a good look at what’s in the booth, you will be pleasantly surprised. What is really interesting, and can become very profitable for you, are some of the smaller exhibitors who only do one or two shows a year. Some of them offer completely different and new ideas and take innovative approaches to the industry.
For example, at a show in Miami, Fla., I saw a portable UV coating unit that can hook up to any small press. It was from a California company that was selling a lot of these machines into South America.
Everything is changing in this industry all the time. Prepress and digital variable presses are the most obvious recent changes but the evolution of offset and bindery is one you cannot afford to miss. Knowing what’s available and what’s available to your competitor is worth the trip. When your biggest customer asks for something new, knowing how or where to get the equipment can make the difference on whether they remain your biggest customer.
Getting information you need on the Internet only goes so far. If you know exactly what you’re looking for, the Internet is great. But, it’s lousy if you need to find new ideas or methods to apply to your print shop. Try searching for “new ideas for how to keep my biggest customer happy.”
If for no other reason you go to a trade show for the seminars, especially those led by industry veterans who have already learned how to do it right. Learning the hard way is getting too expensive now.
Knowledge is what separates the winners from the losers in this industry. Anyone can put ink/toner on paper, but it is your knowledge that your customers want. Getting that knowledge is why you cannot afford not to go to the next trade show.
Alexander Donald is the publisher of Graphic Monthly Canada.