Viewpoint
December 2007
There is nothing like a trade show
Come to Graphics Canada
With Graphics Canada right around the corner, you should be making your final plans for going now. Graphics Canada is the show near Toronto’s Pearson International Airport this year. It runs from Thursday, November 8 to Saturday, November 10. If you’re not going, then you’re really missing out on the event of the year. Printing industry trade shows in Canada are unlike any other function and this is the largest event in the industry this year by far. Attendance is usually around 10,000. It’s really the only time when the entire industry gets together. Small shops, big shops and everyone else in between.

With all the major manufacturers and suppliers together, this is your chance to ask pointed questions and compare. There is nothing like meeting face to face. You don’t just get more answers, you get better answers. Even if you’re not planning on buying anything, it’s probably the best learning experience you can get. You can find out what’s coming down the pipe and what the latest buzz is. With the market moving so much faster now, you have to plan in advance. The relative cost of equipment has gone up. The life expectancy of equipment has dropped from about 10 years to three to four years. One major bad decision regarding equipment can sink a company. You have to know where the technology is going now more than ever. If you go down the wrong path, it could be messy. You have to know your future options.

Major manufacturers such as Heidelberg, Xerox, Fuji, Hewlett-Packard and Canon are a must-see if for no other reason than to determine where they’re spending their research dollars. These guys bet big on R&D, so they have a pretty good idea where the industry is going.

What I find interesting is that once you get through the big guys, you should spend some time on the small booths. At each industry trade show I have been to I have found a number of small booths with interesting and unique things. This is where you can pick up special applications that don’t fit everyone but could help differentiate your company from your competitors.

The key benefit of a trade show is that it’s the industry’s biggest meeting place. It’s a chance to meet people you haven’t seen for years, people you used to work with or a supplier rep you last touched base with. It’s a chance to meet people you just never would have met otherwise. I find I meet more people from the industry in the aisles of a trade show than at all other industry events combined. The number of chance meetings at trade shows that later turn into some sort of deal—merger, strategic alliance—is legendary.

It’s also an excellent chance to get your staff out to see what else is going on in the industry. All too often the staff gets caught up in the daily pressures of running a shop and loses sight of the bigger picture. The more the staff knows, the better they can understand what is going on in the real world. The show is also a big chance for suppliers to get feedback from the industry. The smart suppliers evaluate the questions they get asked and look for opportunities down the road.

It’s also a chance for us at Graphic Monthly Canada to hear what’s on your mind. In particular, we would like to hear what you think of our redesign. In case you have not noticed, our last two issues look different from before. So drop by our booth—#1239—in Hall 1 and say “Hello”.
Alexander Donald is the publisher of Graphic Monthly Canada.
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