Chicago is known for the blues, but printing pros who gathered there for DMIA's Print Solutions 2004 Conference & Expo were decidedly upbeat. Their chorus: Business is picking up for most distributors, manufacturers and suppliers. Technology, value-added services and the industry's optimism are striking chords with end users.
The annual event, held Oct. 5-7 at the Donald E. Stevens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., drew 1,543 attendees. The show floor featured 368 exhibit booths, including 32 first-time exhibitors, showcasing the latest solutions in promotional products, labels and tags, commercial printing, e-commerce systems and more. (For a list of all conference exhibitors, visit www.printsolutionsshow.com.)
"The people here are a monitor for what's happening in the economy," said Pat Taylor, secretary/treasurer at Taylor Business Products, North Wilkesboro, N.C. "I think everyone is more upbeat [than in the recent past]." At the show, she received a hospital form that she plans to give to a salesperson at the distributorship.
Solutions on the Show Floor
Frank Korten, technical sales representative at Wausau, Wis.-based Wausau Coated Products, attended the event for the first time. He found potential vendors for integrated forms and labels applications, and said he was excited about meetings he had organized with prospective clients at the show.
A Show with Energy and Answers
An upbeat show floor and quality education sessions made
DMIA's Print Solutions 2004 Conference & Expo a hit.
Attendees listen to industry pros give their perspectives on the future of independents at a session entitled "The CEO Perspective from the 'Majors'." From left: Robert J. Cronin, managing partner at The Open Approach, Westmont, Ill.; Jeffrey P. Kenny of Turngood Solutions; Richard Egan, former president of Corporate Express Document & Print Management, Broomfield, Colo.; and Paul Reilly, president and CEO of Cenveo, Denver.
CEOs, owners and presidents of distributorships, manufacturers and suppliers share ideas on issues such as health care insurance for employees, compensation plans, hiring sales representatives, outsourcing, technology and disaster planning at a session entitled "CEO to CEO Roundtable."
From left: Dave Erickson, vice president of sales and marketing at Midlothian, Texas-based manufacturer Ennis Inc.; Outgoing DMIA President Phil Schmidt, president of distributorship Advanced Systems & Forms Inc., Livonia, Mich.; and DMIA President Jeff Long, marketing director of manufacturer Graphic Dimensions Inc., cut a ceremonial ribbon to officially open the expo. Crabar/GBF, a division of Ennis Inc., sponsored the ceremony.
While visiting Label Art's booth, Heather Langston of distributorship Cook Business Products, said, "We found some information on thermal transfer labels and tags that made the trip worthwhile." The Wilton, N.H.-based manufacturer offers flexographic pressure sensitive labels and has sold exclusively to the trade since 1963.
Three companies--distributorship Superior Business Solutions, based in Kalamazoo, Mich.; manufacturer Wise Business Forms Inc., Alpharetta, Ga.; and TopForm Software® Inc., Norcross, Ga.--promoted a software solution for eliminating manual data entry associated with closing a purchase order, creating an account payable and invoicing. A program based on industry standard XML automatically compares the vendor invoice to the purchase order data. If data is in sync with the values authorized, the purchase order is closed and the vendor invoice is generated automatically in accounts payable. If all associated order costs have been received, the customer invoice is created automatically.
Industry experts discussed 17 products that generate more than 30 percent gross margin at special Product Theaters on the show floor. Topics included "Card/Form Combos for Customer Loyalty Programs," "Check 21-How it Affects Your Customers" and "Direct Mail for the Banking Industry."
Industry experts discussed 17 products that generate more than 30 percent gross margin at special Product Theaters on the show floor. Topics included "Card/Form Combos for Customer Loyalty Programs," "Check 21-How it Affects Your Customers," "Direct Mail for the Banking Industry."
