September 15, 2003 -- Through hard economic times as well as booms, GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO has consistently presented shows of impressive dimensions, and with ever-increasing importance to the industry, says the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC). GASC points out that the upcoming 2003 event, to be held in Chicago on September 28-October 1, will achieve a size and inclusiveness fully comparable to the most successful shows of the past decade. Online registration and full details about the show are available at www.graphexpo.com. With more than 550 exhibitors slated to occupy about 370,000 square feet of display space, GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO 2003 shows none of the dramatic downsizing that has affected so many other shows in other industries. Since 1993, the typical GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO show has offered between 360,000 and 380,000 square feet of displays. This year’s exhibit size is solidly in that range. All of the industry’s top names are once again planning major displays. The 10 largest exhibitors, in booth-size order, are: Heidelberg, Xerox, MAN Roland, Hewlett Packard, CREO, Komori, Fuji, Muller Martini, KBA, and Kodak Polychrome. As in the past, GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO 2003 will combine large, high-profile exhibits with scores of smaller displays mounted by innovative firms, start-ups and industry newcomers. Last year's show, for example, included 82 booths of 1,000 square feet or more and more than 420 other displays in sizes ranging down to 100 square feet. “Our 10 or 15 largest exhibitors would comprise a very complete exhibition all by themselves, embracing every product type from prepress to pressroom to finishing, offering something for companies of every type and size,” said GASC President Regis J. Delmontagne. “The power of GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO, though, is that these very large displays represent only a fraction of the total show. In addition to the top 15, we anticipate another 535 other companies will display their products and services.” These other displays, indeed, are often the source of some of the show’s biggest news, notes Delmontagne. “These exhibitors are companies taking advantage of the industry’s flagship show to make their debuts or introduce their innovations to the largest possible audience,” he says.