Reston, VA - The EFI Connect Advisory Panel and EFI's Pace Users Group, two user-driven communities of EFI software owners and their production teams, have announced plans to hold their meetings in Chicago this fall in conjunction with GRAPH EXPO 2010.  GRAPH EXPO 2010, the year's largest graphic communications exhibition and conference in the Americas, takes place October 3-6, 2010, in Chicago's McCormick Place.  Both EFI events, slated for Tuesday, October 5, will be co-located with GRAPH EXPO 2010 in McCormick Place.

The EFI Connect Advisory Panel will meet from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. to plan for the annual EFI Connect Conference, which welcomes leaders from around the globe to attend educational sessions, test-drive the latest EFI products, voice their opinions at user group meetings, discuss industry trends, and network with peers. 

"EFI Connect, our annual user group, draws heavily from our users for input and direction for content and class development needs," explained Dan Crnarich, EFI's Director of Product Marketing. "We always appreciate the opportunity to meet with them at industry events, and now at this year's GRAPH EXPO, we can ensure Connect remains as relevant to their business success as is has been for the last 11 years."

The EFI Pace Users Group meeting will take place from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.  Open to all EFI MIS owners and their sales, marketing and production teams in North America, the purpose of the member-run EFI users group is to foster community to better utilize the solution, share ideas, exchange best practices and provide feedback to EFI.

"The Pace Users Group is a direct feedback channel to us at EFI Pace," said Jay Farr, General Manager of EFI Pace for EFI.  "We are fully supportive of our user community and I encourage all of our customers to join this independent group.  Having a meeting co-located with GRAPH EXPO is an excellent opportunity to meet face-to-face and maximize the benefit of attending GRAPH EXPO this year."

Recognized as the commercial printing, publishing, mailing and transactional exposition for the Americas, GRAPH EXPO 2010 themed, "The Next Generation of Print," has been designed to offer a customized show-going experience to a diverse spectrum of attendees.  The exhibition will offer the latest graphic communications technologies in live equipment demonstrations across the expansive show floor and education on the most in-demand products and profit-making opportunities.  Attendees will find eight special interest sections on the show floor.  Along with the debut of News Print-the newspaper pavilion, these include PackPrint, covering package printing; Future Print, featuring two of today's hottest technologies Printed Electronics and RFID; the Mailing & Fulfillment Center, the industry's largest mailing event anywhere in the Americas; the second annual GREENspace, a showcase on sustainability and eco-friendly products and services; the Prepress/Software-Design and Press/Finishing sections; and Education Main Street, for attendees seeking well-educated, talented industry newcomers to augment their company's workforce.

"We're pleased to be able to host the EFI programs during GRAPH EXPO," said Ralph Nappi, President of the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC). "GRAPH EXPO has always been committed to digital press users.  And by co-locating their program with the show in this October, EFI members will benefit from the expanded networking opportunities that GRAPH EXPO provides and find out about the very newest and innovative technology and productivity- and revenue-boosting ideas to apply to their businesses."