GRANDVILLE, Michigan, October 5, 2001 – X-Rite, Incorporated, a leading global provider of technology enhancing solutions using color, light and shape, will launch an online exhibition at www.expo.xrite.com/cpt on October 12, 2001. This new Internet-based trade show will complement X-Rite’s onsite activities at the upcoming International Coatings Expo, November 5-7, 2001, in Atlanta, Georgia. Using the information superhighway as an onramp for reaching the marketplace, X-Rite has designed an engaging alternative to the traditional trade show. The online exhibition illustrates X-Rite’s commitment to developing innovative ways to save its customers both time and money. Customers nationally and abroad will have access to X-Rite’s trade show offering in the comfort of their offices, homes, cyber cafes – wherever and whenever – all they need is Internet access. “We’re answering our customers’ call for conserving costs and maximizing convenience,” says Brian Teunis, general manager for X-Rite’s Coatings, Plastics and Textiles business unit. “As more of our customers are looking to save time and find the most cost effective way of doing business, we’re responding by bringing the show to them, 24/7. Doing so gives our customers the freedom to experience the X-Rite booth while maintaining normal business operations.” Online, on demand X-Rite’s online show emulates the look and feel of an industry trade show. Visitors to the site can even register online to receive product announcements and previews of upcoming X-Rite events by simply clicking on a name badge icon; upon subsequent visits, the name badge will be personalized with the visitor’s name. Rather than being merely a place to download literature or view graphics, the web-based exhibition encourages interactivity through simulated product demonstrations, a color quiz and an online forum between visitors and company representatives. “We’ve created the site to capture the essence of an actual trade show experience,” adds Teunis. “The online exhibition is both educational and interactive. With a simple click of the mouse, visitors can purchase products, get literature, view demonstrations and conduct communications with X-Rite application specialists.” User-friendly floorplan X-Rite’s online show is engaging and easy to navigate. The site floorplan includes: * Sneak previews of new product releases, from spectrophotometers to handheld instruments to software packages, including the new quality and formulation software, which is scheduled to go online November 5, 2001, and will be officially released in December 2001 * Discounts and special offers towards the purchase of new products and services * An interactive color quiz with links to color management training courses * A bulletin board-style forum with X-Rite’s team of application specialists * Links for downloading product literature An unending quest for quality Integral to the ongoing success of the web-based show is feedback from site visitors. While it premiers on October 12, the online exhibition will continually evolve to meet ever-changing customer needs, a commitment X-Rite carries to all of its products and services. “We’re charting new territory both internally and in the overall industry,” notes Teunis. “As such, we intend to listen and learn from our customers by closely monitoring site activity and listening to feedback. We view this as the launch of a new generation of customer communications at X-Rite.”