Reston, VA – Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC ) announced today that PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05 has been selected from among a national group of hundreds of applicants to participate in the International Buyer Program sponsored and managed by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The program was created to highlight the top international trade opportunities in this country to the international business community, and to match buyers from other nations with suppliers based in the United States. “We are honored to have been one of the 28 shows worldwide selected from among thousands of tradeshows nationally for this prestigious program, and feel that our event will live up to the promise that the program was intended to deliver, matching international buyers with U.S.-based suppliers, increasing international trade opportunities for U.S. companies. We’re pleased to be recognized again as being a high-caliber international marketplace, and are looking forward to working with the Commerce Department on this event,” noted Regis J. Delmontagne, President of GASC, the event’s organizer. PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05 will be the largest event in 2005 for the commercial and package printing industries. The event, encompassing nearly 900,000 square feet, and hosting 80,000 attendees interacting with over 900 exhibitors will span seven days in the expansive McCormick Place Complex, Chicago, IL. The event will provide commercial and package printers, converters and service providers in the graphic communications industry worldwide a unique opportunity to see the latest prepress, printing, converting and related equipment together under one roof in the United States. The program, administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce through the United States and Foreign Commercial Service was started to help facilitate international trade between the United States and 74 nations worldwide. Hundreds of companies applied to participate in the program, which offers international buyers of capital equipment and supplies access to United States companies producing goods and materials for export. “The selection [of PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05] from among a wide range of applicants is both an indication of the quality of your event and the export potential of the industry it serves,” noted James Boney, Program Manager for the International Buyer Program for the U.S. Department of Commerce. The event was selected based upon meeting a wide range of selection criteria, including: • Being recognized as a leading international event within its respective industry suitable for promotion to overseas markets through embassies and consulates • The industry it serves has high export potential • The event has significant international interest; it should be a clearly recognized industry leading event; the event has the capability for overseas marketing by the organizer • The event has exhibitor interest on an international basis • The event should be held at a facility of world-class caliber capable of logistically accommodating an international audience of both exhibitors and visitors • The event offers a matching system to bring together international buyers and suppliers on an individual basis The matching system at PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05 is just one facet of the program, which offers a full range of services to U.S. exhibitors and international buyers. The selection of this event by the U.S. Commerce Department for this program underscores the international reach of this quadrennial event, which typically hosts visitors from over 70 nations.