April 19, 2005 -- This September’s PRINT 05 & CONVERTINGSM 05 will present a display of converting and package printing systems that will dwarf every other exhibition of its kind in the world this year. “Paid commitments by hundreds of exhibitors to occupy hundreds of thousands of square feet with exhibits of working systems mean that no other event this year can be realistically compared with PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05,” says Regis J. Delmontagne, president of the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC), the manager of PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05. The show, the world’s largest exhibition of commercial, package printing and converting technology, takes place September 9-15 at McCormick Place in Chicago. About 80,000 people are expected to attend, to view nearly 800 company exhibits totaling some 750,000 net square feet. Delmontagne notes that the full exhibitor list for the show, including specific booth assignments for exhibitors and extensive information on the actual products to be displayed, has been published at www.print05.com. “We believe in being forthright and honest in communicating with the industry about vendors’ plans to participate in PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05,” Delmontagne says. “No manufacturer or vendor appears on our list unless they have paid the published rate for their space. Our special interest pavilions consist entirely of paid space, and complimentary spaces for industry publications have been kept to a minimum. The floor plans published on our website include specific company names so that visitors can see at a glance exactly which vendors are participating.” GASC points out these distinctions for PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05: •Roughly 200 companies will display equipment and other products designed for folding carton, converting, label printing, flexible package printing and other package printing applications. •These 200 companies will occupy a total of 450,000 net square feet. By contrast, the other converting and package oriented event has published a floor plan providing only roughly 75,000 net square feet of booth space. The other event’s published information does not identify the actual occupant of any of its booth spaces •Exhibitors at PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05 will include both specialized companies in the converting field and firms with broad product lines that include significant converting components. •The largest booth space available on the other converting event’s floor plan is 1,600 square feet, a size exceeded by more than 50 exhibitors at PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05. •Converting exhibits at the show will be housed in the spacious North and South halls of the immense McCormick Place Complex, rather than in a cramped, poorly lit and column-dominated basement space in a hotel. “The prevalence of large display spaces at PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05 reflects the simple fact that exhibitors are planning to display and operate actual equipment at this show,” says Delmontagne. “Real equipment, set up to run actual jobs live, occupies a significant amount of space, and additional space is required to accommodate the crowds these exhibitors expect to draw for their demos,” Delmontagne added. “In many cases, exhibitors are planning their only live demos of the year to take place at PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05.” In addition to the long roster of converting-specific exhibitors, visitors to PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05 will have the chance to tour the largest displays of the year by such companies as Heidelberg, MAN Roland, Goss International, KBA, Muller Martini, Mitsubishi and Komori, which will include significant coverage of converting technologies. These seven exhibitors will occupy an additional 161,500 net square feet of booth space. “Anyone considering investing time and money in either visiting or exhibiting in a trade show this year should insist on accurate and reliable information about what companies are participating and what real commitments those companies have made to different shows,” Delmontagne says, concluding, “On this basis, we believe that PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05 far transcends comparison with any other event this year.” Complete information about exhibits, seminars, special events and other features of PRINT 05 & CONVERTING 05 is available at www.PRINT05.com. Online hotel reservations and online registration are also available now, and visitors are urged to make these arrangements early. Hotel space is expected to be very limited as the show approaches.