On the heels of GRAPH EXPO 2011's post-show attendance report released last week-which revealed buyers up 7 percent and buyer companies up 12 percent over last year's show-are just sampling of comments from attendees and exhibitors who spoke out on the quality of this year's show.  Attendees were pleased with the variety of equipment, applications, products and services found across the expansive show floor during the event held, September 11-14, 2011 in Chicago's McCormick Place.

* "The energy and enthusiasm among attendees was contagious throughout the show."-Kodak

* "Once again GRAPH EXPO proved to be a successful show for Xerox."-Xerox

* "EFI invests in areas where print is going, not where it's been...and GRAPH EXPO is the perfect venue for this."-EFI

* "We were very pleased with the customer activity and our investment in GRAPH EXPO 2011."-KBA

* "GRAPH EXPO 2011 was hugely successful for us."-HP

* "...GRAPH EXPO is the only large supplier event that delivers valuable benefits to both newspapers and commercial printers in the Americas."-Transcontinental

* "No matter what you call it GRAPH EXPO has gone beyond traditional print." -Xplor International

* "The Marketing Pavilion provided a tremendous venue for sharing cross-media success stories, and we expect to hear even more in 2012."-Easypurl.com

* "We had such a great GRAPH EXPO-we could not enter the leads fast enough!"-Grow Socially

* "There has been a tremendous amount of new technologies... GRAPH EXPO is where I come to 'so to speak' drink from the fire hose." -JR Reise Consulting, LLC

* "GRAPH EXPO's News Print pavilion focuses on the unique needs and challenges of newspapers."-The New York Times

* "GRAPH EXPO was a very successful show for Xeikon."-Xeikon

* "...our strongest GRAPH EXPO showing to date with strong equipment sales at the show and hundreds of qualified leads."-MGI

* "Our booth traffic was phenomenal and the results were much greater than we anticipated."-EskoArtwork

* Our booth stayed busy throughout the show with attendees actively looking for solutions and new technologies."-Kern

* "In fact it's been so busy that, compared to every other year, we've set a record in badge scans-the most leads from our booth in our history!"-Pageflex

* "We had a great show-good vibe, good traffic and we're already looking forward to next year."-Rochester Software Associates

*  "This year we actually wrote several contracts and acquired more qualified leads than ever before...it was the most successful GRAPH EXPO show ever!"-Virtual Systems

     Read on for complete testimonials from just some of GRAPH EXPO 2011's striking "Who's-Who" roster of top industry suppliers and manufacturers.  Reinforcing the tradeshow's "Embrace Technology" theme, they came to demonstrate their latest and most advanced technologies and services-many making their U.S. debut at GRAPH EXPO 2011.

     "We come to GRAPH EXPO to not only show our latest products and solutions, but to talk with customers and learn more about how we can help them solve their problems and grow their businesses," said Tim Palmer, Vice President, Americas Consumer and Commercial Marketing, Kodak. "The energy and enthusiasm among attendees was contagious throughout the show, giving us four strong days of leads and sales. Given the state of the industry, this year's event was an ideal opportunity to discuss the growth opportunities with digital and hybrid printing, and how enhanced efficiency in workflow and prepress can improve our customers' bottom line."

     Tracy Yelencsics, Vice President, GCBG Segment & Program Marketing for Xerox, states, "Once again GRAPH EXPO proved to be a successful show for Xerox.  Our end-to-end display of technology and solutions was well-received by attendees, generating improved metrics year over year."

     As for EFI, CEO Guy Gecht says, "EFI invests in areas where print is going, not where it's been.  Innovation and technology are integral to our industry's success, and GRAPH EXPO is the perfect venue for this."

     Attendees impressed with the wide variety of technology demonstrated across the expansive show floor included James Reisenbuechler of JR Reise Consulting, LLC (Greendale, WI) who states, "There has been a tremendous amount of new technologies with regards to 'system' print, as well as print-for-profit, and GRAPH EXPO is where I come to 'so to speak' drink from the fire hose."

     In addition to the numerous user group meetings, a host of established education conferences also took advantage of the synergy at GRAPH EXPO, including Print Buyers International, which for the first time this year brought its 6th annual Print & Media Conference to the show.  Reporting a record number of attendees from 25 states and 2 countries, Margie Dana, President of Print Buyers International, shares "We had a very successful show, based on comments from attendees, sponsors and speakers." She continues, "All who responded to PBI's post-event survey loved being able to visit the show floor-and I learned more about print customer needs, challenges, trends and 'wish lists' than I thought possible."

     Xplor International's conference held at GRAPH EXPO for a second year running was another success story with registration and attendance up 23% over 2010. "I was quite satisfied with the results and look forward to 2012," says Skip Henk, EDP, President and CEO, Xplor International. "No matter what you call it GRAPH EXPO has gone beyond traditional print.  This show has become the largest event in North America for digital output and communications," he states.

     Recognizing GRAPH EXPO as 'the place' for the industry to convene in 2011, Larry R. Fuller, president of the American Dealer Group, advises his group's Annual Conference was scheduled here because, "GRAPH EXPO provides the perfect setting to learn more about how technology is improving our business and what we can bring to our customers. We are able to meet with manufacturers from around the world and learn how they can help our customers increase their business and profitability with new and advanced equipment.

     The new Marketing Pavilion featuring companies with new marketing tools, along with actionable 'how-to' advice in sessions held in the Marketers' Lounge, was a resounding hit with vendors and attendees.  "It was exciting to see how many of our colleagues in the print industry have been integrating PURLs, Dynamic Landing Pages, and Personalized QR codes into their offerings," says exhibitor Keegan St. Onge-May, Marketing Manager, Indros Group, Easypurl.com. "The Marketing Pavilion provided a tremendous venue for sharing cross-media success stories, and we expect to hear even more in 2012."

     Jason Pinto, CMO of Grow Socially notes, "The Marketing Pavilion was launched at exactly the right time. Today's attendees realize 'communications' have changed; the reality is they need to offer more marketing services. We had such a great GRAPH EXPO-we could not enter the leads fast enough!"

     The returning and popular News Print pavilion garnered rave reviews and drew daily crowds to this show floor hub dedicated to newspaper printers and production executives.

     "The International Newspaper Group (ING) is happy that we found a place and event that embraces newspaper production," says Becky Brubaker, Senior Vice President, Manufacturing & Distribution, Chicago Tribune Media Group, and ING President. "We are happy to have held our ING Conference in Chicago in conjunction with GRAPH EXPO for the second year in a row."

     GRAPH EXPO is also unique as the only large graphic communications event that offers valuable information and insights for both newspaper and commercial printers, affirms Kathy Hunter, General Manager of Transcontinental Northern California. "Transcontinental is the fourth-largest printer in North America and prints many newspapers, including The San Francisco Chronicle and The Globe and Mail," says Hunter. "There is definite convergence in these industries, which is why we attend GRAPH EXPO and the News Print pavilion at GRAPH EXPO. It's the only large supplier event that delivers valuable benefits to both newspapers and commercial printers in the Americas."

     Representatives from newspaper industry giants-one a publisher, one a printer-echoed the value they found in attending GRAPH EXPO. "Newspapers, like all print media, are in a transition phase," says Todd S. Socia, Executive Director, National Production & Contract Printing, The New York Times. "In order for us to adapt, it is important to network, learn and discover to make smart business decisions. News Print at GRAPH EXPO focuses on the unique needs and challenges of newspapers. It's a proven newspaper networking venue, combined with excellent conferences and user groups, the ideal place to gain insight plus, the advantage of a huge trade show floor filled with the latest technology from our industry manufacturers and suppliers."

     Historically recognized as 'a heavy iron show,' GRAPH EXPO has evolved and adapted to deliver huge successes for both offset and digital press manufacturers.

     "GRAPH EXPO was a very successful show for Xeikon," says Aditya Dwivedi, Senior Marketing Manager, Xeikon.  "Our technology generated a lot of interest among tag/label as well as document/commercial printers. In addition, the show gave us an excellent opportunity to reinforce the value-proposition of our digital presses to a broad audience."

     MGI Digital Graphic Technology, manufacturer of multi-substrate digital printing and finishing solutions announced their strongest GRAPH EXPO showing to date with strong equipment sales at the show and hundreds of qualified leads," reports Giselle L. de la Moriniere, Marketing and Communications Manager, MGI.

     On the offset side, shares Eric Frank, KBA Vice President, Corporate Marketing, "At this year's GRAPH EXPO we've seen a more enthusiastic outlook towards the economy and need for more print provider solutions." He continues, "We were very pleased with the customer activity and our investment in GRAPH EXPO 2011."

     INX International was, likewise, thrilled with the constant flow of attendees crowding its booth. "We were very excited about introducing the NW140 UV digital press, and so were the many visitors who stopped by at GRAPH EXPO," says Jim Lambert, VP and General Manager of INX International Ink Co. - Digital Division.

     Cutting-edge software and technology were also huge draws for attendees, as evidenced by the highly trafficked exhibit booths of companies including EskoArtwork, Kern, Pageflex and Rochester Software Associates.

     "EskoArtwork was very pleased with GRAPH EXPO.  Our booth traffic was phenomenal and the results were much greater than we anticipated," remarks Tim Zula, EskoArtwork Director, Marketing Communication. "Adding to our success, the people we registered at the booth were good quality leads. We conducted many intense, high-level demonstrations and there were many times when our demo pods were all booked up-for both hardware and software. Our partners, Prisco and xpedx, also reported that traffic at our Kongsberg tables was excellent as well."

     Ryan McManus, Business Development, Manager, Kern, also reported "Great energy at GRAPH EXPO. We had several new technologies to share and gave a sneak peek at what will come from Kern in 2012," says McManus. "Kern has used GRAPH EXPO as the venue to introduce new products, and this year we launched our new electronic document management platform, Kern EDGE. Our booth stayed busy throughout the show with attendees actively looking for solutions and new technologies. With a large number of hot leads our show team left with an optimistic and busy outlook on the remainder of 2011 and into 2012."

     Pageflex, too, had a tremendously busy show with no breaks in the highly-engaged customer and prospect traffic. "In fact it's been so busy that, compared to every other year, we've set a record in badge scans-the most leads from our booth in our history," shares Tim Brandt, Business Development Manager, Pageflex.

     Even for first-time exhibitor Rochester Software Associates, GRAPH EXPO delivered all that was promised-and more. "We had a great show-good vibe, good traffic and we're already looking forward to next year," says Elisha Kasinskas, Sr. Marketing Manager, Rochester Software Associates. "Your teams and publicity are wonderful for a smaller player like RSA."

     Reflecting on his company's success at GRAPH EXPO 2011, Virtual Systems' President Chris Huber states, "We typically don't go to this show to write business or take orders. It's been more about branding, seeing customers and meeting new ones. This year we actually wrote several contracts and acquired more qualified leads than ever before."  He continued summing up the consensus of feedback received from attendees and exhibitors as, it was "the most successful GRAPH EXPO show ever."

     Summing up the positive sentiment across the show floor, and his satisfaction with the show in particular, David Murphy, Marketing Director, HP exclaims, "GRAPH EXPO 2011 was hugely successful for us." Looking ahead, Murphy concludes, "Looks like there's just 365 days until the next one.  Can't wait!"

     Next up for the industry is GRAPH EXPO 2012, themed 'Print Integrated' set to take place October 7-10, 2012, at Chicago's McCormick Place. Recognized as the commercial printing, publishing, package printing, newspaper, mailing & fulfillment, transactional, marketing and photo imaging exposition for the Americas, GRAPH EXPO 2012 will debut its newest show floor feature-the Photo Imaging pavilion-for Photo Imagers and Retailers.  Attendees will be able to see the most advanced graphic communications technologies, 'live' running equipment on the show floor, explore the newest applications, and learn about the most in-demand products and profit-making opportunities in the ten special-interest pavilions planned for the show. A host of new and returning co-located events will provide show goers even greater incentive to attend next year's show.  For more information about GRAPH EXPO 2012 visit: www.gasc.org.