CONLATINGRAF President Fabio Arruda Mortara Says PAF and GOA are "Family"

Sao Paulo, Brazil and Orlando, USA - Fabio Arruda Mortara and James Martin, respective presidents of CONLATINGRAF and GOA, today announce CONLATINGRAF's plans to celebrate its 50th Anniversary at Graphics of the America 2017.

CONLATINGRAF (Latin American Graphic Industry Confederation) and GOA (Graphics of the Americas) have worked together for over 40 years.

"CONLATINGRAF has become the ultimate champion of positive growth for graphic arts organizations throughout Latin America, and we could not have done this without the tremendous support of our family at PAF and the GOA event," Fabio Arruda Mortara says, referring to both GOA and the Printing Association of Florida (PAF), producer and host of the GOA Exposition and Conference.

"We have much to celebrate in Ft. Lauderdale in 2017. It is only fitting that we celebrate our special Gold Anniversary, marking 50 years, at GOA. We will also commemorate the event with the Theobaldo De Nigris Printing Awards Competition, and the Graphic Arts Leaders of the Americas Award (GALA) Ceremony. 2017 will be a milestone in our history, Arruda Mortara says.

Martin, who is also CEO of PAF, says that GOA will be honored to help CONLATINGRAF celebrate the half-century mark. GOA serves two audiences -- the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America - with an international expo and conference that rivals any in the world.

PAF/GOA and CONLATINGRAF: A Special 40+ Year Relationship

Equally important is the role PAF/ GOA and CONLATINGRAF play in bringing Latin America and North America together, at GOA and throughout the year, to assist in getting products into distribution and assisting with professional development.

"This work requires specific understanding of the different cultures and how they operate both personally and professionally," Martin, who established the Latin American territory for a division of a company acquired by Heidelberg, explains. "These relationships don't come overnight, just because you are both in the same room. They take years of work together, and as Fabio says, the closeness and length of the relationship has made us family as well as business associates."

Teaching and Showing the Best Technology and Most Profitable Applications
GOA's unique and loyal mix of attendees from Latin America, the Caribbean and North America -- attracts innovative vendors showing the hottest technologies, and serving all levels of quality and the range of applications, as well as truly practical education tracks.

At the 2016 exposition held February 15-18 in Miami, show highlights included an Epson Digital Couture Fashion Show, which came to Miami directly from a stint at New York Fashion Week; The Flexo Zone sponsored by Nilpeter; the Wrap Cup Americas Competition hosted by MR ClipArt and sponsored by 3M; the Dye Sublimation Application Center, sponsored by Epson; the Short Run Digital Center, sponsored by UniNet and Kompac & UPM; the Direct-to-Garment Center, sponsored by Oki Data Americas; and Wide Format Print Shop Live!, sponsored by HP, Caldera, Zund and Gilman Brothers.

The 2017 expo will include most - if not all - of these, as well as a greatly expanded packaging effort, and new emphasis on digital printing and digital finishing.

GOA is held annually in February, and has made Miami its traditional home. An exception came in 2011 and 2013, when GOA hosted the show in Orlando in order to fulfill requests from attendees and exhibitors. The Miami Beach Convention Center will be closed for renovation in 2017, and so the CONLATINGRAF celebration will take place during GOA in Fort Lauderdale, Florida - a 20 minute drive from Miami.

For More Information
For details about GOA 2017, please visit: www.goaexpo.com, or call: +1 407-240-8333.