The largest national prepress, printing, publishing and converting technology trade show ever presented in the United States was also a sales powerhouse, according to numerous exhibitors who declared themselves delighted with the recently concluded GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO 2000. The show was held on September 24-27 at the McCormick Place Complex in Chicago, drawing about 46,000 people to view 575 company exhibits. 480,000 net square feet of booth space occupied three floors in two large halls. Exhibitors reported heavy traffic and serious buying interest among show visitors. Stanley Freimuth, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Fuji Photo Film USA, called GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO "outstanding, fabulous, without a doubt the best show we've ever had. It was certainly the most productive show in terms of actual orders generated on site." "The show was really phenomenal as far as we're concerned," said Vicky Perzanowski, assistant sales manager at U. S. Paper Counters. "The first two days we literally didn't sit down. The action started early and went on late." "The outstanding attendance and sales results achieved by GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO this year reflect the rapid embrace of new technologies by the prepress, printing, publishing and converting industries, the responsive innovation of vendors, and the continuing good health of our industry," said Graphic Arts Show Company (GASCÆ) President Regis J. Delmontagne. GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO also presented an extensive roster of special events, including EXECUTIVE OUTLOOKÆ 2000, a full-day pre-show conference; HITTING COLOR IN THE DIGITAL WORKFLOWÆ, a multi-vendor demo and education area on the show floor; special conference programs for Latin American, Canadian and Asian attendees; a showcase of outstanding design from the American Graphic Design Awards program; three special brunch presentations and more than 50 educational seminars. "This highly successful show was not only a milestone in its own right but a perfect vantage point from which to look ahead to the global mega-event of next year, PRINTÆ 01," Delmontagne said. The PRINT show takes place every four years and draws 100,000 or more industry professionals to Chicago. Exhibit space for PRINT 01 is expected to near or exceed one million net square feet, which would more than double the size of the record-setting GRAPH EXPO and CONVERTING EXPO 2000.