After nearly 70 years of running standalone print industry trade shows, the Association for PRINT Technologies (the organizers of the PRINT event – formerly Graph Expo) has decided to collaborate with Tarsus (the organizers of the global Labelexpo brand of events) on a new event next year: Brand Print Americas 2020. This, in and of itself, is a significant change for both organizations as well as the print industry.
Brand Print is the evolution of what’s next. Just as printers and manufacturers are changing, diversifying and becoming more in-tune with delivering products that their customers don’t even yet know they need. The new Brand Print Americas 2020 event will do the same. And together Tarsus and APTech will do it in Chicago. Why? because that is where both audiences tell us they prefer to be.
This partnership is exciting because it brings together the two leading industry organizations for the commercial print and label & packaging segments of the print industry. By working together, we will be producing an event that will provide greater value and opportunities for printers, converters, manufacturers, suppliers, and creatives because it showcases the diversity of the print industry and promotes cross-pollination of ideas. Not a singular herd mentality.
Some may see this as a welcome and, perhaps, long overdue evolution. Others may question our decision and perhaps see this as the end of an era. For us, this is the next natural progression for the future of print.
That pretty much sums it up. What is true, and unavoidably human, is that we are all unique individuals with divergent thinking. It’s these divergent thought processes that gives us the ability to be successful in business. If we provide something that no one else does, or we do it in a way that makes more sense to our customers, they will choose our products, services, and solutions.
So, yes. This is the beginning of a new chapter and not the end of the story. Change never stops. It brings with it opportunities to be new, creative, different, and innovative.
So while I’ve talked about how the industry is changing and we must do the same in order to meet the needs of the industry, what isn’t changing is the location of our signature PRINT 19 event or in 2020 – Brand Print Americas 2020. Chicago has been and continues to be the heart of the print industry, which is why we choose to host our signature events there.
We’re looking forward to you joining us in 2020. In the meantime, get ready for an exciting, exhilarating and sometimes out-of-your-comfort-zone ride at PRINT 19. Take advantage of promo code TWS for your complimentary exhibit-hall only pass.
Thayer Long
President, APTech
