PRINTING United Expo Exceeds Expectations

PRINTING United Expo, the largest event in printing and graphic arts in 2022 — representing all facets of the industry — opened its doors last week to gather attendees and exhibitors from around the world for the first time under one roof since 2019. Held Oct. 19-21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the global event drew registrants from 121 countries, and was deemed an overwhelming success by attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, and partners.

“The powerful emotions felt in Las Vegas last week were like nothing you can put into words,” says Mark J. Subers, president, PRINTING United Expo. “I’ve truly never seen this amount of engagement from a show — ever. In the words of so many attendees and exhibitors we spoke with, it was like a global reunion of sorts. What the event did in terms of bringing the community together is that it has revitalized the industry. The smiles, enthusiasm, and energy were simply off the charts.

“PRINTING United Alliance built the platform, but each and every attendee and exhibitor that engaged with the Expo are the ones responsible for the incredibly overwhelming success enjoyed by all. The product launches, the live demonstrations, the keynote presentations — all of it contributed to such a positive experience for everyone. A very special thank you to title sponsor, HP, whose complete hall takeover showcased the company’s support of the event as well as a reflection of its endless end-to-end solutions being shown, sold, and unveiled!”

PRINTING United Expo by the Numbers

A total of 701 exhibitors from around the world occupied 1 million square feet of show floor space at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Of special note, global CEOs, managing directors, and the most senior-level leaders were in attendance this year supporting commercial, digital, apparel, digital textile, packaging, mailing and fulfillment, and graphics/wide-format spaces.

From an attendance standpoint, there were 7% more attendees on-site this year in Las Vegas than the inaugural show in Dallas in 2019. Based on figures provided recently by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), the authority on trade shows and events, PRINTING United Expo has outpaced expositions in other industries this year in total registration by approximately 25%.

Additionally, PRINTING United Expo freight exceeded 5 million lbs. at this year’s event. “One of the tremendous reasons this year’s event was so successful is because of all of the equipment running multiple substrates and soft goods on the show floor,” says Subers. “This is what attendees have indicated they wanted to see and experience, and the exhibitors delivered. PRINTING United Expo has always been the equipment show, but the expansion of substrate companies made it a very well-rounded show.”

Booth sales are well underway for next year’s event in Atlanta (Oct. 18-20), with over 80% of the show floor already reserved.

What the Printing Industry Is Saying

Attendees and exhibitors traveled the world over to be at PRINTING United Expo. Here is just some of the excitement from the show floor that has been captured:

“I was excited that I got the opportunity to attend PRINTING United Expo along with my other GPO teammates. We saw amazing new technology and got to meet many of GPO’s vendors. We were also able to meet with many of the firms that have worked with GPO in the past and renew those relationships as well as make some new ones. Thanks for the hospitality and congratulations on a successful Expo!”

— Hugh Halpern, director, Government Publishing Office (GPO)

“Being in our own hall was a first for HP in North America at PRINTING United 2022, which turned out to be a tremendous success story overall. Thanks to both our internal team and the PRINTING United team for supporting us.”

— Tom Wittenberg, HP Large Format Industry Relations & events, NA, HP

“The best way to describe PRINTING United 2022 is: ‘Wow!’ The show was a hive of activity. You could literally feel the excitement as everyone was happy to be back together again after three years! The Agfa booth was overflowing with customers and prospects anxious to see the latest technology Agfa offers. PRINTING United 2022 exceeded our expectations!”

— Deborah Hutcheson, director of strategic business development and distribution, Inkjet, NA, Agfa

“Drytac was thrilled to be a gold sponsor at PRINTING United this year. The exhibition allowed visitors to see our incredible range of window, wall, and floor media solutions first-hand and learn how our materials can support them in various applications. The traffic of the show was unmatched to years previous and we loved meeting in person with our customers, partners, and attendees after long few years apart. We are already counting down the days until PRINTING United Atlanta 2023!"

— Amanda Brown Lowe, global marketing director, Drytac

“We had high expectations for PRINTING United Expo and were pleased with how it delivered as an opportunity to present our portfolio of leading-edge VUTEk, VUTEk FabriVU, EFI Wide Format, and EFI IQ and Fiery digital printing solutions. Busy traffic ensured we had many conversations with current and new customers, with dozens of deals completed on the show floor, and a volume of leads that will help ensure we have a busy Q4.”

— Ken Hanulec, VP Worldwide Marketing, EFI

“PRINTING United Expo in Las Vegas was a fantastic show. It was great working with and seeing everyone there. Most of all, it was nice to see our industry active and business happening. I hope everyone had a fantastic show also. Looking forward to next year!”

— Lon Winters, founder and managing director, Graphic Elephants

“It was fantastic being back at PRINTING United Expo. Lawson has exhibited at every SGIA/PRINTING United Expo since the original show began in the 1950s, so it holds a special place in our hearts. In fact, three generations of Landesmans (Gene, Ben and David, and now Taylor) have represented Lawson at the show. Every year we are reminded about how exhibiting at the show gives us an opportunity to catch up with old friends, make new business connections, and see emerging technology in our industry.”

— Taylor Landesman, VP, Lawson Screen & Digital Products

“Komori America and MBO America are proud to have again participated in PRINTING United Expo, which brings together multiple segments of the industry to a single access point with tremendous success. This year, we celebrated the powerful brands of Komori and MBO in the same booth and, across all three days, our booth was packed with companies from packaging, commercial print, and specialty segments all searching for a wide range of automation solutions to help navigate our transforming industry.”

— Lance Martin, VP marketing, MBO America & Komori America

“PRINTING United Expo 2022 was a resounding success! Attendees came to the show engaged and ready to discuss their workflow needs with RSA. It’s clear that this show was ‘the place to be’ for attendees to see the newest industry technology. Working with the association team is always a pleasure; they partner with us to ensure our mutual success.”

— Elisha Kasinskas, marketing director, Rochester Software Associates (RSA)

"PRINTING United proved to be a pivotal harbinger for our industry. The message? The energy, the passion, the tech, the leadership, the community ... we're back. And we're here for it. Thanks to all our partners, attendees, and PRINTING United Alliance for helping to bring us together in such an inspiring way. Thank you for the opportunity to be ‘Your Partner in Print.’"

— Ross Hunter, president, ROQ.US

“PRINTING United was a tremendous success on many levels. First, PRINTING United has now established itself as a show where the mailing community can come see a wide range of the latest in mailing technologies and exchange ideas from a significant number of suppliers. It was a very good turnout by the envelope mailing community between exhibitors and attendees, and we expect this will continue to grow as the mailing industry has moved into a higher level of new opportunities in paper-based communications. As for W+D, PRINTING United Expo exceeded our expectations with three W+D BB1000 all-in-one converting and inserting machines ordered after seeing this new machine for the first time at the show. The traffic and quality were very good, and we went home with a lot of new opportunities. It was an awesome three days at PRINTING United.”

— Andrew Schipke, VP marketing and strategic sales, W+D North America

Alliance Members Take the Expo

During the Expo, PRINTING United Alliance hosted members and those looking to learn more about the association at its member booth and lounge on the show floor. Over 100 companies signed on through the duration of the event to join the largest, most comprehensive printing and graphic arts association in the industry. For more information about joining PRINTING United Alliance and enjoying member benefits such as free admission and access to the exclusive member lounge, visit printing.org/membership.

About PRINTING United Alliance  
PRINTING United Alliance is the most comprehensive member-based printing and graphic arts association in the United States, comprising the industry’s vast communities. The Alliance serves industry professionals across market segments with preeminent education, training, workshops, events, research, government and legislative representation, safety, and environmental sustainability guidance, as well as resources from the leading media company in the industry – NAPCO Media. Now a division of PRINTING United Alliance, Idealliance is the global leader in G7 and standards-based training and certification for printing and graphic arts operations across the entire industry supply chain.

PRINTING United Alliance also produces the PRINTING United Expo, the most influential days in printing. The expansive display of technology and supplies, education, programming, and services are showcased to the industry at large, and represents all market segments in one easily accessed place.