Small Open House Transforms into Wide-Format Trade Show for Lindenmeyr Munroe

At the end of 2021, Lindenmeyr Munroe — a paper, packaging, and wide-format solutions provider — decided to host an open house and meet-and-greet for its European partners at its Wide-Format Experience Center in Trenton, New Jersey. However, as the facility's first public event in years, it turned into something much different than expected.

"In a short period of time, an open house and meet-and-greet turned into a full-blown trade show," Keith Fischer, GM of wide-format for Lindenmeyr Munroe, said. "Today, we have about 32 exhibitors here representing most of the manufacturers for [which we] sell equipment and supplies."

Justin VanHyning, wide-format specialist who specializes in textiles at Lindenmeyr Munroe, further explained that the company had been planning the event for years.

"Our big coming out in the textile world was PRINTING United in 2019," he said. "That was our last big event."

After that, he explained, the facility was going to have an open house in February to showcase Lindenmeyr Munroe's textile capabilities and its partner PONGS, a Germany-based manufacturer of technical and decorative textiles. When the event was postponed, conversations with partners revealed everyone wanted to take part, which led to the event blossoming into the small trade show that it became.

As of the first day of the two-day Wide-Format EXPO on April 21, 250 to 300 people had registered to attend the event, far surpassing original expectations. The facility was abuzz with running presses, demonstrations, tours, and eager conversations. Fischer explained that everything on display in the 15,000-sq.-ft. facility is functional, with demos available for customers. In fact, everything on display showed a vast range of wide-format printing capabilities, including door wraps, art, and an impressive 16x52-ft. printed textile wall covering, which was printed and installed as one piece — the piece is mimicked on the opposite side of the room, but installed in multiple pieces to account for the room's infrastructure.

This 16x52-ft. printed textile wall covering was produced and installed as one piece.

With a variety of equipment on-site — including an HP Latex R2000, Epson V7000 UV flatbed device, and Monti Antonio roll machines — the goal of the facility is to be a solutions provider for any need.

"[Our] goal is to be a one-stop-shop for customers," Fischer said. Lindenmeyr Munroe works as a sort of "general contractor" for its customers, providing high-end solutions by working with its list of partners.

In the facility's textile room, VanHyning explained the strategy was to bring together a variety of textile solutions from a diverse group of vendors, including Monti Antonio, Matic, PONGS, HP, and Epson.

"Customers were always buying a heat press from one company, paper from another, and a printer from a third, we put everything under one roof," he said. "We can sell them the printer, we can sell them the paper that fits their application, and the proper finishing equipment for their needs. We [have] become that full-service solution for the textile component."

Not only did the open house-turned-tradeshow showcase a variety of textile solutions to clients and customers alike, but it also showed a genuine urge to attend in-person events once again. And for a company that lived off of its showroom pre-pandemic and did one to three demonstrations a day, as VanHyning noted, the prospect of being in-person again is an exciting one.

"People have that itch and desire to get out and do this all again so I think all of the trade shows for the rest of the year, including PRINTING United, have a lot of buzz around them. We're going to be there so that's super exciting," he said.