PRINTINGTRADESHOWS
A few members of our team here at Howell Studios recently attended this year’s PRINTING United Expo in Las Vegas. It was a ton of fun and incredibly insightful to see what’s in store for the future of the printing industry.
What is the PRINTING United Expo?
For both attendees and exhibitors, the PRINTING United Expo is the printing industry’s most dynamic and comprehensive event in the world. While it has been a few years since the last expo, this event usually happens annually and is a space where companies can show off their advanced capabilities, new technology, and get some much-needed face time with potential customers. If anything, it is a place to collaborate & communicate with industry peers, catch up with industry trends, and learn about new advancements in printing technology.
What were we doing there?
Most of our time was spent at Durst & Vanguard’s exhibits, filming & photographing their top-of-the-line printers and software. Both companies continue to push the industry forward with cutting-edge innovation and technological advancements. Check out some of the footage we got in the video below!
Our Takeaways
1. The Printing Industry Has Advanced Technologically
While this is by no means our first PRINTING United Expo, it has been 3 years since the industry last got together in this capacity, and it is always amazing to see the advancements that can come about in just a few years. Like we previously mentioned, there are companies like Durst & Vanguard that continue to push the boundaries of printing capabilities. That’s not all though.
Companies like M&R & Kornit showed their prowess when it comes to apparel & textile printing; Elitron & others demonstrated the possibilities when it comes to digital cutting solutions; and a laundry list of other companies educated attendees on the current and future potentials of labeling, packaging, & wall covering technology. The printing industry continues to adapt to the needs and wants of the consumer and that was one of the biggest takeaways we got from our time at the expo.
2. Communication & Presentation Is Key
Exhibitors have spent a lot of time & resources in mastering how they appear to their target audience and communicating with them what they do, how they do it, and what sets them apart from their competition. With so many people attending the show, it was crucial to show those walking around what you do and why they need you as clearly and concisely as possible while still demonstrating the capabilities you bring to the table.
The difference between those who got this right and those who didn’t was evident in how busy their booths were. Make it as easy as possible for your customer and engage them at all stages of the buying/decision-making process. While the communication to companies’ target audiences was solid at the tradeshow overall, there was another insight that we gathered from the expo that we go into below.
3. Advertising & Marketing Is an Area for Improvement
Tradeshows and expos like PRINTING United are immensely valuable to B2B companies, but after speaking with many booths we discovered that their marketing and advertising initiatives often end there. Many companies don’t have a solid stream of quality organic content creation let alone paid advertising campaigns targeting those in the market for them.
Every company at the tradeshow should be leveraging the power of remarketing campaigns, to continue to show up in front of attendees who visited your website. How are people finding you outside of direct traffic, referrals, or trade shows? Advertising should be a year-round effort and not enough companies are utilizing the power of sites like Google, Facebook, Bing, & Linkedin to continue delivering their message to their intended audience.
Many companies are ahead of the game when it comes to advancing their product, but fall behind in communicating their efforts with their target market through digital marketing.
Looking Forward to PRINTING United Expo 2023
Our team is super excited to see what the year ahead brings for the printing industry. We will continue to make sure our clients thrive in this industry. Check out some of our pictures of Printing United Expo 2022 below!
In Summary
We had a blast at this year’s convention and look forward to next year’s PRINTING United Expo in Atlanta, Georgia! If you find yourself looking for a marketing agency that knows the industry, can speak the language, and can get you in front of your target audience, consider giving us a call or filling out the form below! We would be honored to work with you.
