enx magazine

There is no actual proof that Phineas T. Barnum ever said, “There is a sucker born every minute.” However, he did say, “Every crowd has a silver lining.” And he also acknowledged “the public is wiser than many imagine.” Nobody ever doubted P.T. Barnum’s ability to capture the imagination of 19th century America. Even now, Mr. Barnum is still entertaining children of all ages, and it seems we can’t get enough of the circus. As adults, our interests change. But the basic fundamental circus attitude always remains within us. We’re always looking for something spectacular, and that could be the reason why trade shows seem so appealing to us. The On Demand Conference had an attendance of about 10,000 last year. It certainly looked like they all came back this year with their friends and neighbors. It’s apparent that Questex Media Group has an exposition that will be hard to equal. Even Mr. Barnum would have been amazed.

With many small business owners, the last thing on their mind is going to a trade show and being away from their shop for a day or two. The thought of being away for one day makes us cringe. When we do attend, we are on guard. We’re afraid someone will try to sell us the Brooklyn Bridge or something equally expensive that we really don’t need or can’t afford. So we may avoid them and lose out on the communications and learning experience that can come from the show. When we attend shows, we have an opportunity to go beyond the advertisement we see on TV or read about in the trade journals. Questex has made it possible for us to actually test drive and kick the tires on some of the gadgets we see in the slick magazines and question the manufacturers on the capabilities of their products.

Trade Shows offer a type of continuing education. Sure, we may have gone through 12 or more years of formal education and worked as an apprentice at the local shop before we purchased our own business. Now that we’re out on our own, how many of us actually go beyond flipping through the pages of a slick periodical, looking at one advertisement after another, reading a few stories about the latest technology? Some of us may walk over to the competition to see what they have in their back room. And if we’re lucky, sales representatives from various companies will introduce us to the latest gadgets and technology. Sadly, that’s about the most exposure many of us will ever get when it comes to continuing education in the field in which we are employed. Doctors and lawyers attend seminars to be sure they are up to speed on all the new developments that have occurred each year. Similarly, we should invest in ourselves to improve our business, taking the time to communicate with other professionals about topics of concern or to learn what new gadgets and products really work as advertised.

This year, over 10,000 people visited the On Demand Expo, learning and discovering all the new gadgets that help improve the way we do business. Attendees included commercial printers, large in-plant facility managers, print brokers, consultants, equipment, software and supply vendors, as well as print executives from companies of all sizes and many executives from vertical markets. Anyone connected to the pay-for-print industry was there. These businesspeople understand that continuing education is mandatory for survival in the printing world.

New gizmos and software to improve printer productivity

On Demand Conference pg1 pg2 pg3 PRINT WORD DOCUMENT

40,000 COPIES MAILED OUT EACH MONTH * FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO IMAGING INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS * COMPANY & BUSINESS PROFILE MONTHLY FEATURES