Mark J. Subers presides over the management of all events produced by the joint entity of PRINTINGUnited Alliance whose flagship – PRINTINGUnited Expo was successfully held last month in Las Vegas, Nevada from 12 to 14 September. Undeniably the best edition so far with series of innovations such as The Media Day with added value, WHERE To Print caught up with Mark to review this year’s show and plans for the 2025 edition coming up in Orlando Florida from 22 to 24 October. Part of his remarks sums up the caption of this SPECIAL FEATURE INTERVIEW in excerpt below:
CONGRATULATIONS ON STAGING THE BEST PRINTINGUNITED EXPO SO FAR, HOW DO YOU FEEL?
Thank you! We appreciate the support from all our global media and association partners like you who have contributed to the awareness of, and success, of this year’s event. The Alliance is very pleased with the outcome of this year’s Expo. We were facing significant headwinds with it being a drupa year and sharing the same exact dates as SuperCorr and Label Expo. However, despite those challenges, we had more floor space sold, just slightly less attendees (1700 onsite verified attendees less than 2023), and a very strong buying event across all segments of the industry.
HAVING ATTENDED THE ATLANTA EDITION LAST YEAR AND THEN THIS LAS VEGAS, DEFINITELY THIS IS BIGGER AND BETTER ORGANISED; HOW YOU GUYS PULL IT OFF EVEN WITH TWO OF INDUSTRY BIGGEST PLAYERS – HEIDELBERG AND KBA NOT HERE?
PRINTING United Expo provides an “all under one-roof” approach to all printing and packaging technologies and therefore are not reliant on single organizations to support the overall success of the show. It is understandable to a certain degree that Heidelberg and Koenig & Bauer would put all their marketing dollars into drupa given they are both German-based organizations. However, that decision will have certainly impacted their U.S. sales in a negative way. The U.S. is the largest printing and packaging market in the world, given its consumer-based economy, and there are few U.S. attendees traveling to drupa.
We had 817 exhibitors demonstrating their latest technology across all segments – from commercial to apparel decoration. The Expo is unique in that strategy. We based our model on the application diversification trend of the print community and provide a full complement of solutions to satisfy any interest they may have. There is no other event like it in the Western hemisphere.
WERE PRINTINGUNITED ALLIANCE EXPECTATIONS MET AT THIS YEAR’S SHOW AND WHAT ARE THEY?
The short answer is a resounding, “YES!” We work extremely hard to put on the most engaging Expo possible. We are constantly looking for ways to improve the experience for everyone involved and delivered on that in Las Vegas. We launched a new Media Day for our media partners, a re-envisioned Apparel Zone for hands on training, a new PRINTING United After Dark entertainment programme for all attendees, and much more. As a practical matter, we hit our exhibitor goals and attendee goals understanding the unfortunate headwinds we were facing (See our post-event press release for details).
WHAT IS YOUR TAKE FROM THIS YEAR’S SHOW THAT YOU’LL BUILD ON FOR A MUCH BETTER NEXT YEAR’S SHOW?
First and foremost, PRINTING United Expo will be the only major printing and packaging trade show in the Western hemisphere. Therefore, we expect an increase in the number and variety of solutions on the floor and our highest number of attendees to date. That will provide an increase in value for all that attend. The Orange County Convention Center in Orlando has a significantly smaller footprint of floor space, so that will pose some challenges in terms of the experiences we are able to place on the floor. Our goal is continual improvement, so we will utilize all the space we have to ensure an enhanced experience. Our post-event surveys always rank “seeing new equipment” as the top response with approximately 90%. So, we will focus on the solutions across all segments as a top priority.
WHAT ASSURANCE ARE YOU GIVING TO EXHIBITORS ON THE 2025 SHOW TO GUARANTEE YOUR COMMITMENT TO THEIR NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS?
For the past four PRINTING United Expos, we have exceeded expectations and have built a show that few believed was possible. Moving forward, we will continue to enhance the show and provide value to the exhibitors. That starts with extending our audience development programmes to deliver a “packed house” in Orlando. That is our top priority and commitment to the exhibitor community.
WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF FROM 2025 SHOW AND BEYOND?
Our expectation for 2025 is to ensure that our attendees are provided with a full array of solutions to discover. This is their expectation and our promise to the market. We will live up to the “one-roof” approach and provide the most impactful, fun, and energetic show in the Western Hemisphere.
ANY OTHER NEWS WORTHY INFORMATION YOU WILL LIKE TO SHARE?
Trade Show Executive (TSE) just revealed the winners of its prestigious 2024 Gold 100 Grand Awards at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara, California in September, marking the 15th anniversary of the event and recognizing the trade shows that were the largest and most ahead of the curve in innovative approaches in 2023. PRINTING United Expo 2023 was named the “Show with the Most Commendable Green Initiatives in 2023” due to our partnership with Domtar in planting two trees for every registration for the 2023 event, as well as our recycling partnership with Vycom, and partnership with Shepard Exposition Services, a Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP) certified event production company. PRINTING United Expo was additionally ranked as the #32 exposition in North America, by size, for last year’s show.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
About Mark J. Subers
Mark J. Subers is the President – Events and Exposition at PRINTING United Alliance. Subers has oversight of all events produced by the joint entity which includes all summits and conferences for the “Impressions” brands — Printing Impressions, In-plant Impressions, Packaging Impressions, and Wide-format Impressions. He has been in the printing and packaging industry for 30+ years with passion for ensuring the full industries long-term success as well as PRINTING United Alliance mission as the largest non-profit serving the industry.
