Imagine this: you walk into a conference center in Portland, Oregon, finding yourself surrounded by creative entrepreneurs just like you. On your left, a stunning print on a t-shirt catches your eye. That can’t be screen printed, can it? You walk over to check it out. A team member hosting the booth walks over to chat with you. It’s Mark, the sales rep you’ve spoken to dozens of times on the phone. You’re finally getting to meet him in person. You chat for a while, and Mark finds a shirt in your size of that amazing design you were admiring.
But did you imagine it at all? Nope, it was real! And it happened just a week ago, at Graphics Pro Expo (GPX) 2023. Here’s the scoop on the trade show.
THE EVENT
From July 19 & 20, 2023, vendors from the wide world of graphics, from DTF to laser engraving attended GPX, giving the show a wide variety of interest. Ryonet and ROQ teamed up and, in our humble opinion, stole the show. With prints churning out on every press, staff from both companies working the presses and talking to attendees, and designs for attendees to print themselves, the booth was a show-stopper.
Brandon Schmunk, president of Ryonet, enjoyed the show. “It was great to have a show so close to our HQ where we were fortunate enough to invite our greater team to see what shows are all about,” he said.
Sales Manager Ronald Peters echoed Brandon’s sentiments. “We normally don't have the opportunity to bring all of the people who put their very own sweat into building and shipping the equipment we sell to these industry events,” Ronald said.
THE EXPERIENCE
Everyone experiences a trade show differently. From the companies hosting the booth to the attendees looking for new updates to the world of screen printing, a trade show can be a memorable experience.
For Sales Rep Aryanna Torres, Graphics Pro Expo provided a great first-show opportunity.
“I appreciated the fact that just about every booth had some form of interactive display as well as movement within their booths. There was a wealth of dynamic knowledge within the room,” she said.
Booth 101, a joint booth of ROQ and Ryonet, featured several interactive elements. Attendees of the show had the opportunity to print their own t-shirts on a Riley Hopkins 150. As they walked to the conveyor dryer to pick up their hand-printed shirt, attendees passed a 7-color design being printed right in front of their eyes. Expert printer Ryan Moore was on press, making the magic happen and answering questions about the print and process.
“Hands-down I believe we had the best booth at the show and we printed the coolest garments in the building,” Ronald said. “Most of the attendees I spoke with were commenting how they loved what we were printing and how cool our team is — I couldn't agree more!”
Witnessing a t-shirt being printed is a mesmerizing process. Watching the robots do it is a unique experience. The ROQ automatic press cranked out 5-color designs during the trade show, and attendees were able to tour the machine, discovering how it works.
Aryanna enjoyed watching the automatic press at work.
“Getting to see the ROQ [in action] was the coolest in my opinion,” she said.
Wilflex Printed On Allmade Apparel
WHEN’S THE NEXT SHOW?
Want to go to a trade show? You can find us at the Impressions Expo in Long Beach in January 2024. Check out our “Where to Find Us” page for other events like classes and more.
WHY GO TO TRADE SHOWS?
Trade shows are the perfect way for screen printers to get a special look at everything that the industry has to offer. From new darkroom technology to automatic presses, everything at a trade show is all for the screen printer and all about making connections.
Brandon has attended dozens of trade shows in his career. His takeaway from trade shows is that they’re all about connecting with printers face-to-face.
“There’s more empathy in the interaction, everyone learns a ton more and creates a lasting bond that stays with them,” Schmunk said.
As e-commerce takes a front seat in today’s market, building relationships with customers and other printers is still important. What better way to do that than at an expo designed for screen printers?
The event can seem like a circus, with vendors and attendees traveling from all over to see the newest and greatest in the screen printing industry. But it’s all about the experience for screen printers to see what the options are in the trade and get to make connections with vendors.
RELATED: WHY SHOULD I GO TO A TRADE SHOW?
Trade shows are a great way to meet face-to-face. There’s always cool new technology featured, and opportunities to take home a souvenir. Even better if you got to print it yourself. We’ll see you at the Impressions Expo in Long Beach in 2024!