Representing over 60 per cent of the floor space that exhibitors will take at next year’s trade show in Sydney, GAMAA members are enthusiastic about the event’s new location.
It was always going to be a wrench when the old Darling Harbour exhibition space was reduced to a pile of rubble to make way for a new development. The organisers of the PrintEx trade show next May were left with little choice but to look for an alternative venue. As it turned out GAMAA and Printing Industries, joint owners of the four-yearly event, could either go to a temporary tent city exhibition site near Balmain, or take the show to Olympic Park at Homebush.
Both sites had their pros and cons with proximity to the city weighing in favour of the tent facility, but the Dome space at the Sydney Showgrounds in Homebush won the day. Home of the Royal Easter show and any number of other trade shows, the Dome proved popular with the contingent of GAMAA members that toured the site this week.
Led by Karen Goldsmith, executive director GAMAA and Bill Healey, CEO Printing Industries, the group, which between them will hire over half the available floor space, gave an unqualified vote of confidence in the new location, confident of being able to attract the required number of visitors.
“ I reckon it’s even better than the Darling Harbour space. It’s where the people live, it’s easy to get to and the facilities are second to none,” said Phil Rennell, chairman of the PrintEx organising committee and sales director of Currie Group, which is likely to be the largest single exhibitor. “Everyone I’ve spoken with likes the idea and I’m confident we’ll deliver an even better show than last time.”
The previous PrintEx in 2011 at Darling Harbour attracted 8381 visitors with 27.5% coming from interstate. Over 30% of the visitors were commercial and digital print providers, the split virtually 50/50. The organisers hope to better that despite challenging conditions for trade shows all over.
Next year’s PrintEx is a three-day show, 13 - 15 May 2015, run by Reed Exhibitions on behalf of the owning associations and is dedicated to showcasing the latest in graphic arts equipment and technologies.