PSDA recently announced that its signature annual event, formerly known as the Print Solutions Conference & Expo, has a new name: Distributor Solutions Expo. The event will be held May 8-9, 2013, at Navy Pier in Chicago.
What’s in a name? Quite a bit. “Renaming our event is a critical step in repositioning this show as the must-attend experience for distributors and manufacturers that want to partner to deliver powerful solutions for end-user customers,” said John Delavan, PSDA’s director of marketing and communication services and editor-in-chief of its flagship monthly magazine, Print Solutions. “We want to ensure that distributors understand this is their premier opportunity to find solutions that meet their customers’ changing needs. We also want to emphasize that PSDA’s expo delivers the power of partnership between distributors and the many channel partners that exhibit at the show, all in hopes of connecting with attending distributors to develop and deliver solutions for clients. The name Distributor Solutions Expo also eliminates any potential confusion between Print Solutions (PSDA’s monthly magazine and twice-monthly e-newsletter) and the association’s annual show, as well as next year’s PRINT 13 event staged by the organizers of GRAPH EXPO, which has a different emphasis than our show.”
Delavan added that dropping the word “print” from the event’s name was purposeful. “While printed products remain vital to the event’s success and reason for being, as well as to PSDA and all of its member businesses, our attendees have told us that an exclusive emphasis on print does not reflect the industry’s evolution, which includes many solutions that go beyond purely print and often enhance it,” Delavan said. “Attracting new attendees is a focal goal for this event. The event’s new name will only help to achieve that goal.”
In the coming weeks and months, those interested will hear how changes to PSDA’s event—from revitalized educational offerings to a reinvented trade show floor setup—will enhance the return on investment for everyone who participates. PSDA is packing top-notch education and new, high-energy networking opportunities into two full days, as opposed to three days in previous years.
Regular updates are being published online now at psda.org/2013. Information on exhibiting and valuable sponsorship opportunities is also available at psda.org/exhibit.
