NEXPO Review: Introduction

First Published: May 2008

NEXPO '08

Cost savings, revenue generation, integration, outsourcing and consolidation were the key words heard on the show floor and during education sessions at NEXPO® ’08, held at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center, April 12–15, along with NAA’s Annual Convention and the American Society of Newspaper Editors Convention, April 13–16.

NEXPO featured 215 exhibitors, 38 of which were newcomers, said Tammy Workman, NAA director of exhibition sales. Although attendance at NEXPO and the NAA and ASNE conventions was down from last year, NEXPO attendees were serious buyers, said Reggie Hall, NAA senior vice president of association sales and marketing.

“Everyone would like to have seen more attendees, but no one was surprised by the attendance,” he said, adding that this has been the most challenging year ever in the newspaper business. NEXPO attendance was down 24 percent with 1,588 full-conference attendees in 2008 compared with 2,088 in 2007.

Despite the concerns, some exhibitors reported that NEXPO brought good sales leads. “The number of real solid customers at NEXPO this year who are likely to purchase our systems is already four times the number we saw last year,” said Elinor Midlik, president of Prime UV, a manufacturer of ultraviolet ink curing systems and infrared dryers.

Finding new products that will have the strongest return on investment is paramount for newspapers as circulation and advertising revenue decline and recession looms. “If you can sell me something I can pay back in two, three, four or five years, I’m all ears,” said William Dean Singleton, vice chairman and chief executive officer of MediaNews Group Inc. in Denver during a meeting with NEXPO exhibitors. 

Suppliers tried to answer that call. Press manufacturers showcased equipment that would appeal to newspapers that want to increase revenue through commercial printing with better color capability. They also promoted maintenance services that can extend the life of presses. Post-press suppliers touted products with faster throughput that can save packaging operations money by making them more efficient. They also highlighted parts, kits and services to modify post-press equipment for web-width reductions, a growing industry trend.

With more newsrooms combining print and online departments, exhibitors demonstrated content-management systems that could support newsroom integration. They also promoted software programs that consolidate subscriber data or allow newspaper customers to build their own ads.

This year’s big technology tools largely revolved around mobile devices. Exhibitors offered software applications that help newspapers develop multimedia content and advertising for smart phones and other devices.

In the pre-press arena, exhibitors showed ways to save money and time by outsourcing ad production and using digital workflow systems and computer-to-plate devices that have increased production speeds and smaller footprints.

Next year, NEXPO and the Marketing Conference will be a combined event at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, March 9–11. 

—LaShell Stratton, Technology Writer, Photos by Ringo H.W. Chu