With nearly 1,000 print executives, manufacturers, suppliers
and customers in attendance, Consolidated Graphics’ third annual emergeTM
conference was a smashing success. From April 17th through 20th,
we set up shop in New Orleans, where we transformed the Hyatt Regency into a
creative display of large format print, business exhibits and demonstrations of
cutting edge print technology.
From personalized invitations to the Kyp webkey guests were
given upon check-in, emerge showcased all that Consolidated Graphics and the
printing industry is capable of providing to customers. As in years past, the
focus of emerge was on pooling the minds of everyone we know who is committed to
elevating the print industry and coming up with new and innovative solutions, and
continuing to raise the bar of what ink on paper can accomplish.
In addition, emerge 2012 unveiled new groundbreaking developments,
including Consolidated Graphics’ partnership with Blurb to create
Publish, a commercial book publishing platform that is
powered by Blurb and utilizes Consolidated Graphics’ workflow solutions to
print as few as one bound unit of collateral or up to as many as our customers’
needs require. We also announced ou
r joint venture with YAMAGATA Corporation in a move to expand our international operations with a dedicated facility in
Gero, Japan.
We were delighted to announce our second year of
EncoreTM Awards winners, and, as many of the conference attendees will attest,
the quality of submitted entries to the competition was significantly higher
this year with anticipation already growing to see what our customers will submit
for consideration ins 2013. A special congratulations to 2012 Peoples’ Encore Award
winner IKON Public Affairs/Can of Creative!
The breakout sessions
and keynotes were packed with information (many guests commented that it was
the best content yet), and we’ll be posting presentation and taped sessions on
cgx.com soon, so you can pass along and share emerge 2012 with your colleagues.
Of course, no emerge conference is complete without a fabulous party to say thanks to everyone for a great few days of spirited discussion about the possibilities of print in today’s marketing environment. This year, we loaded up our guests on 18 authentic Mardi Gras floats, enlisted three local bands, and paraded through the streets of downtown New Orleans, ending the evening at the House of Blues, where we enjoyed a brass band, jazz room, contemporary music and more.
Stay tuned for updates on next year’s event, scheduled April 30th through May 2nd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas!