By Christian R. Bonawandt and Robert Moran

Doors opened Monday at 1:30 p.m. and the movement never ceased. Things were happening everywhere. Once Forum 2008 delegates gained access to the INFO*FLEX trade floor, the networking began-175 exhibitors, 217 booths, eight interactive hours, and nearly one dozen 15-minute briefings in the Presentation Theater. Trinity Hall was humming. Enthusiasm levels ran high. Tuesday's experience mirrored that of Monday, as INFO*FLEX gave a repeat performance and received rousing reviews.

Everyone, it seemed was amazed by the quality of the exhibit, so much so that the resign rate for 2009 topped 70 percent, with more than 160 booths already reserved.

INFO*FLEX placed very high on FTA's satisfaction survey, and it did so within one hour of the poll's release. Fifty-six percent of initial respondents rated INFO*FLEX networking opportunities "excellent," with another 40 percent awarding the exhibition a "good" grade. The same group, asked to comment on the overall quality of Forum, assigned the following ratings: excellent, 41.2 percent; good, 52.9 percent. Quality and content of the technical sessions was seen as excellent by 23 percent of respondents; and good by 55 percent. Twenty-three percent of first responders were first-time attendees.

While navigating the crowded trade floor, people paused to catch a glimpse of activity in FTA's INFO*FLEX Presentation Theater, which at times had every seat taken. Each presenter's audience ranged from 35 to 70 listeners. Speakers and topics that they addressed follow:

Fundamentals for Achieving Higher Press Speeds - Steve Wilkenson, ARC International
Sustainability in Package Printing - Debbra Johnson, DuPont Imaging Tech.
Plate Mounting Tapes - Jerry Vogler, 3M
Continuous Improvement Services - Dominic Ibarra, Anderson & Vreeland
Use of Solventless Adhesives - Ron Davies, Nordmeccanica
Benefits of Open Cell Cushion Technology - Brett Kilhenny, Rogers Corp.
Process Improvement Through Adhesive Tape - Jeff Davis, tesa tape
Digital Flexo - Peter Stolz Eastman, Kodak
Photopolymer Plates: Solvent of Thermal? - Tim Reece, All Printing Resources
Print Performance Sleeves - Rich Emmerling, Flint Group
Plate Mounting Tapes & Repeatability - Stan Riches, Lohmann Technologies

Attendees and exhibitors were overwhelmingly pleased with the outcome of the exhibition and the conference. "INFO*FLEX was the most productive part of the program for me. Face-to-face meetings with some of my suppliers and prospective suppliers effectively moved some important issues forward for my company," said Brad Elledge, Nosco. His comments were echoed by Dave Straten, Advance Packaging Corp., who said, "I liked the convenience during the Forum and the opportunity to network both between and at INFO*FLEX. I also appreciated the break-out sessions on the show floor."

"The INFO*FLEX Exhibition was very busy and productive, exclaimed Tara Aubut, Flexo Concepts. Kevin Bourgin of Cyber Graphics LLC stated, "INFO*FLEX is becoming its own tradeshow." Brian Stewart, All Printing Resources, praised the "turnout, quality of attendees, and location." Mike Potter, Flexo Wash, declared the 2008 show to be "the best show ever." He went on to say, "No question about it, the trade show is probably four times as good as it was five to six years ago."

"INFO*FLEX, combined with the technical sessions, is a good opportunity for us to connect with a number of customers on an annual basis," said Pete Hartmann, Harper Corporation of America. "We feel that the education made available as well as a chance to bring our product offerings to the flexo converters in a single location is an excellent venue."

Patrick Gerrity, All Printing Resources, added, "The INFO*FLEX Exhibition allows us to meet with current and potential customers in a relaxed, yet professional environment. It permits us to show and demonstrate new products, services and technology that would be difficult or expensive to take to each customer individually."

"Myself, I've been attending these shows since the early 1990s," declared Bobby Furr, Max Daetwyler Corp. "This was an outstanding show. We had a huge array of traffic, and collected tremendous leads that filled our pipeline up. Return on investment was 20 times over. Forum spoke for itself. At the banquet, they had to add more chairs and tables. I don't know that we were prepared for that many people....We doubled our booth size for Orlando. Typically we get one booth, we're getting two next year. Again, ROI was huge! INFO*FLEX was awesome! We contemplated sending three people, then increased the number to four, then five. We could have sent seven. Good job! Great show! Outstanding!"