GOA Shines In Florida

MIAMI BEACH, FL—Escape from inclement weather in many parts of the country wasn’t the only thing drawing people to trendy South Beach. The 32nd annual Graphics of the Americas-Xplor (GOA) exhibition, held here March 2-4, also contributed to unoccupied hotel rooms being a scarce commodity.

Attendance exceeded the previous year by 4 percent, according to show organizers. And, with close to 500 exhibitors this year, new Printing Association of Florida President and CEO George Ryan reported that onsite exhibit space sales for the 2008 exhibition exceeded the previous year by 60 percent.

Several new features were introduced this year. These included the XML/PDF Pavilion, which highlighted the latest software innovations; Substrate Central, which featured paper and unique substrate offerings; a Web-to-Print Pavilion showcasing e-commerce and Web-based variable data printing technologies; and a hands-on lab for Quark 7 users.

In addition, Graphic of the Americas also saw the return of prior exhibit attractions including the On-Demand Book Making Factory, Printers’ Showcase, as well as an expanded footprint for Design City and the Wide-Format Hall.