GRAPH EXPO & CONVERTING EXPO 2002 -- Showing Signs of Recovery

Interest rates, meanwhile, remain at strikingly low levels, so for many investment-minded shoppers at Graph Expo and Converting Expo 2002, this really may be the best of times.

Trade shows, of course, are future-oriented events, and their success is shaped by attendees' own expectations of what the future might have in store for them. "It all comes down to confidence," adds Andrew Paparozzi, vice president and chief economist at the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL). "You have to be confident to take on a major new debt."