As printing companies diversify to keep up with changes in print technologies, print markets, and applications, the scope and content of printing conferences is changing too.
In 2020, you can attend big international shows such as drupa in Dusseldorf, FESPA Global Print Expo in Madrid, or PRINTING United in Atlanta. Or, you can a smaller, more-focused educational conferences devoted to color management, running a garment-decorating business, LEAN manufacturing techniques,
U.S. Conferences
COLOR20
January 11-14, 2020
Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa
San Diego, CA
Conference for brand owners, creative directors, designers, commercial printers, photographers, wide-format graphics printers, and labels and packaging printers who need to consistently and accurately reproduce colors.
Speakers will discuss strategies, tactics, best practices, and technologies for achieving color success in packaging design and prototyping, brand marketing, photography, fine-art reproduction, and collaborative design and production workflows. Organized Printing Industries of America (PIA) and Specialty Graphic and Imaging Association (SGIA).
THREADX
February 23-25, 2020
The Saguaro Hotel
Scottsdale, Arizona
Conference for owners and managers of apparel-decoration businesses. Organized by SGIA.
Graphics of the Americas
February 24-27, 2020
Miami Beach Convention Center
Miami, FL
Created by and for the Latin American and Caribbean printing community, Graphics of the Americas provides technologies and education for printing industry professional in the garment, graphics, packaging, commercial, and functional printing markets.
The Conference is produced by SGIA in cooperation with FGA (Florida Graphics Alliance) and Conlatingraf, the confederation of Latin American printing associations.
PIA TAGA Conference
March 15-18, 2020
Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Technical education about graphic arts systems, software. and computer technology for printing company owners, production managers, and research and development teams.
Sign Expo 2020
April 2-4, 2020
Pre-Conference Day: April 1
Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, FL
IExpo and learning event to promote growth, education, and networking in the sign, graphics, print, and visual communications industries. Organized by the International Sign Association (ISA).
ISA Sign Expo 2020 will be co-located with Impressions Expo (formerly the Imprinted Sportswear Show), which offers top-notch education to the imprinted and decorated apparel industry.
Continuous Improvement Conference
April 5-8, 2020
Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel
Columbus, Ohio
Annual event focused on helping printing and converting companies and other custom manufacturers achieve operational excellence by using the concepts of Lean thinking and other management and quality systems. Attendees include company owners, production managers, and quality/efficiency teams. Organized by PIA and SGIA.
Brand Print Americas
Sept. 15-17, 2020
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
Rosemont, Illinois
Expo and education about technologies and growth opportunities in printing for brand owners, commercial printing companies, and label converters.
Co-located with the Labelexpo Americas expo for designers, printers, and converters of labels, flexible packaging, and folding cartons. Organized by Tarsus Group and Association of PRINT Technologies.
PRINTING United 2020
October 21-23, 2020
Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, Georgia
Expo of technologies and materials for commercial printing, screen printing, industrial printing, garment decorating, packaging, wide-format graphics, textiles, signs, labels, and more. Organized by the SGIA and NAPCO Media.
Conferences in Europe
FESPA Global Print Expo
March 24-27, 2020
IFEMA Exhibition Centre
Madrid, Span
Europe’s largest exhibition of digital and screen printing technologies for producing signs, wide-format graphics, and textiles. Co-located with the European Sign Expo and the new Sportswear Pro 2020 exhibition for sustainable, on-demand printing of sportswear.
Organized By FESPA, a global federation of national associations for the screen printing, digital printing and textile printing community.
drupa
June 16-26, 2020
Düsseldorf, Germany
International exhibition of equipment, services, and supplies for all types of printing, including digital, sheet-fed and web offset, flexography, pad, screen, hybrid, 3D, functional, and package printing.
Areas of focus will include: advances in digital printing capabilities, new products for package and label production, innovations in functional printing, pioneering 3D technology, and future technologies that will enable smart factories and collaborative manufacturing.
Held every four years, this show attracts more than 250,000 attendees from more than 180 countries. Organized by Messe Düsseldorf.