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GraphExpo was... GraphExpo and more

October 31, 2008 I usually take the escalator up from the show floor at GraphExpo to the classroom level. I do this because it gives me an aerial view of the show floor about half way up.

From there I can assess the size and “excitement” of the show. This year was pretty good. There was a lot of traffic, many new, small businesses with displays of their wares. It was a GraphExpo like many others – one big McCormick Place hall filled with equipment and customers.

But GraphExpo is not Print (that’s next year). The GraphExpo show is always shorter – just four days total. As a result, it seems pretty quiet. And, considering that all the manufacutrers had spent their shipping and installation budgets this year on DRUPA, it was a very good show.

The seminars were well-attended. Mine was, at least. I stuck my head into Sandee Cohen’s InDesign sesssion, and watched as she crashed InD CS4 in front of a full house of students. I also visited Howie Fenton’s classroom to see that he, too, had a good audience.

The best part of the show is always the people. The seminar program was wonderfully organized. The show itself was run like a well-oiled machine. The GASC organization, which runs the shows, was generous to a fault in welcoming a number of graphic arts schools to exhibit at no cost. To GASC I tip my hat in appreciation.

Cal Poly, where I teach, had a booth, as did Wisconsin Stout, RIT, Ferris State, and several others. It was a good opportunity to visit with our colleagues from other educational organizations.

And there were many students in attendance. Hundreds of high school students visited our “education alley” to talk about their possible educational careers. It was great to meet and talk to them.

At one point I was chatting with a high school teacher from Harlem High in Chicago. He had three young men in-tow. One of the boys asked about Cal Poly, and asked me to compare it to RIT. I chatted with him about how similar the programs are. I talked about tuition (Cal Poly is a taxpayer-supported school, and is comparatively inexpensive). In the end I held my hands up like a scale, and said, “OK. RIT has winter. We have beaches. I rest my case.”

Winter and beaches notwithstanding, we all offer a great education in the graphic arts. The trick is getting new students interested in learning about our profession. I commend GraphExpo for spreading the word about the show to the high schools, and in getting the young people from Chicago and the surrounding communities to attend. That was a great start.

We really do have nice beaches.

Posted by Brian Lawler on October 31, 2008 | Comments (0)