Boom in graphic, multimedia industry driven by digital technology seen

A long-term boom in the graphic printing and multimedia industry can be expected soon as businesses are relying more and more on digital technology for almost all of their marketing and corporate communication requirements.

This projection comes from the organizers of the annual Graphic Expo, which showcases the world’s latest products and technologies in pre-press publishing, graphic imaging and sign making, digital photography, Web publishing, multimedia, and animation.

“In fact, the boom has begun but the peak is still much too far into the future to be seen,” said Norelyn Babiera, vice president of Fiera de Manila Inc., organizer of Graphic Expo slated at the Philippine Trade Training Center on June 6-9.

“These days, the use of digital technology in marketing can be seen everywhere and in every possible medium, creating a confusing brand clutter that all the more challenges industry players to raise the standards and attain superiority in the quality of their promotional materials, including their own internal corporate collaterals and other forms of communication,” Babiera said.

The trend has created a vast market for advertising agencies, commercial printers, outdoor advertising outfits, design studios, desktop and Web publishing firms, and such highly specialized professionals like IT experts, photographers, artists, signage makers, Web designers, animators, creatives and communication specialists, marketing executives, educators, trainors, and entrepreneurs, among many others.

“These companies and individuals comprise a now thriving industry that grows with the market as can be inferred from Graphic Expo’s ever-increasing number of visitors,” Babiera said.

Last year alone, Graphic Expo registered more than 8,000 visitors during its four-day run, with businessmen, entrepreneurs and executives of the country’s top 3,000 corporations accounting for 31 percent; design studios, ad agencies and photographers, 30 percent; IT professionals and advertising and marketing executives, 20 percent; commercial printers and publishers, 16 percent; and educators and government officers, 3.0 percent.

Exhibited in last year’s Graphic Expo were the latest equipment and supplies in digital printing, print-on-demand, stamping and binding, computer hardware and peripherals, plotters, digital duplicators, numbering machines, large format printers, color management systems, CADD and CAM systems, fleet markings, traffic and neon signages, digital cameras, video capture and editing equipment, lighting system, lenses, filters, accessories, service bureaus, processing labs, training institutes, video editing services, animation studios, interactive media producers, CD-Rom publishers, Web content developers, and Internet service providers, among many others.

“For this year, the exhibits will be bigger and better,” Babiera said.

Graphic Expo 2007 also includes a seminar series that will be held during its four-day run. The seminars will comprehensively discuss the latest features of Adobe Photoshop CS3, eye-popping graphics with Adobe Illustrator CS2, visual magic with Adobe After Effects 7.0, Macromedia Flash 8 for corporate presentations, integrating Photoshop and Maya, and turning a Final Cut Pro project into a DVD, among many others.

Prospective participants can freely choose which topics to attend. Inquiries or reservations must be made with Fiera de Manila (call 896-0639, 896-0637 or 899-6216, e-mail at [email protected] or log on to www.fmi.com.ph or www.graphicexpo.com.ph).

Now on its 12th year, Graphic Expo is supported by Epson, Hewlett Packard, Design Agencies Association of the Philippines, eArt Phils., IdN Club Phils., Zone V Camera Club, Philippine Center for Creative Imaging, Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines, and Animation Council of the Philippines.

It is sponsored by The Philippine STAR, Manila Bulletin, BusinessWorld, BusinessMirror, PC Buyer’s Guide, i-mag photography, HWM, Gadgets, Softrigger Interactive, Adobo Magazine, Web Philippines, Digital Fox, and GA Printing Inc. as media partners.