My Student Experience at PRINTING United Expo

It is now a month after PRINTING United Expo, but my classmates and I are still talking about our experiences in Vegas. We loved seeing all the latest technology in the industry and participating in student day. My personal favorite part of the Expo was getting to meet so many of you in person. Getting to meet everyone and having conversations face to face was really a great experience!

There are so many benefits as a student to attending these events. The most important one in my opinion is seeing the equipment, machinery, and processes in person. We learn a lot in the classroom and have an understanding of many printing processes. However, actually seeing the equipment run through an entire process in person is so important to fully understanding how it works. It applies all the knowledge we have to the real world. There is only so much we can see in our labs, so seeing how they are used in a real business context is a super cool opportunity.

Networking is also an important part of these events. It’s so awesome that so many people in the industry wanted to stop and talk to us. I had so many great conversations with people, and I was given a lot of good advice. I am always worried that sales people at a trade show won’t want to talk to me because I am a student, and am not a target customer. But so many people were just as excited to talk to us. The amount of people that got excited to talk to students interested in this industry was overwhelming. I appreciate every person that I had the opportunity to talk with!

This was my second year attending this event, and I am so excited for next year. The atmosphere at PRINTING United Expo is fantastic, and the sense of community in this industry is unlike any other. Meeting so many people as passionate about the industry as I am is always refreshing. I hope that next year I can see more new technologies, build upon my current connections, and create some new ones! See you in Orlando!