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Ways To Make The Most Of 2024 Trade Show Opportunities

Three major international trade shows for the graphic communications industry — the just-completed drupa 2024 event, Labelexpo Americas, and PRINTING United Expo, both in September — mark this year as an exceptional opportunity for those who are ready to invest in new production technology. It's a double opportunity that adds capability to the business now and improves valuation when the time comes to sell the business to a new owner.

Valuation — the process of determining the worth of an asset or a company — has many different components. But for a printing business, nothing is more important to making a favorable determination than the state of its equipment.

The highest valuations, along with the most rewarding selling prices, belong to companies that have embraced technology by investing substantially in it. Businesses that continue to rely on outmoded legacy equipment get the opposite reaction when they go to market.

Shortcomings Are Costly

From the buyer's point of view, a competitive capability that the seller lacks — say, wide-format printing or label and packaging production — represents an investment that the buyer will have to make after the sale is complete. The seller experiences the decline in valuation in the form of a reduced offer from the buyer, who will deduct the amount that he or she expects to spend on whatever needs to be added.

Our most successful selling clients are always the ones who don't hesitate to equip their companies to provide the products and services that today's print buyers find most desirable. On the other hand, owners of chronically underinvested companies may have nothing more to look forward to than selling their book of business and liquidating their obsolete machinery — a less remunerative way to wind down.

The goal, therefore, is to invest in a way that increases the valuation of the company beyond the cost of the investment. This is what makes 2024, with its full calendar of trade shows, a great moment for owners to get up to speed competitively by adding the capabilities, products, and services that their customers — and their prospective buyers — expect them to have.

For owners planning to sell in the near term, there are a few points to keep in mind about timing and debt. Assuming that a major purchase of equipment is made at any of this year's big shows, it wouldn't be realistic to put the company up for acquisition before the equipment is installed and running in full production — most likely early in 2025. Then, expect to spend the balance of next year marketing the business and closing the transaction.

For most owners, buying new equipment will mean taking on debt. Because companies typically are sold on a debt-free basis, any debt remaining at closing will be retired in one of two ways: by the seller, from proceeds received from the buyer; or by the seller, who assumes the debt and reduces the offering price accordingly. The net impact on the seller is the same in both cases.

Reality of Interest Rates

Along the lines of financing, we all have seen what has happened to interest rates since the Federal Reserve started raising them in March 2022. But, those who are letting the higher cost of money hold them back from making the investments their businesses need should remember that we have been here before.

The fact is that the rates we are currently seeing are the same rates that printers typically have paid prior to 2020 to borrow for CapEx purposes. They are what they are, and reductions to their former near-zero levels are not likely to happen. Banks and other commercial lenders remain willing to help printers acquire equipment as well as other printing companies. There's no point in using rates as a justification for deferring investments that can and should be made for the sake of valuation right now.

It's better to concentrate on finding these opportunities at trade shows like drupa, Labelexpo Americas, and PRINTING United Expo now that we can attend them again after the COVID-19 hiatus. Of course, showgoing isn't the only way to build an investment plan. Owners can also pinpoint their needs through consulting with customers, staff, and vendors; conducting market research; following the trade media; and networking through peer groups and trade associations.

Getting the most from the shows starts with assessing the company's present capabilities and determining what it needs to add or upgrade. Compiling a short list of preferred vendors for each item to be researched will make the show floor easier to navigate.

Go to School at the Show

Trade shows aren't only about kicking tires on new equipment. They're also exceptional venues for personal education with their multi-day agendas of keynote presentations, vendor briefings, and breakout sessions. These programs detail new technologies coming to market and the ways printers can use them to improve performance and profitability. They're well worth the time of sitting in on.

In the exhibit halls, remember that increasing the attractiveness of the company to prospective buyers is the whole point of the exercise — if not now, at a future point when selling will be most advantageous.

Look at the company as a buyer would perceive it, and identify the assets that the buyer would want an acquisition to include. That's the best way to have a good show this year and a great transaction whenever the moment to sell is right.

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Post-show Recap: Inside The Dazzling World Of JCK 2024

With "Love" as this year's theme, the annual JCK trade show and conference is one of the largest and most important B2B gatherings for jewelry industry professionals and serves as a global launchpad for jewelry trends, products and brands. 

Operated by RX and collocated with ultra-curated sister show Luxury, which celebrated its 25th edition this year, the massive event draws in thousands of industry professionals from all facets of the global jewelry industry to Las Vegas for a week of product sourcing, education and networking.

This year's JCK continued to be a hub for fun and inspiring activations and Instagrammable moments. These included a JCK Chapel featuring an Elvis impersonator; a "Puppy Love" lounge; a Love Lock Fence; and a fundraising airbrush tattoo activation in the "Love is Love Lounge" on the show floor that made donations to the Kids in Crisis organization for every tattoo done.

Who, When & Where: JCK and Luxury, May 29–June 3, The Venetian Resort Las Vegas and The Venetian Convention & Expo Center.

Show Size: More than 17,300 attendees and 1,900 exhibitors spanning 496,692 square feet.

Looking Back: JCK's 2023 edition attracted 18,000 attendees and 1,900 exhibiting companies occupying 430,000 sq. Ft. 

Best features: Buzzing with the biggest jewelry trends of the year, the JCK show floor also offered plentiful learning opportunities with more than 60 education sessions, including the JCK Talks education program and the Social Stage, where content creators and influencers led multiple sessions focused on content, data and bringing them into practice.  

In breaking news at the show, De Beers announced it will suspend protection of lab-grown diamonds for jewelry purposes and launched its new initiative, Diamond Proof, a low-cost synthetic detector made for retailer countertops, set to be available at the end of the year.

 

The Sustainability Summit at JCK brought together innovators, leaders and advocates for positive change to discuss a more sustainable future for the jewelry industry, and the show continued to celebrate the cultivation of inclusion and diversity throughout the event. 

Besides a notable presence of emerging Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) designers, brand features, dedicated JCK Talks sessions focused on DEI topics and specialized education sessions, the Women's Jewelry Association (WJA) once again hosted their Generating Community Impact Breakfast, which focused on disability inclusion in the jewelry and watch industry.  

Beyond the show floor: Continuing to make safety a top priority at JCK was a key feature at the event, with show organizers adding additional qualification measures for every attendee. Stepped up onsite measures included bag checks, badge scanning validation at each entrance, a strong presence of security officials throughout the event, and required weapons detection to enter the floor – all accomplished without slowing down entry, according to show officials.

 

Special events included an evening benefit for Jewelers for Children, which raised more than $2 million for children's causes, followed by a parade through The Venetian and the Canal Shoppes to TAO Nightclub, where event goers enjoyed the ever-popular JCK Rocks TAO Beach event featuring Grammy-nominated recording artist Flo Rida as the evening's music headliner.

What they are saying: "This year's JCK was another that surpassed all expectations," said Sarin Bachmann, group vice president of RX's jewelry portfolio and event leader for JCK. "Even in times when there is uncertainty in the jewelry industry, JCK proves once again to be the place the entire industry gathers to source products, unveil new technologies and strategies, learn, discuss, network and place orders for the rest of the selling season. There was a noticeable shift in the energy of the industry once they arrived at JCK and Luxury and the enthusiasm on the show floor prevailed and left the industry on a very positive note."

Looking ahead: JCK and Luxury will return to The Venetian and The Venetian Expo June 4-9, 2025.

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