The recent Impressions Expo in Long Beach was packed with visitors looking to expand their businesses with heat printing. The garment decoration market is alive and well.
The newly renamed Impressions Expo (formerly the Imprinted Sportswear Show), held in Long Beach, CA this past weekend was a huge success. We don’t have the exact count on visitors yet, but we’re sure it must have set a new record. Our booths were busy from the opening bell on January 17 to the closing bell on January 19, and that’s even with an NFL championship level game being aired. The record crowds at the show are proof that the garment decorating industry is still showing no signs of slowing down. This is especially true for heat printing. Our booth staff reports that they had to spend almost no time at all explaining what heat printing is about. Booth visitors were ready to buy. In fact, we actually ran out of printed order forms. We were expecting a high level of interest in our new 360 Hotronix Cap Press and Stretch Litho Matte transfers, but demand truly exceeded our expectations.
Ben Robinson demonstrates the Hotronix 360 Cap Press to the crowd.
Record Number of Heat Press Sales
Dan Stahl explains the “no crease, print any location on any cap” advantages of the Hotronix 360 Cap Press. (All floor models of all presses sold by midday on the second day).
Suffice it to say we sold a record number of Hotronix heat presses, which included a truly high percentage of 360 Hotronix Cap Presses. Once customers were able to see them in action, it would usually only take a few minutes for them to make a buying decision. Our son Dan, who was able to attend the show and work with customers in the booth, was almost a bit surprised at how fast buying decisions were being made. “I guess the need for the 360 Cap Press speaks for itself. All we had to do was demonstrate that it doesn’t leave a crease and can apply a graphic of any thickness on any size cap, on any location, and the customer would say, SOLD. At one point, I had a crowd of five different customers around the machine and at least three of them decided to make a purchase after the demonstration. I’ve never seen anything like it. And I’ve been to a lot of trade shows.” Visitors were also very happy to hear that they can get faster shipping in Western States, thanks to our custom transfer production facility located in Arizona. We have been focused on serving the West Coast faster, and we now offer same day shipping on one color EasyPrints on orders placed by 11AM PST.
Big Demand for Education
We also had a great deal of education going on in the booth and the seats were always filled, with people standing three deep into the aisle around the booth. Popular topics included heat printing decorating trends by Jenna Sackett, how-to set up an online store with Spirit Sale by Josh Ellsworth and several different topics on preparing artwork for cutting and more by Dane Clement. Dane also held several workshops during the educational sessions held before the show opens. “I haven’t seen workshops so packed with people in a long time,” reports Dane. “The energy at this show and in my workshops was unbelievable.”
Jenna Sackett demonstrates how easy it is to decorate with a heat press to standing room only crowds.
Dane Clement explains the importance of using the right artwork.
A True Team Effort
Stretch Litho Matte transfers were in high demand. If you are looking for a better way to print full color, you should request your free sample today.
Dan had the opportunity to speak with an old friend of ours, Riley Hopkins. Riley is one of the most creative, inventive minds in the industry and we are very proud to know him and share so many memories with him.
Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make this show a huge success and thank you to the organizers at Impressions Expo for making it happen.
The interest in the 360 Cap Press was over the top. We are very proud of this press and of all the cap printing problems it solves.
Congratulations to our friends behind the scenes at Impressions, your efforts to re-invent the Imprinted Sportswear Show as the Impressions Expo has increased the volume and brought an energetic crowd to this event. Behind the scenes at Stahls’ and Transfer Express, thank you to everyone who helped make this show a big success, especially Vicki N. and her team of merchandising experts. And thanks to all the hard-working staff members who learned the true meaning of comfortable shoes, because there was very little time to take a break. We appreciate your stamina and your ability to present our products and equipment so well. It means a lot to our customers to be greeted by a friendly and knowledgeable representative. To all our customers and old friends, we were glad to see you again, thanks for stopping by. To our new friends and new customers, welcome to the Stahls’ family. We are looking forward to helping all of you grow and prosper in 2020.