Organisers expect thousands of visitors to cross the threshold of the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre for the once-every-four-years event.
More than 100 exhibitors spent the week leading up to the show working feverishly on their stands, where they are demonstrating cutting-edge technology.
Some were working into the early hours of Tuesday morning to get their stands just right.
It marks then end of months of planning and preparation for exhibitors and organisers.
PacPrint chairman Ian Martin praised visitors planning to make the trek to the exhibition.
“With such a huge variety of solutions exhibited by leading companies, you will certainly gain enormous value from your visit.”
Martin conceded it would be a smaller show than years gone by, but said that the organisers had responded to the market condition by focusing on the opportunities for an industry in transition.
“There’s no question we are facing very tough times and the changes in the market over the past four years will no doubt be reflected at PacPrint – both in terms of visitor numbers and in the mix of technology on show.
“What is clear, however, is that the solutions displayed at the exhibition will be pivotal to many businesses as they face the challenges ahead. We are, as has been said, an industry in transition, and that will be an obvious focus at PacPrint13.”
He said pre-registrations had been “encouraging and we are optimistic about overall attendance”.
“It’s fair to say that, with the industry having contracted by up to 40% by some estimates, we are expecting visitor numbers to be somewhat lower than in 2009; if I had to pick a number, I would say somewhere around 10,000… but really, it’s too early to say.”
As the opening approached, exhibitors told the PacPrint Daily of their high hopes for the trade show.
Some major exhibitors had been onsite for the past week and were still setting up their stands as the opening day approached, such as Currie Group, the biggest exhibitor.
Sales and marketing director Phillip Rennell said: “Everything is on track; you know with these exhibitions, everything comes together on the last day.”
Smaller exhibitors spent the weekend preparing for a strong prospecting exercise.
David Crowther, founder of Colour Graphic Services, arrived on Sunday. “Having a trade show like this is about taking your products to the people. They can see everything from the industry under the one roof. Trade shows still have a place.”
[Related: More PacPrint news]
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