Exhibitors have left Visual Impact Image Expo with "good sales and leads" despite a 20% drop in attendance.
Mutoh sold a dozen machines off its stand and another seven through its distributors, said sales manager Tony Chidiac.
There were 12 customers from Sydney, three from Victoria, two from South Australia and two from Fiji, he added.
"We would've scanned 137 people and we can comfortably turn around and say there are at least 30 prospects out of that in addition to the other sales we've done," he told ProPrint.
Chidiac also said Mutoh had been invited by a print and copy shop to tender for a contract to supply 180 eco-solvent printers and had been approached by two parties that wanted to become Mutoh distributors.
Australian Visual Solutions forecast sales of 12 wide-format Roland DG machines during and immediately after the Sydney trade show, said managing director Cameron Sutherland.
He said most of the customers were from the regions and interstate, because they travelled to the Visual Impact with serious intentions of finalising deals.
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DGS Mimaki revealed it had made several sales, including a Mimaki ATP direct-to-fabric printer to Sydney firm Catalyst Graphics and a JV33-160 device to another customer.
Sales & marketing manager Stephen Crichton told ProPrint that DGS Mimaki had also been pleasantly surprised by the positive response to the Textjet direct-to-garment printer it debuted at the show.
Blueonline reported sales of four Twinjet wide-format printers to New South Wales customers and a fifth sale to a Queensland customer. Blueonline also generated impressive ink and cartridge sales, said sales & marketing manager Malcolm Cumming.
"The response [to our stand] was exceptionally good. We worked hard on that show for three days. It was an excellent show. We were in a good traffic location, which helped. Visually, we were interesting to look at."
Canon didn't make any sales, but lined up strong prospects for its Océ Arizona 660 GT UV flatbed and EngView packaging and design software, said marketing manager Damian Schaller.
Mimaki's national sales & marketing manager, Brad Creighton, said the manufacturer experienced consistent traffic.
He told ProPrint visitors were particularly interested in the JV400-160 SUV printer, which debuted at PacPrint, and the JV33-160 printer, which was bundled with the CG-130 SR3 cutting plotter for $18,500.
[Related: Visual Impact 2012]
Mailing equipment manufacturer Pitney Bowes also had a stand at the signage show. The aim was to target new customers and show them how they could diversify into higher-margin areas and boost their production efficiency, said Paul Leonard, director of sales for business & enterprise.
He said Pitney Bowes was pleased with the level of interest in the Connect+ mailing system and the DP40S document and envelope printer.
Visual Impact ran from 12-14 September. It was moved from its usual location at Darling Harbour to the Sydney Showground at Sydney Olympic Park.
Organisers Visual Industries Suppliers Association said attendance fell about 20% and exhibitor numbers fell 25% compared to 2012. The drop-off was partly due to people being put off by the relocation and partly due to exhibitors focusing on PacPrint earlier in the year, said general manager Peter Harper.
However, Harper told ProPrint that "most exhibitors reported good sales and leads". "The quality of the visitors was excellent, with many there to make purchases."
He also said the show had allowed exhibitors to make sales to clients outside the industry.
"We have done an exit survey, however I have not got the results of this yet. But talking to the girls who conducted it, they said there were no negative answers," he said.
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