SGIA Atlanta, GA

Very early on Wednesday, 15th, I flew with some colleagues down to Atlanta to see the SGIA show. The show highlights the latest innovations in digital imaging and we were there to research firsthand the technology that applies to our business. We stayed in a hotel with spectacular architecture and the photos below show the foyer looking upwards to the 55 levels reminding me of the Alien movies. The elevators zoomed quickly skyward like in a sci-fi movie and the whole place was a photographer's paradise. The pink structure was the focal point in the bar area and changed color every few minutes.

The photo below was taken from my room's 36th floor looking down to the foyer and bar with the light structure in the middle.

The outside entrance of the hotel had a wonderful water feature which vehicles circled to pick up or drop off residents.

This photo below shows the Atlanta skyline from my room.

At the show, I visited one of my favorite areas showcasing screen printing and the equipment used for printing. T-shirts were being printed here with 11 screens, layering colors with gel and glitter.


The artwork below was featured all over the show promoting Epson printers; here Joe and the 2 Mikes grabbed an opportune moment to pose with the painted lady. A smaller poster made its way back to our offices.

The printer below was my focal point. I've been researching these printers for 3 years assessing various companies and their machines. How remarkable that a desktop printer can produce a printed shirt as simply as printing a sheet of paper. The machinery was hypnotic and drew crowds of amazed onlookers. The techology still has a long way to go but there are a couple of these printers which are worth investing in now and which produce vibrant prints.


Aesthetically, the booth below was one of my favorites. Their products had no relation to our company but their stand was definitely eyecatching.

Another crowd draw were the vehicle wrap stands. This is another method of advertising which has really taken off and developed in leaps and bounds. It was fascinating to watch how these wraps were applied and the attention to detail that was required to complete each vehicle.


This frog looked a little lonely at his table so we grabbed a photo op but Mike seemed to hold a grudge against the poor fluffy defenceless critter.


I couldn't resist a photo of what must be the oldest working laptop in the world. What a chunky lump of plastic!

After a whirlwind tour we left late on Thursday. Our visit was a soaring success and we left with a pile of goodies to enhance our business and a lot of valuable information. Due to the economic slump, the show was not attended by as many people as in previous years, yet this worked to our advantage as we were able to walk around unimpeded and strike some great deals. Roll on next year in New Orleans.