SPRING 1994 No 37
NEWS OF THE MICROFILM INDUSTRY
The Return of the “Showcase” After two successful years the ‘Microfilm Showcase’ became, in 1992, yet another victim of the indiscriminate recession. Now, however, with the market becoming buoyant once more, it seems a good time to bring back a revised version of the ‘Showcase’. Tjhe ‘Document Management Showcase’, as I believe it should be designated, will take place at the Hammersmith Novotel (the scene of our finest hours) on Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th November 1994.
The document management industry is big business in terms of overall turnover, but comprises, to a large extent, a myriad of small to medium sized companies. It is with this in mind, when laying out the floor plan for the exhibition, I.have allowed for a higher number of economical, affordable booths than in the past. This is after all, an opportunity for a small company to meet more potential customers in two days than it would normal ly be able to visit in three months.
We have, over the years, listened to and, I hope, learned from exhibitors and visitors alike. This time we will try to make the changes that you seem to want.
In promoting the 1994 show we also have an advantage that we have not had in the past - we now publish a magazine that is aimed at the end user .
The show will be for only two days,rather than three, at the beginning of the week rather than in the middle. Thus, for exhibitors, only half a week of normal work is lost.
Document Management News, whilst carrying no advertising, will be shamelessly exploited as a means of attracting more retail visitors to the exhibition.
The build up day will be Sunday - no production lost there.
We, at Themeprint, believe that the time is right and, with our experience so expensively bought, we also believe that we are the right people to organise what will become the main annual event in the Document Management calendar - but it can only happen with your support !
The venue, by popular demand, will be back in the Champagne Suite of the Novotel, Hammersmith, London. The costs will be much as they were back in 1992. It will, as the new title suggests, be a broader based exhibition, taking in all aspects of document management. Though it will, I suspect, still have a strong leaning towards microform. We believe, and past experience bares us out, that to attract the non-trade visitors the show has to be broader based. The word Microfilm’ has to be dropped from the exhibition name, however painful that amputation might be. “Document Management’ is the current buzz phrase, and it’s all embracing, so let’s use it ! The most important function of a document management show today is to display as many of the alternative solutions as is pos sible under one roof. Thus it should not be confined to only microfilm or only electronic imaging but should show the full spectrum, including, if possible, some paper management options. After all, the whole of the document storage/management indus try revolves around that basic item, the paper document, and yet it is almost totally ignored in all other DM media. Considering •that in excess of 90% of companies still keep their archives of records, accounts, drawings etc. in paper form, perhaps those companies could be encouraged to visit the ‘Showcase’ by offering them more up-to-date and efficient methods of storing and retrieving their paper documents, while, at the same time, exposing them to other,perhaps previously unknown, solutions. The Micrographics Market Place
For full specifications contact: Themeprint Ltd., 65 LUinchester Driue, Burbage, Leics. LE10 2BR Tel: 0203 382328
Fax: 0203 382319 1