In the printing industry, the term 'Convergence' refers to combining multiple technologies and processes into one system. This process allows for a more efficient, streamlined production process. For example, a printing company may use a combination of digital printers, plate makers, and finishing equipment to produce printed materials. The company can reduce costs, improve quality, and increase efficiency by using a single system.

The decision to postpone Pamex event from March 2022 to March 2023 was taken in October 2021. The world was recovering from the second onslaught of Covid-19, this time with the Omicron variant of the virus. India too, was hit severely this time. Once again, the shadows of gloom affected small and medium sizes industries all over India. It was a call that needed to be taken by the Pamex team, specially P Chander, president, AIFMP and Anil Arora of Printing Packaging, as IPAMA had announced its edition 15 of PrintPack India from 26-30 May 2022. Pamex needed to be at least one year away from PrintPack, so the dates were fixed for 27-30 March 2023 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai.

Ravindra Joshi, chairman of Pamex, soon took charge. Along with co-organiser Anil Arora, Joshi formed a Pamex core team, which included print entrepreneurs, print machine manufacturers, and a few print technologists.

The core team's sole purpose was coordinating the overall mission of the event. The team would be responsible for setting and implementing the event's objectives, defining the organisational structure and developing the overall strategy to ensure the event's success through roadshows across the country.

The Pamex 2023 Core Team

• Abhishek Bhatnagar, HP 
• Amit Sheth, Intergraphic Sales & Services
• Anil Arora, Print-Packaging.com (P) 
• Bhuvnesh Sheth, Replika Press
• CN Ashok, Autoprint Machinery
• Deepak Chawla, TechNova
• Harveer Sahni, Weldon Celloplast  
• Hemanth Paruchuri, Pragati Pack
• Kaku Kohli, Kohli Industries
• Kuldeep Goel, Any Graphics
• Manish Desai, Mudrika Labels
• Mehul Desai, Mail Order Solutions India, BMPA
• Nitin Wani, Print Consultant
• Pawandeep Sahni, Omet India
• Ranesh Bajaj, Vinsak India
• Ravindra Joshi, All India Federation of Master Printers (AIFMP)
• Samir Patkar, Heidelberg India
• Sonal Khurana, S Media Group - Print & Publishing
• Tushar Dhote, Dhote Offset

The first core-group meeting was held virtually on 10 Aug 2022 and was chaired by Ravindra Joshi, chairman - Pamex.

Topics discussed and covered during the meeting were:

• Monitoring the current scenario of the Indian print industry.
• Determining the orbit and scope of Convergence in Print.
• Selecting cities for organising promotional 'roadshows', comprising of a day-long table top exhibition and a half-day conference, themed around convergence in print.
• Outlining the plan of the pre-event conference.
• Adding additional elements to event campaigns like case study presentations, relative #hashtags, visitor feedback systems and reaching out to all local associations for their support in connecting with printers from every corner of the country.
   

"The first core-group meeting has generated valuable ideas and has given us an outline of what the industry is looking forward to. With the theme of Convergence in Print, Pamex will certainly bring several cutting-edge innovations and technologies on display in edition 2023," said Ravindra Joshi.

It was decided to have three halls for Pamex this time.

• Hall No 1: Printing machines, papers, digital printing and embellishment equipment,  consumables, accessories, print management software.
• Hall No 2: Dedicated to the theme - convergence in print – labels, flexible packaging, mono cartons, converting equipment 
• Hall No 3: Paper and board converting, corrugation, signage

Pamex soon rolled out the dates and venues of roadshows, which would be held in six cities of India, leading to the main exhibition happening from 27-30 March 2023.

• Guwahati | 27 Nov 2022
• Ahmedabad | 09 Dec 2022
• Pune | 23 Dec 2022
• Indore | 24 Jan 2023
• Bangalore | 24 Feb 2023
• Haridwar | 03 Mar 2023

All the roadshows would carry the theme of Convergence in Print and typically would comprise a day-long table-top exhibition and a half-day conference, which would actually be a panel discussion with three print experts and one technology leader and would be moderated by an industry specialist.

The first roadshow was to be held on 27 Nov 2022 at Maniram Diwan Trade Centre, Guwahati, concurrently with North East Print Tech 2022.

This initiated Pamex's 2023 journey towards fulfilling its objective of spreading the word to all parts of India. 

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(Tushar Dhote is co-chairman of Pamex, and director, Dhote Offset Technokrafts. This is the third in a series of weekly Tushar Dhote Columns, which will continue till the Pamex show will be held from 27-30 March 2023 in Mumbai. In his next, Dhote will tell how the Pamex team could achieve its mission, detailing what and how the team worked at the ground level to achieve a successful campaign. Stay tuned in…)