The Imprinted Sportswear Shows Announces Rebranding as Impressions Expo; Set to Launch in 2020

ALPHARETTA, Ga., April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Imprinted Sportswear Shows (ISS), owned and operated by Emerald Expositions, a leading operator of business-to-business (B2B) trade shows in the United States, will be rebranding in 2020 with a new name: Impressions Expo. This transition will start with its annual trade show in Long Beach, CA, on Jan. 17-19, 2020. Subsequent regional events in Atlantic City, NJ; Orlando, FL; Houston, TX; and Fort Worth, TX; will follow suit.

The Impressions Expo brand reflects the ISS brand's alignment with Impressions magazine, a leading B2B publication canvassing the decorated-apparel industry and longtime ISS sponsor, with the goal of providing attendees with authoritative, informational content, trade show interactions and award-winning conferences that are benchmarks of both prestigious brands. All events will continue to showcase the same product categories with a name that now encompasses the entire decorated-apparel industry, from raw goods/ fabrics to the finished packaged product.

Josh Carruth, Show Director, states: "We are not changing the show or the core markets we serve. We are dedicated to the garment and non-wearable decorating professionals seen at all our events today, and embrace the evolution in technology, products and services of both new and old needed by our attendees as they relate to the decorating process. Ultimately, Impressions is a name that is better representative of who we are, as we are not just sportswear." 

Product categories include, but are not limited to: screen printing, embroidery, direct-to-garment printing, blank apparel, sublimation, heat transfers, product packaging, promotional products and more. 

Impressions magazine originally launched in 1977, followed by a trade show one year later. Both teams have been working together closely ever since. Marcia Derryberry, Editor-in-Chief of Impressions magazine, notes this bond, stating, "The name change will strengthen the already-close relationship between the trade show and the magazine as we work together to educate the industry's decorators to be the best they can be."

Carruth agrees, adding, "Impressions has been a trusted name in our industry for over 40 years and covers the entire spectrum when it comes to decorated-apparel today. The name change will only strengthen our bond as we work together in our office every day and produce a show that truly brings the magazine's content to life." This transformation will help in continuing the united brand's mission to bring useful features on the trade show floor and throughout each event's 40-plus conferences. 

Looking toward the future, Carruth notes, "This shift in branding will only better align the show with the current state of the industry. The magazine's 40-plus year test run has proven that. There is nothing wrong with change if it moves us in the right direction. We look forward to showing this to our attendees and exhibitors starting with Impressions Expo-Long Beach 2020."

Initial design changes will start to take effect at the launch of Impressions Expo-Long Beach's pre-show registration at the end of August 2019. A new website, ImpressionsExpo.com, will be available soon.

About ISS
The Imprinted Sportswear Show is the premier trade show dedicated to the imprinted and decorated- apparel industry.  With over 40 years in the industry, ISS focuses on everything from fashion blanks and promotional items to everything necessary to complete your finished designs in screen and digital printing, heat transfer, embroidery, promotional items and more.  Each of the five annual trade shows also feature over 40 seminars and hands-on workshops to keep you updated on all the latest trends and topics starting with graphic design all the way through to the final design application. Five shows are produced annually in each region of the U.S. including: Long Beach, CA, Atlantic City, NJ, Houston, TX, Orlando, FL, and Fort Worth, TX. For more details, visit ISSshows.com.

ImpressionsExpo.com coming soon.

About Impressions magazine
Impressions magazine is the one-stop source for authoritative business and technical information crucial to building and sustaining a profitable decorated-apparel business. Its mission is to provide business education and how-to instruction on the software and equipment needed to perform the four major processes that comprise today's digitally driven decorated-apparel marketplace — screen printing, embroidery, heat-applied graphics and digital decorating. The brand includes a print magazine, as well as a monthly digital edition and many other digital publications. These include the Impressions Product Guide, the Impressions Newsletter, online Sourcebook, custom Tech Tips digital newsletters and more.

About Emerald Expositions
The Imprinted Sportswear Shows and Impressions magazine are owned and operated by Emerald Expositions, LLC, headquartered in San Juan Capistrano, CA, with operations of more than 55 trade shows, connecting over 500,000 global attendees and exhibitors each year.

SOURCE The Imprinted Sportswear Shows