WPPI: photography is cool

Last week was the annual WPPI show at the Paris hotel in Las Vegas. ExpressDigital has been exhibiting at the show on and off for the past 8 years, however this was my first time that I was able to attend. I arrived on Monday, the first day of the show and I was pleasantly surprised with the size of the convention floor and impressed with the number of photographers roaming the halls. After I picked up my registration, I visited our booth and then took a stroll around to get a better feel for what was being shown. I really liked the vibe that the WPPI show gave off and the hipness of the attendees. WPPI has a feel of its own and it really is refreshing to see and to feel.

Unlike any other photography trade show that I have attended over the years, WPPI was like an "edu-sales" conference with sessions during the day and educational selling happening right on the trade floor. The room was filled with booths giving demos, seminars and presentations all talking about how to best use digital technology. Famous and semi-famous photographers were all over the place, seen at various booths, talking about a variety of topics including workflow, posing, marketing and printing. Many of these photographers had speaking gigs at competing booths during the show, as well as WPPI sponsored educational sessions. That may sound odd however I say that sharing knowledge (regardless of how it is done) is key to the future success of our industry. Great job WPPI and thanks for putting on such a terrific show.

See you next year.