Summary

After the American Newspaper Publishers Association ANPA, following its merger last year with the Newspaper Advertising Bureau NAB, adopted the new name of NAA = Newspaper Association of America, it was considered time to re-name ANPA/TEC also. It now bears the name of NEXPO (Newspaper Expo). Some 7500 visitors had registered in advance for NEXPO’93 in New Orleans, and 380 exhibitors showed their products on 243,000 square feet exhibition space. Compared with the figures for the previous year (321 exhibitors on 233,950 square feet), this represents a positive development indeed. However, the economic signals in the U.S.A. are by no means as optimistic. The cau- tious optimism of the year before, at the start of the election campaign for the new presi- dent, has not lasted, and if anything has given way to a more pessimistic outlook. In the first quarter of 1993, the recorded economic growth in the U.S.A. was 1.8%, whereas the figure for the final three months of 1992 was 4.7%. Unemployment continues to be put at about 7 % , though many businesses have announced further redundan- cies. The only light on the horizon is that both interest rates and inflation are at low lev- els. But just what can be done to get things "up and running" again? The first objective is to create an atmosphere of hope. Investors are troubled by the uncertainty as to wheth- er the current falling-off in profits in the newspaper industry is due more to the recession or to the structure of the industry. All parties are in unanimous agreement, however, that the good times of the 1980s will not return in the same degree as before. For this reason, more economical machine concepts are being called for. Sufficient reason to visit New Orleans, and Amsterdam from 11-14 October 1993 for IFRA’93.