Xplor International Closes After 40+ Years
This week, a one-time industry giant quietly closed its eyes when Xplor International, the worldwide electronic document systems association, announced it will cease operations.
Though I haven’t attended its conferences in some time, I went religiously back in the late 1990s, when it was a massive affair. The 1998 Xplor conference in Dallas drew about 14,000 attendees from around the globe. The show included a 300,000-sq.-ft. exhibit floor to house 220 exhibitors. I felt lost wandering that trade show floor, and trying to pick from among 300 educational sessions being offered. I still remember listening to Dr. Keith Davidson, the original Executive Director of Xplor, give his keynotes to a vast auditorium full of attendees. (Read my recap of Xplor 1998 here.)
Over time the organization’s conferences reduced in size and attendance. Last year in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, the 2024 Xplor Summit brought together about 120 end users, analysts, consultants, and industry experts along with 14 exhibitors.
After about 45 years of service to our industry, Xplor had a good run. Skip Henk did an amazing job running the organization for the past 23 years. But as you’ll read below, the decision was not made lightly. I hope the connections Xplor members made over the years will last a long, long time.
The News:
Xplor International, the worldwide electronic document systems association, today announced that after more than 40 years, they have made the difficult decision to cease operations effective March 31, 2025.
Skip Henk
“This decision was not made lightly,” says Skip Henk, EDP, who led the organization for the past 23 years as president and CEO. “Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the attendance at our annual conference has not recovered and we have reached the point where we are unable to sustain our operations. We are proud of the connections, knowledge sharing, and experiences we’ve fostered, and we hope our community gained valuable insights, enjoyed our events, and most importantly, built meaningful relationships with fellow professionals.”
What happens now?
- The Xplor website will remain active throughout 2025, allowing members to access a wealth of resources through the Xplor Member Portal, including recorded webinars, past conference presentations, videos, and more.
- The Xplor Certification Program will continue under the management of another organization, with more details to be announced.
- A group of Xplor members will host an Xplor Educational Track at the PRINTING United Expo in Orlando this fall. The show will also feature an Xplor Pavilion on the exhibit floor for Xplor exhibitors.
As this chapter closes, Skip expressed “On behalf of past and present Xplor staff, we are grateful to our members, partners and community. Their support, collaboration, and passion have made a lasting impact, and we are proud of the legacy we leave behind.”
While Xplor International is ending, the connections and knowledge built together will carry on through their certification program and educational efforts, which will continue through the efforts of dedicated Xplor volunteers. The Xplor Association Board of Directors encourages the Xplor community to take full advantage of the resources that remain available through the Xplor website and stay connected through future industry events like the PRINTING United Expo.
As Skip says, “It’s been a good ride. Hope to see you at PRINTING United in October.”
Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited more than 180 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.
