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In mid-November, the new FedEx Kinkos Office and Print Center held an official grand opening at its George R. Brown Convention Center  (GRBCC) location. Meeting planners and convention-goers at the GRBCC in Houston, TX, can now get a full range of show and business enhancing services, including sign and graphics printing, custom finishings, binding, photo enlargements, scanning and CD burning, PC rentals, Internet access and FedEx Express and FedEx Ground shipping.

"Our clients can order various business and document services from their home office and have the finished product waiting for them when they get to the Brown," said Bobby Balsam, director of sales, GRBCC. "We are very excited about having FedEx Kinko's expertise and proven track record on site. This is tremendous added value for our clients."

The GRBCC is only the latest of a rapidly growing meeting industry trend—FedEx Kinkos Office and Print Centers onsite in convention centers as well as meeting and convention hotels. Currently, there are about 25 of these onsite locations—and while only a fraction of the estimated 1,350 FedEx Kinkos Office and Print Centers nationwide—it is a niche the company is eagerly cultivating.

"It’s a good match for us and the venue, and we are looking to expand the business center segment," said Angela Benitez, segment manager for Hospitality & Conventions, FedEx Kinkos.

Business Centers have become the rule and not the exception at most meeting venues. The demanding, mobile professionals populating today’s fast paced, high-tech, business are demanding more services from business services. In order to keep pace with these rising expectations, meeting venues are outsourcing their business center to a brand known for its office and printing services.

The trend began in the mid-90s, when the Ocean County Convention Center (OCCC) in Orlando, FL. became the first onsite Kinko’s business center. "In the early stages of our working relationship with FedEx Kinko’s, we were seeking a way to simply meet the demands of our current clients," Yulita Osuba, marketing manager, OCCC. " FedEx Kinko’s, through their foresight, flexibility and ability to align their services with our business goals, turned into an invaluable business partner. They have kept up with our rapid expansion and continue to surpass our expectations."

In 2003 FedEx acquired Kinkos—the combination of shipping with printing and other office services fueled the onsite growth. The vast majority of the estimated 25 onsite FedEx Kinkos Office and Print Centers are only a year or two old, with more on their way. The company is looking at both convention centers and hotels, and will often take over existing business centers as well as start a facility’s first center.

"In first-tier markets, the focus is on convention centers, because of occupancy and in second-and-third-tier markets, our focus is on hotels, mainly convention hotels," said Benitez. "We go where the occupancy is. The centers can stay busy, and is a value-added service to the hotel’s guests, and meeting attendees usually just have to cross the street."

What is created is essentially a business center on steroids—augmenting the typical computers, ports, copying and faxing services with office supply products for sale, and a full offering of cutting-edge of office, printing and shipping services. "The outlets can provide all the services of a full-FedEx Kinkos because in a city there is a network of FedEx Kinkos," said Benitez. "So, they can produce, for example, higher volume print jobs or large format signs at another location and deliver them quickly the venue."

The onsite outlets are also working with associations as well as organizations scheduled to attend a meeting to produce pre-show materials. "With the big meetings, we can produce their documents there, streamlining their costs and allowing for more last minute changes," said Benitez. "We manage all the document printing for a convention, which is a great resource to have onsite."

In addition, the Fedex part of the business simplifies the vast array of shipping needs. "At the close of the show, those attending want to get out of there, so there is an advantage, for instance in shipping lightweight booths," said Benitez. "Also, attendees have a lot of materials, like brochures or samples and that sort of thing, which they can easily ship out through FedEx, which means they don’t have to lug the stuff to the airport."

As to how many new onsite FedEx Kinkos Office and Print Centers will open in 2007, Benitez would not say, only mentioning that there are several contracts currently under review. "We basically are a retail operation that leases space, but we are aware that we are going into somebody’s building, and we’re working with their customer," says Benitez. "We want to make sure we fit into the specific culture of a specific venue. But, it is a service industry, and we bring the service to their customers."

Some of the other meeting venues with an onsite FedEx Kinkos Office and Print Center, include: Georgia World Congress Center, San Diego Convention Center, Minneapolis Convention Center, John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, Jacob K. Javits Convention, Anaheim Convention Center, Seattle Convention Center, Hyatt Regency Convention Center/Denver,Marriott Marquis - Atlanta, GA, Marriott LA Airport - CA, Marriott - Anaheim, CA, Boca Resort & Club, Hilton Downtown - Atlanta, GA, Marriott - Irvine, CA, Marriott Desert Ridge, Marriott Downtown - Chicago, IL , Marriott Philadelphia, and Westin Kierland Resort