Wednesday, August 28, 2013

How your printing business can capitalize on the next big local event

After my 14-August-2013 blog post, "Prince George's birth proves yet again: Nimble = Profitable" http://vicg8.blogspot.ca/2013/07/prince-georges-birth-proves-yet-again.html, I fielded numerous questions from printers via e-mail and social media on the detailed mechanics of how they can prepare their businesses for the next commercial windfall associated with a big local event.

It's hard to generalize about this topic, since the answers are often situational and depend largely on the type of event for which you are planning.

However, in case you're seeking more information, my feature "Olympian Printing" contains case studies describing how Metropolitan Fine Printers and Ampco Grafix positioned themselves strategically to provide printing for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.  

A PDF of the Olympics article is available at:  https://www.box.net/shared/erx45bpunc  


Wednesday, August 14, 2013

‘Back to the Future’: First International Print Networking Event Scheduled 5-10 September 2013 in Italy


In March 2013 I reported on a remarkable development in the U.S.A. in which an informal networking get-together in New Orleans, Louisiana, organized by half a dozen printers who were well connected on social media, turned into a conference of over 100 people and The National Print Owners Association, Inc., a trade organization with currently 315 registered members located in five countries in the Americas and Australia.

Now a parallel grassroots movement is taking place in Europe, where printers connected on social media are taking the task of organizing a face-to-face networking event into their own hands:

From September 5 to 10, 2013, leading Italian family-owned print group StampaSud will host a select group of between 15 and 20 international print personnel at a networking conference at Castellaneta Marina, near Taranto, on Italy’s Mediterranean coast.

Attendees will participate in informal workshops, presentations, and discussions about the printing industry and changes affecting their businesses.  Although topic suggestions are still being collected and the program is still being finalized, items of discussion are expected to include:
-       The latest applications of such new technologies as QR codes, Augmented Reality, and 3D printing
-       New digital technology in print, colour management, and file preparation
-       Quotations
-       Substrates
-       Social media
-       Logistics
-       Gurus
-       Shop windows and whether there is a tendency to put print back on the high street.
-       Whether print is returning to a providing a more personal touch.

Attendees will consist of qualified printing personnel, brokers, buyers, suppliers, and facilitators who can provide insights on these and other subjects.  Many are members of the 16,000-member Print and Print Procurement (International) (PPPI) Discussion Group, a 16,266-member networking vehicle for digital, litho, and web printers, corporate print buyers, and print management firms that has been active on LinkedIn since 2008.

The event in Italy is being organized by StampaSud’s UK Commercial Director Antony Calo with assistance from Paul Scanlon, Chairman of Liverpool-based print management company CDP and Francis Grogan, Director of Leeds-based grg print management.  The photographs in this post show the venue for the event, Turchesi Club Village.   Applications from persons  wishing to participate are still welcome.  (A downloadable application form is available at: https://app.box.com/s/ym1nzjfzwdt9rxpbrnt6)  StampaSud will generously cover the cost of attendees’ accommodation, airport transportation, and most meals.  Other sponsors include Italian paper manufacturer Fedrigoni.  Organizers hope that, if the conference proves successful, it will become a regular event, held in various international locations every year or two.

Beforehand attendees can exchange views and plans via the PPPI LinkedIn Group at:  http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=56173&trk=myg_ugrp_ovr or via the event’s Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/groups/198529176977201

 My previous article on the evolution of The National Print Owners Association Association, Inc. can be found at:   https://app.box.com/s/1q8sm8r949s6m26zv67b

The official press release on the upcoming event in Italy follows below:

Press Release

8th August 2013

STARTS

Sun, wine and print – ‘Back to the Future’ first International print networking event to be held in Italy

Leading Italian family-owned print group, StampaSud (including Paco and Smartlabel and the print brand PrintItalia), has announced that it is to play host to a select gathering of between 15-20 international print personnel, as part of a 4-day networking conference to be held in September in the Italian Mediterranean coastal venue of Turchesi Club Village, Castellaneta Marina near Taranto.

The event will involve a series of informal workshops and presentations based around print, new techniques and methods and the changes taking place in the industry. There will also be a debate on whether there is a trend towards print returning to the more personal touch, as well as a presentation from host company, StampaSud, who are providing all of the costs for hosting the event.

Other subjects that will be debated include; Guru’s, new digital technology in print, colour management and file preparation, quotations, substrates, social media, logistics and the shop window – whether there is tendency to put print back on the high street.

The aim is to gather together some of the great minds and most qualified international print personnel, comprising of print brokers, material buyers and suppliers as well as facilitators, who will be able to provide opinions and thoughts on the subject matter, in both an informal and relaxed atmosphere.

The Print and Procurement International group has been running successfully since 2008, with the aim of helping printers and print buyers connect, network and ask each other for advice. Whilst the idea of a conference/event has been discussed for some time, it is only through the generosity of StampaSud and other supporters, including Italian paper manufacturer, Fedrigoni, that this has been made possible. The aim is that the conference will hopefully be the start of more events to come.

In addition, a LinkedIn page has recently been established, http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=56173&trk=myg_ugrp_ovr where members and those attending can engage and exchange views prior to the conference and view the various presentations and personnel. The idea is that through social networking there can be a transition via the conference into a real and social networking opportunity. A Facebook page has also been set up for further engagement www.facebook.com/groups/198529176977201

A further development will see the creation of a standalone website, which is currently being built to offer printers and print buyers even more ways to connect in the future.

If successful, the intent is to make the conference a regular event, which will be held in various international locations every 12-24 months. Those attending will then debate and talk about the industry and the changes affecting the businesses therein.

Commenting on the initiative, StampaSud UK Commercial Director Antony Calo stated, “The idea has been to get this off the ground for some time, but now thanks to my company and several other group members this has finally been achieved. We hope that this will be both an informative and social occasion, where leading print personnel can provide topical debate. We look forward to establishing this as a regular event on the print calendar.”

StampaSud have been assisted in co-ordinating and planning the event by Paul Scanlon, Chairman of Liverpool-based print management company CDP and Francis Grogan, Director of Leeds-based grg print management.

ENDS
____________________________________________________________________

About StampaSud:
Situated on the far southern coast of Italy, StampaSud was established in 1950 by the Posa family as a small and private family run print firm. Significant investment in recent years has enabled the company to become a prominent and successful supplier of print and packaging materials to many leading advertising agencies, banks, tour operators, insurance providers and commercial clients for both the Italian and European markets.
In 2010 the company opened a UK sales office to capitalise on the European market.
StampaSud is now a leading player in the graphic print industry employing around 80 staff and with a turnover of approximately EUR8m.

For further information about StampaSud, visit:
If you have any queries on this press release please contact Andy Scott (07770 520484) or email: info@andy-scott.net
For more information on Andy Scott’s services, visit www.andy-scott.net