Business News

GRAPH EXPO 2010 ANNOUNCES PRINT BUYER PROGRAM AMONG FULL SLATE OF EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS

Friday 28. May 2010 - Offerings Include More than 50 Seminars Across 20 Subject Categories for 11 Industry Market Segments

GRAPH EXPO 2010 has announced that it will feature a full slate of educational seminars when the foremost graphic communication exhibition opens this fall. Among the highlights will be the Print Buyer Program, newly updated and returning for the third time to GRAPH EXPO. GRAPH EXPO 2010, the year’s largest commercial and package printing, publishing, mailing and transactional exposition in the Americas will take place October 3 – 6 in Chicago’s McCormick Place.

The GRAPH EXPO 2010 Seminar Program—which features more than 50 seminars across 20-plus subject categories and geared to 11 key graphic communications market segments—offers attendees a fully customized educational experience with practical business tips and key strategies that can be put to use as soon as they return home. The Print Buyer Program is no exception. “The Print Buyer Program is representative of what attendees will find across our GRAPH EXPO 2010 Seminar Program,” said Ralph Nappi, President of the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC). “All of our educational offerings include a useful mix of immediately applicable strategies, longer-term business management advice, and industry forecast and trend information that will help graphic communications professionals move their careers and businesses forward. Even more important, each session has been developed and will be led by an industry expert, to ensure that attendees receive the best education possible.”

The Print Buyer Program consists of two education ‘tracks,’ the Print Buyer Boot Camp and the Print Buyer Forum. According to Margie Dana, program moderator and Founder of Print Buyers International, “The program will give print buyers innovative ideas that will keep them current with printing trends and technologies—and then some. The sessions and speakers are top-notch, and the content relates to anyone working with commercial printers as sourcing or design specialists.”

Specifically, the Print Buyer Boot Camp is a full-day ‘basic training’ tailored for individuals new to buying print, designing for print or managing a buying staff. Led by instructors Frank Romano, Steve Suffoletto and Margie Dana, the Boot Camp features seven modules that cover all aspects of print design and print specification which include: an overview of the printing process, what buyers and designers should know about paper, approving proofs and giving press OKs, how to buy print in a changing graphic arts marketplace, and the best resources for print buyers and designers. Additionally, the Boot Camp will feature in-depth information on the newest trends in printing, as well as the basics on one of the most popular printing technologies today—digital printing. As a special bonus, all attendees will receive a detailed take-home reference guide on print buying basics. The Print Buyer Boot Camp, priced at $199, will take place on Sunday, October 3.

The Print Buyer Forum, slated for Monday, October 4 and Tuesday, October 5, is for more experienced print buyers. Themed “Moving Modern Print Buyers Forward & Upward,” the two-day educational event will address the challenges print buyers face in this new print-buying environment. Sessions will include a workshop on how to achieve optimum on-the-job productivity with a roundup of tools that can help buyers prioritize their tasks; an interactive discussion among print-buying pros about their job challenges, ideas and resources; an overview of the trends and demographic changes affecting the U.S. printing industry; an introduction on how to use cross-media strategies to improve the bottom line; plus, a primer on new applications in digital printing.

New this year is the option for participants to select individual seminars to attend within the Print Buyer Forum. The entire forum features five seminars, two of which include breakfast and one that includes lunch, for a total of $299. (Priced individually, the five seminars would cost $549.)

In addition to the Print Buyer Program, attendees will find more than 50 seminars targeting the interests of 11 market segments: commercial printers; in-plant printers; package & specialty printers; book printers & publishers; digital print imaging/quick & instant printers; wide format printers; mailing & fulfillment pros; transactional printers; newspaper printers & production executives; creative services/advertising/marketing pros; and, print buyers.

The conference sessions—which will emphasize how to take greatest advantage of the latest industry trends and technologies, offer practical methods to boost profits and lower costs, and reveal innovative business ideas for getting ahead of the competition—will span 20 subject categories including: Cloud Computing; Color Management; Design; Digital; Entrepreneurship; Executive Management; Interactive Media; Lean Management and Manufacturing; Mailing & Fulfillment; Mergers, Joint Ventures and Acquisitions; Pre-media; Print Buying; Printable Electronics; Production; Sales & Marketing; Social Networking; Sustainability; Transactional; Trends & Opportunities; and, Workflow.

As a lead-in to GRAPH EXPO 2010, graphic communication professionals are additionally invited to attend the 15th edition of the annual EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK Conference, which takes place the day before GRAPH EXPO 2010 on Saturday, October 2, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in McCormick Place South. The ever-popular technology and trends update conference addresses topics of current interest to industry professionals. During the conference luncheon, the much-heralded announcement of the Positively Print program award recipients will take place with each of the nominees individually introduced and recognized for the important role they play in artfully—and effectively—promoting the enduring value, effectiveness and power of print in today’s media mix. The EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK Conference will conclude with the announcement of the MUST SEE ‘EMS, a roundup of the most intriguing and game-changing technologies and products exhibited at GRAPH EXPO. More information on EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK can be found at: www.graphexpo.com. For complete details and entry forms for the Positively Print program, visit: www.positivelyprint.org.

Recognized as the commercial printing, publishing, mailing and transactional exposition for the Americas, GRAPH EXPO 2010 themed, “The Next Generation of Print,” has been designed to offer a customized show-going experience to a diverse spectrum of attendees. The exhibition will offer the latest graphic communication technologies in live equipment demonstrations across the expansive show floor and education on the most in-demand products and profit-making opportunities. In addition to the GRAPH EXPO Seminar Program, attendees will find seven special interest sections on the show floor. These include the debut of News Print—the newspaper pavilion; PackPrint, covering package printing; Future Print, featuring two of today’s hottest technologies Printed Electronics and RFID; the Mailing & Fulfillment Center, the industry’s largest mailing event anywhere in the Americas; the second annual GREENspace, a showcase on sustainability and eco-friendly products and services; and the Prepress/Software-Design and Press/Finishing sections.