A Seat at the Table

Try something new, and you just might kick yourself for not doing it sooner.

At our most recent Boston Print Buyers' dinner program, we threw away the old format in favor of a new one. Instead of hosting a dinner sponsored by one firm and featuring a one-topic presentation by the sponsor, I decided to shake things up. We invited people to come to talk to one another about work-related issues they cared about and maybe even struggled with.

The five topics were these:

1. What does green printing mean, and how does a print buyer deal with the many complex issues about sustainability in the graphic arts?

2. What's it like, working with a printer in China? What works well and what doesn't?

3. How can a professional print buyer measure the caliber of her/his print vendors? Is it even quantifiable?

4. With the print industry undergoing such turmoil and change right now, what skills should professional print buyers acquire and develop so that they're even more valuable to their companies?

5. What are some of the lesser-known ways to save money when you're printing something?

I selected these topics because I knew they had a broad appeal. I also knew that print customers needed to talk with one another about them.

Once the topics were selected, I had only to ask five people to volunteer to lead each discussion. Everyone said yes right away.

Turns out, it was a format whose time had come, and as sorry as I am for not trying it sooner, I'm just glad to have taken the chance.

Yes, expert presentations are quite valuable. But they don't let an audience share ideas with one another in a way that small group discussions do.

Ideas flew all over the joint at our dinner, from person to person and around the tables. After 30 minutes, we let people switch tables and tackle a new topic. That worked well, too.

Not only did attendees get to benefit from others' experiences, but they also got to know one another over dinner, coffee and dessert. So simple an idea! It beats me why I didn't try this sooner. (So much for the old dog, new tricks theory.)

Not to worry: there will definitely be more roundtable meetings for Boston Print Buyers.

And there's our annual conference in September. Long before we held our May meeting, I'd decided to bring roundtables to the conference.

So, on Thursday, September 11th, from 11:45 - 12:30, and again on Friday, from 1:30 - 2:45 pm, in a large ballroom off the Exhibit Hall at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, we'll have numerous roundtable discussions taking place. Topics will be finalized and promoted at a later date, and I will solicit facilitators from conference attendees, speakers, and exhibitors. (If you have a "hot topic" you want me to consider, just let me know and I'll see what I can do.)

There will be no competition from other sessions during these times. I believe this is an opportunity every print buyer has been looking for, so I want to clear the path to September 11th and 12th. Printer attendees are certainly encouraged to participate. It only makes the discussions richer.

If the notion of learning from your peers and getting instant feedback and ideas from buyers and other graphic arts professionals interests you, please plan to join us in Boston in September.

There will be a seat at the table waiting for you.

Comments? Talk to me at mdana@bostonprintbuyers.com.

©2008 Margie Dana. All rights reserved. You're free to forward this email to friends and colleagues: please do! However, no part of this column may be reprinted without permission from the author.

Print Buyer Conference Update

September 11th - 12th, 2008

Sheraton Boston Hotel, Boston, MA

Keynotes Announced:
Romano and Webb Kick Off First Day;
Direct Marketing Expert Alan Rosenspan Highlights Day Two

Dr. Joe Webb and Frank Romano (Dr. No and Dr. Know?) will kick off our 3rd annual conference over breakfast on Thursday, September 11th. If you heard their keynote address last year, you won't want to miss this year's presentation. Prepare to laugh. Prepare to learn. No one has entertained an audience as well since…well, since Martin and Lewis.

On day two of the conference, we'll be treated to a keynote on creativity by Alan Rosenspan, a direct marketing guru who's won dozens of awards and written hundreds of articles on the subject. Alan speaks on direct marketing to audiences all over the world. He has tremendous insights, and I for one can't wait to learn from him. I expect to unleash my inner creativity. It's about time.

For more details on both keynote presentations, access the news release here.

Keynote breakfasts are included in your conference ticket. Registration will begin shortly!

Questions? Contact info@printbuyersinternational.com.

Wanted: Print Specifiers for Greening of Print Study

Pira International, a leading global consultancy in paper and print, is conducting a study on "The Greening of Print" for PRIMIR, the Print Industries Market Information and Research Organization.

Today, green printing is much more than just using recycled paper, and PRIMIR wants to know what your concerns are - now and in the future. As part of this study, Pira will be interviewing people who buy, specify, or influence print.

If you're interested in being interviewed for this study, please email Margie Dana at mdana@printbuyersinternational.com. Those who participate will receive a summary of the key findings of the print buyers survey.

Jack Miller, Pira's Senior Consultant for North America, and one of the leaders of the Greening of Print study, will be at our 3rd Annual Print Buyers Conference in Boston.

Job Posting

Appleseed's of Beverly, MA is looking for a Print Production Coordinator. For details and application information, click here.

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