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.
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
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