Print Solutions Magazine - President's Message

President's Message

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Baltimore or Bust

Every year I hear some PSDA members say they aren't sure it's worth coming to the annual Print Solutions conference and trade show. Common complaints are: "There isn't anything new;" "I can't be out of the office that long;" or "It costs too much to attend."

It's no surprise that many of the people saying this haven't attended in the past few years, so maybe they haven't realized the enormous change PSDA has seen since rebranding last fall. We made the change because we recognized that the industry has changed dramatically. We did it so the association can support the future direction of successful members. We did it so that PSDA can support the wide array of printing services that customers are asking for.

Consequently, the meetings are changing also. This year's Print Solutions is completely different. I have seen it evolve into a more relevant show in recent years, and this year promises not to disappoint. I could easily say that I am going so you should too, but that wouldn't be fair--I'm a board member, and I have to.

However, the show offers such a strong program that I'm sending several Vanguard staff members. Some of my managers are attending to hear about things like social networking and going green. Joel Warady is a social networking expert, and he will get to the root of blogging, vlogging, texting, podcasts, social networking, YouTube, Squidoo and many more online marketing ideas that will help Vanguard branch into the virtual world. Don Carli, a green expert, will help my sales staff cut through the environmental clutter to gain an understanding on what we really need to know so we can make some money selling green.

I have sales staff going to conference sessions to learn about web-to-print and pURLs. They need to know more about how to sell both of these technologies since my clients are asking for them. There is also a session on how I can double my promotional products sales in less than 90 days, taught by an industry professional who has proven techniques that he will share.

Since there are Saturday sessions offered, I'm sending my customer service and support people to learn about CSR communications with customers, sales reps and managers. Our keynote speaker on Saturday will address the emerging technologies and new products that my people have to know about to stay current.
This year's show will have a green pavilion and educational sessions on the show floor. It will also boast a new Commercial Printing Pavilion, housing more than 20 commercial printers that want me to help get their products to market. This, of course, is in addition to the commercial, promotional and document printers that support our show each year.

The greatest value I receive at Print Solutions usually comes when I least expect it. Maybe it's a great vendor source provided to me. Perhaps it's a piece of advice on a business strategy. Sometimes it is simply the confirmation that I am doing the right things to move my business forward. Whatever the case, I find that simply being away from the day-to-day grind and mixing with peers has a magical effect on me. This is the strategic time I treat myself to and it has always paid off.

The meeting and show offer several opportunities to mix with your peers. If you haven't networked enough during the day, our sponsors provide evening receptions that create a great venue for meeting others.

If you're sitting at your desk thinking how busy you are, do yourself a favor and send yourself to a great industry event.
I look forward to seeing you in Baltimore.

Bob O'Connell is president of Vanguard Direct, New York City, and president of PSDA.