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  Mar. 3, 2008— It's that time of year once more, when the print industry gets together for the On Demand Conference and Expo, located again this year in Boston, March 3-6. Like previous years, it is being held alongside its sister show, the AIIM International Conference and Expo.
According to Debra Brown, event director, On Demand Conference & Exposition, Questex Media Group, "We are very excited for this year's conference and exposition. The event is coming together well, and we expect a strong show. We expect over 10,000 attendees."
She noted that they've also expanded the conference program to include more than 50 sessions. This year examines opportunities for printers seeking to expand their product and service offerings, as well as specific guidance on how to profitably penetrate those new spaces. "Two hot topics that are new this year include 'Trans Meets Promo,' and 'Print to Mail Solutions' presented by The Bennett Group," Brown said. "We also have a great line up presentations. This year's speakers include leading analysts and dozens of printing executives, who will guide attendees through the challenges and opportunities associated with digital document production."
To get an even better feel for the show, Printing News talked to Charles Pesko, Jr., president of InfoTrends, on what he was looking forward to, and what was on his list of "must sees," as well as his views on the industry as a whole in the coming year. Here is what he had to say.
PN: What, in your opinion, should be on everyone's 'can't miss' list this year?
CP: The On Demand conference program is a "can't miss" event…Our industry is transforming at breakneck speed. New technologies, new services, and new business models are emerging almost daily. To stay competitive, you need knowledge—the knowledge to identify promising new markets for your business, select the right technologies, and successfully market and sell new products.
The On Demand conference offers more than 50 sessions designed to help you get—and stay—a step ahead of the technology curve. This year's speakers include leading industry experts, analysts, and printing executives who will be on hand to show you how to capture emerging market opportunities.
PN: If you could put together a Top Five list of reasons a printer should attend the show, what would be on it?
CP:
- Find out how other companies have
succeeded with digital printing.
- Evaluate, assess, and select
technology
- Probe and test products and
services
- Justify your project investment
- Learn from your peers
PN: What do you anticipate the 'hot topic' of the show to be? Why?
CP: The emergence of transpromo documents. Over the past 18 months, a combination of new technologies, postal changes, and market conditions have created an environment in which transaction documents such as statements, invoices, and notifications can be used effectively to generate sales and long-term relationships. Companies are starting to use these communications to create ongoing, sustainable customer dialogues that promote products and services in addition to communicating transactional information. This transition is being coined the "Transpromo revolution," and it is resulting in the use of more attractive, easier-to-understand statements that encourage buying and other desired behaviors.
PN: Are there any products or companies you're looking forward to seeing at the show? Why?
CP: Each year I look forward to exploring all the products and companies that exhibit at the show. There are over 200 vendors, and each has the opportunity to bring dynamic new technologies and services to the market. This year should be particularly exciting with all the pre-drupa announcements being released. We have already heard from key vendors including Canon, Fujifilm, Kodak, Presstek, Ricoh, Screen, and Xerox. I am looking forward to learning more about their announcements.
PN: What advice would you give to printers about business in general, in terms of trends to watch out for in 2008?
CP: The convergence of consumer demand for relevant information, technological innovation, and the needs of the CMO are all having a powerful impact on the market. Today's print service provider is being challenged to "get in the game," and build a winning strategy to participate in the more lucrative marketing value chain. We are no longer living in a "One Size Fits All" world. Today it's about individuals and personal choice.
To remain competitive and profitable, printers must make smart investments in hardware and software products that can deliver results in a cost-effective manner. We have to look beyond print on paper, and offer value-added services including color, variable data, and multi-channel communications. We need to take a consultative approach and educate marketers about how we can help them. We need to transform from print service providers to marketing service providers.
PN: Do you have any predictions about what the industry will do in the next 12-18 months? What are they, and why?
CP: Color will continue to be a driving force in the industry, along with the continued growth of variable data, multi-channel, and transpromotional applications. Hardware and software vendors will continue to help their customers drive volume to digital devices with the help of business development resources and toolkits.
The key to success for print service providers and marketing service providers is differentiation. This means properly positioning your business, deploying the right technologies, offering the right value-added services, and deploying effective executions.
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