Special Two-Day Event

The GRAPH EXPO Experience

THE GRAPH EXPO Experience:
What makes this event unique is that it is held during GRAPH EXPO, the largest graphic communications trade show and conference in the Americas, October 26-29, 2008.  GRAPH EXPO is where Manufacturers show the latest technologies and solutions-oriented equipment, products and services for the printing industry. It is where Printers come to see these technologies and ultimately implement them to provide better services to their customers. NOW, GRAPH EXPO is where Print Customers can learn how these technologies can help deliver a better marketing campaign, about cross media implementation, and how to find the right Printer/Partner for you.

No other event provides you with this much "take-home" value. Plus, when you register to attend the Print Buyers Forum you will also receive an exhibits hall pass which allows you access to the show floor for all four days of GRAPH EXPO. Economically priced at $299 (advance registration rate), this is your entrée into the new world of print, where you will actually see the technologies driving the industry to new heights and be able to meet with the printers and manufacturers who are working ultimately for you, their valued customer.

PRINT BUYERS FORUM AGENDA

PRINT BUYERS FORUM AGENDA

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28
8:15-10:00 a.m.     
Breakfast session 1 - Technology for the Serious Print Buyer
Margie Dana
Margie Dana of Print Buyers International joins industry expert Frank Romano in this discussion of the printing technologies that most interest (and plague) today's modern print buyers. What's happening in the prepress, press and post-press arenas that makes buyers sit up and take notice? Join us for breakfast - and big ideas.

10:15-12:00 noon     
Session 2 Print Buyer Brainstorming    
Margie Dana and panel
This fast-paced buyer brainstorming session is an opportunity for senior-level buyers to voice their biggest challenges - and get instant advice from their peers. What keeps print buyers up at night? How do their employers measure their value? What is the career path of a print buyer today? How do you find and evaluate print providers? What's the best production software being used by your peers? Are you demanding green of your print and service providers? Such topics are sure to be raised in this one-of-a-kind brainstorming session. Come join your peers as the ideas fly.

12:15-1:45 p.m.   
Lunch Session: The State of Graphic Design & Production
Frank Romano
U.S. 2-year and 4-year colleges turn out over 40,000 graphic designers every year. Designers are responsible for most of the jobs submitted for printing and many are also responsible for print buying. Thus, the graphic designer, as well as other creatives, play a pivotal role in printing industry workflows. Consider that over 80 percent of all files submitted for printing have some level of change and one can see the importance of working with designers. This session will cover all relevant trends and offer ides on how printers and designers can work together in a more effective manner.
What you will learn
•       How to design something you can’t print
•       Where designers work
•       Application program trends
•       File submission trends
•       Font trends
•       The curse of digital photography
•       The good and bad of PDF
•       Proflighting vs preflighting


Afternoon: Show Floor Visits - A handy pamphlet highlighting special "must see" technologies for the print buyer and floor plan with booth locator will be provided to help you navigate the expansive show floor.

Wednesday October 29    
Print Buyers Forum - second half       
       
8:15-10:00 a.m.  
Breakfast Session 3 - Maximizing the New Media Potential   
Peter Muir
You know the new media that have caught the attention of many of the marketers and managers in your organization, but do they know how to specify, shop and purchase as well as link them to a profitable Return On Investment? In this session, Peter Muir, president of Bizucate and prognosticator of profitable cross media campaigns, will provide you with ideas and strategies to increase your own value to your organization when it comes to dealing with the future of communications. Individual insights and approaches can be used to bridge the gap between knowing what the choices are and actually implementing the right ones for your organization’s audience and budget.

What you will learn
• Review of communication trends of today and tomorrow
• Discuss reasons for purchasing one method over another
• Discuss benefits for purchasing more than one medium of communication
• Review a planning guide for purchasing cross media campaigns
• Analytics and their importance to ROI
• The importance of a measurable outcome for you, the recipient and your company
• Review some of the measurable factors in today’s campaigns
• Review some successful and not so successful campaigns

10:15-12:00 noon
Session 4 Print Buyers Speak Out       
Margie Dana runs one of her signature panel of print buyers as they reveal their business practices, describe how their print-sourcing programs have changed, and touch on sensitive issues like buying off shore. The panel will comprise four professionals from different industries. Print buyers learn much from other print buyers.