IPMA 2019 Conference Starts Sunday in Louisville

Each year, the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA) tops itself with an even better agenda at its annual conference than the previous year. From the looks of the agenda, the IPMA 2019 conference is shaping up to be one of the best in years, with topics covering every aspect of a successful in-plant's business, from writing strategic plans and building successful Web-to-print programs to color management and UV flatbed inkjet.

The World Bank Group claims an award at a previous IPMA Awards ceremony.

With a vendor fair featuring more than 40 exhibitors, the largest in-plant event of the year will have plenty of cutting-edge equipment and software on hand. The Monday night dinner and awards ceremony will honor winners of IPMA awards and In-Print 2019 awards, and the two Best of Show winners will be revealed at long last. And as always, the networking with fellow in-plant managers promises to send every attendee home with new ideas and solutions.

The IPMA 2019 conference is taking place in downtown Louisville, Ky., this year, home of the Kentucky Derby (which you may have seen in the news recently), thus the conference theme, "Be A FrontRunner." (In this case, though, "front runner" actually means "winner.") It kicks off Sunday June 2 with an opening reception and wraps up with a night outing at Churchill Downs on June 5. Those who can stay an extra day will get to visit Papa John's in-plant on June 6.

A quick glance at the educational sessions reveals a slew of cutting-edge topics, perfect for the in-plant community:

• Key Components of Successful In-Plants
• Writing and Utilizing a Relevant Strategic Plan
• Top 10 Tips for Building a Successful Web-to-Print Program
• A Year of Turmoil With a New University President
• How to Create an Informed Delivery Interactive Campaign
• Understanding the Differences in UV Flatbed Printers
• Capitalizing on the Latest Trends and Opportunities in Print
• Implementing a Color Management System
• Using Technology to Impact Customer Communications
• Can You Propel Your In-plant Forward With Inkjet?
• Goal Setting Towards Excellence
• Lessons Learned In Offering Garment Printing
• Succession Planning in the In-plant

Roundtable discussions at last year's conference gathered managers from similar operations so they could discuss issues of mutual interest.

On the last day of the conference, a series of roundtable discussions on educational issues, mailing, government, small shop concerns and corporate/manufacturing in-plant issues will give managers a chance to bring their problems and crowd-source solutions.

In addition, here are a few other hot sessions that I thought merited a longer description:

Greg Cholmondeley leads a session on how to write a justification report and prove your in-plant’s value at a previous IPMA conference.

What In-plants Need to Do to Stay Alive in 2019

IPMA's self assessment study collected and analyzed data on 18 dimensions of in-plant health. The hundred participating in-plants averaged passing grades in only half of these areas. In this session, Greg Cholmondeley, president of PRINTelligence Consulting, will summarize the study’s findings to identify areas where in-plants are strong and where they are struggling, highlight the differences between IPMA member and non-member in-plants, and provide an overview of the areas where in-plants need to focus to succeed in 2019.

Dare To Matter

The most effective in-plant professionals won’t simply be focused on success. They will be engaged in a relentless and unapologetic pursuit of significance. International leadership speaker and trainer Pete Smith will tell attendees how to stay focused on the six main pillars of significance, which changes the way we think, the things we do, and the results we create.

Jason Gillam, director of Business Operations at Blue Valley Schools.

How To Leverage A Copier RFP To Maximize the In-plant’s Organizational Value

Are you just rolling out the same procurement strategy to replace office copiers and/or production equipment? Beyond just getting good pricing and updated technology, what opportunities exist within your organization that will yield a positive impact? The answer is more than just speeds and feeds. By widening your perspective to the possibilities, a well thought-out copier contract built on organization-wide thinking that leverages a highly functioning in-plant will deliver the highest possible outcomes. This session by Jason Gillam, director of Business Operations for the Blue Valley School District, will build understanding and knowledge of visioning, procurement strategies and internal marketing.

Howie Fenton

Next Generation Tactics and Strategies

Howie Fenton, in-plant expert, consultant and market researcher, will present a synopsis of the results of IPMA’s 2019 survey “Next Generation Tactics and Strategies for In-Plant Service Providers,” which focuses on best practices and strategies. It addresses threats, pricing, staffing, training, education, marketing and more. The full paper will be distributed at PRINTING United.

Measuring Success

Joe Kalinowski of Hanover will take a detailed look at expenses and how to develop a per piece cost. He'll identify what to include in fixed expenses verses variable expenses and their impact on the cost per piece. He'll also identify what to consider when facing the outsourcing challenge and attempt to answer the question, "How do you measure success?"

Live Your Life on Purpose

This engaging and inspiring session by Shana Farrell, of Fox Valley Technical College, will help you realize your potential and impact in living an “intentional” purpose-driven life. She'll help you understand how purpose creates a more meaningful life and ignites positive changes.

The Levity Effect: It Pays to Lighten Up

Author Scott Christopher will talk about how embracing levity can bring greater employee satisfaction and engagement and lead to a better paycheck. Leaders who embrace levity not only enrich the lives of their direct reports but reap personal rewards as well. Attendees will learn what constitutes levity, how to discover their own sense of humor, how to appropriately and effectively recognize employee and peer accomplishments and what successful organizations are doing to cultivate a more people-friendly work environment.

LEAN Implementation on the Production Floor

Marcie Carr, director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Publications, will discuss how her in-plant adopted LEAN management improvement methods to reduce cycle time, remove inefficiencies, and provide value for customers. As a result of small changes from employee suggestions, the operation achieved measurable results in many areas .

At a past IPMA conference, Elisha Kasinskas (Rochester Software Associates) moderates a panel discussion in which managers shared some of their innovative ideas. From left: John Cruser (Bloomberg), Doug Larsen (Boys Town), Robbie Feazel (Federal Home Loan Bank Atlanta) and Chelle Palmer (Richland School District).

Winning Ideas Panel

Elisha Kasinskas, marketing director of Rochester Software Associates, will moderate a panel discussion of three in-plant leaders, who will present 30 winning ideas that have helped them and will help your in-plant come out ahead. Attendees receive an illustrated book of the ideas. Topics include shop transformation, process improvement, culture, and growing new leaders.

Why Normal Isn’t Healthy

Bowen F. White, M.D., will discuss how to have a healthier relationship with yourself instead of being your own worst enemy; how to have healthier relationships with others without those folks changing.; how to get better at what you do; and how you can have more fun getting better.

And we can't forget the hit of the 2018 conference, the Workflow Family Feud Game Show. Two in-plant “families” will compete against each other in a game show format, all about workflow.

Register for IPMA 2019 here. And make plans to attend the largest in-plant event of the year.