IPMA Conference Starts Sunday

It's finally here. On Sunday, the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA) conference will begin in San Mateo, Calif., near San Francisco. This is the largest gathering of in-plant printers in the world, and IPG will be there, catching up with managers, attending sessions and gathering all the latest in-plant news.

By a rough count of the registration list, about 135 in-plant managers will be attending the event. The opportunity to network with them is what most excites IPMA President Rob Lingard about the conference.

“For me, the best part of an IPMA conference has always been the opportunity to network with old friends and make new ones. It is always interesting to talk with fellow managers and come away with new and different approaches to solving common issues," says Lingard, director of Central Services for Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators, in Salt Lake City.

"It's nice to know that you're not the only one out there facing similar challenges," agrees Tammy Dunham, a frequent attendee from Nestlé Purina Print Services in St. Louis. "It's great to be part of a community that willingly shares real-world experiences with each other. In short, we all want each other to succeed."

There's a great lineup of speakers this year, giving presentations on everything from creating performance metrics and pricing strategies to finding the "hidden dollars" inside your in-plant.

"Attendees will have the opportunity to listen to keynote speakers including Barry Maher on business management techniques; Barb Pellow, who always provides insightful analysis of in-plant trends; and Howie Fenton, who this year will share thoughts on how to effectively use benchmarks to improve productivity," says Lingard. "These are great speakers who will motivate, inspire and educate us on real world topics relevant to our individual in-plant environments.”

In addition to the speakers, there will be a full trade show, featuring the industry's top vendors.

“This year we have reached out to more vendors who have responded favorably to our invitations to attend and showcase their products," Lingard notes. "The vendor fair is always a highlight of the conference, and we have an excellent lineup of professional organizations dedicated to the in-plant industry."

For many, though, the socializing with fellow managers will be the best part. The big outing of the event will be a boat cruise in the San Francisco Bay.

“I think the night outing this year will be a wonderful event," remarks Lingard. "The cruise around the bay at night and up along the coast, with dinner and socializing, sounds fantastic.”