IPA Announces Speakers for Business Development Conference

Edina, MN—IPA, The Association of Graphic Solutions Providers announces its list of speakers at the upcoming Business Development Conference, January 29–30, in Scottsdale, Arizona. The conference brings together the client perspective with the service provider for meaningful, collaborative discussions that result in opportunity growth, strengthening client/provider relationships, and projecting the trends for the next few years in the graphic communications industry.

Highlights from this year’s conference include a panel session on The Premedia Buyers’ Perspective, featuring Kathryn Siegling, vice president marketing, Mattress Firm; Andrew J. Young, vice president marketing, McCain Foods; and Deb Pierce, director, package design & graphics, SUPERVALU. Complimenting the premedia buyer’s perspective is a CEO Roundtable: The Premedia Leaders’ Perspective, featuring leaders of premedia and print operations who will review the buyers’ responses from the client panel session and share how they’ve adapted to these requests and what they are currently doing to expand, broaden or re-focus the products and services they provide. Panelists include: Hank Baughman, president and CEO, SGS International; Matthew Gonnering, CEO, Widen Enterprises; Chip Harding, president, Harper House; David Schawk, president and CEO, Schawk, Inc.; and Dan Stillwell, president, LAgraphico.

Joe Duncan, senior vice president, Leo Burnett, is a visionary of one of the most successful advertising companies in the world, with such clients as McDonald’s, Kellogg and Nintendo. In his client-focused keynote session, The Empowered Client: Unlocking the Possibility, Duncan will share the Agency’s point of view on the definition and value of production to our clients and how we are creating the conversation with their new needs in mind.

Thursday morning’s sessions will focus on how to integrate and profit from the latest technology. Panelists Steve Pfeffer, CGS Publishing; Bob Barbera, Kodak; Larry D’Amico, Pitman; Mark Sullivan, Presstek; and Marian Stefani, Red-Tie Limited will share the business development opportunities their technologies provide the service provider and their clients. Leveraging Cross Media Technologies, presenter M.J. Anderson, Trekk Cross Media, will cover how to leverage technologies and gain the necessary marketing savvy to help clients better achieve their communication objectives.

Sessions addressing the economy and impact on the industry include keynote speaker, Robert C. Fry, Jr., Ph.D., senior associate economist, DuPont Corporate Plans, speaking on The Economic Road Ahead and a session on hiring the right talent, Your Human Strategy, presented by Keith Mahoney, president, The Human Factor LLC. Mahoney discusses how the right human talent, rather than technology or market share, is the competitive advantage needed in today's global economy.

Rounding out the conference are panel session Role of the Print Production Manager, featuring Jamie Mandarino, Director of Sales, The Caps Group Chicago and Greg Hides, Director of Print Production, Ogilvy Chicago; Solution Selling Case Studies lead by Patrick Morrissey; Successfully Managing Office Facilities presented by Marie Tirado, Vertis; Sustainable Growth—The WalMart Effect lead by Trish Wales, Roloc coloR; and Multi-Channel Communications, presented by Barbara Pellow, InfoTrends.

Complete conference information is available online at http://www.ipa.org