edu Business Solutions User Group Meeting a Hit With In-plants
"Engaging. Fun. Informative. Exciting. Invaluable." These are the words attendees used to describe edu Business Solutions’ 10th annual Print Shop Pro User Group meeting, which took place in San Diego, March 12-15, 2023.
You could feel the excitement as dozens of in-plant managers from around the country converged at the beautiful Bahia Resort & Hotel for the first in-person meeting in three years to take part in three days of training, education and networking.
The event kicked off Sunday evening with a welcome reception and meet-and-greet to break the ice. The energy was infectious as long time PSP Users and new PSP customers connected and bonded over their shared interest in improving the use and management of Print Shop Pro Web-to-Print Software. Laughter filled the evening air as new relationships were formed. At the end of the night everyone reluctantly retreated to their rooms excited about the days ahead.
Attendees enjoyed a meet-and-greet.
After a hearty breakfast on Monday morning, attendees entered the meeting space which featured a picturesque view of San Diego bay. Mike Strand, CEO of edu, captivated attendees by unveiling new PSP features set for release in the coming weeks.
Presentations included topics ranging from effective strategies for marketing print services, automating production workflow and tips for calculating pricing to recover costs to expansion opportunities including wide format printing and specialty products.
Roundtable sessions were widely popular as attendees gathered in small groups to learn tips for designing an easy to navigate W2P site and how to ensure success when rolling out a W2P system.
Roundtable discussions covered important topics and were widely popular among attendees.
Sacramento State's Laura Lockett leads a roundtable discussion.
Perhaps the most well received session was a panel discussion entitled “Shop Talk” facilitated by the edu User Group Steering Committee made up of industry professionals. Attendees enjoyed open Q&A with panel members on key issues on the minds of in-plants.
A panel of industry professionals discussed key issues facing in-plants.
Evening events were a blast providing unique settings for networking and were the talk of the event. Monday night’s dinner event was hosted aboard the William D. Evans sternwheeler. With 3200 sq. ft. of space and three floors, its 19th-century elegant design made for endless photo opportunities, especially the glowing vaulted skylight featuring 50,000 pieces of European stained glass. Attendees set the built-in dance floor on fire showing off some amazing dance moves.
Tuesday evening the group embarked on a private charter to the historic Old Town district in San Diego for some traditional Mexican cuisine at Cafe Cayote. The classic margaritas and the Tierra y Mar were a hit with the group.
Attendees made sure to have some fun and visit popular historic destinations while at the conference.
All in all, the User Group Meeting was a huge success. Event organizers put a lot of thought and effort into every detail making it a memorable and valuable event for all who attended.
We look forward to meeting again in San Diego next Spring for an even bigger and better event. Stay tuned.
Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited more than 180 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.
