From the Editor: IPMA Conference, a Triumph in Iowa

I just returned from the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA) conference, and what a great event it was. Des Moines turned out to be an excellent location to pull in in-plants from all over the Midwest, including 49 first-time attendees. It was far from my first IPMA conference (my 27th, in fact), a point I emphasized in my keynote presentation when I reflected that I’ve now been covering the in-plant industry for half my life. (Since 1994. You do the math.)

IPI editor Bob Neubauer presented research data on the in-plant industry.

Though attendee numbers have dropped over the decades since my first conference in 1995, when 500-plus managers packed the hotel, the atmosphere seems more intimate and friendly today under the leadership of Executive Director Mike Loyd and his team.

I noted this and other changes over the past 30 years in my presentation, reflecting on how lost I was in the sea of attendees back then, compared to how welcome I now feel at the event. (In fact, the board even rearranged the night outing to make it a birthday party for me, complete with “Bob heads” on sticks. I was touched.)

Memorable Sessions

In addition to the nonstop networking at the conference, it boasted some memorable sessions, like the sobering update on artificial intelligence and robotics offered by Greg Cholmondeley of Keypoint Intelligence. He showed a series of promotional videos released by robot manufacturers that revealed how far robots have advanced. They were running, climbing steps, making coffee, folding laundry, and more, all while employing AI-driven learning and decision-making capabilities.

Greg Cholmondeley, principal analyst at Keypoint Intelligence, updated IPMA attendees on advances in artificial intelligence. | Credit: Sam Lauersdorf Photography

One video that showed a man kicking a humanoid robot, which took the blows silently, had us all thinking, “That guy will be the first one to go after the robot uprising.” But before that happens, Cholmondeley said, robots will be working in our print shops doing low-level tasks alongside human workers in the next three to seven years.

Super Culture

Another session that struck a chord was Chris Cornelison’s presentation on how to create a “super culture” in your in-plant. He talked about his transformation from a bad boss who scolded employees to a leader who focuses on praise. A work culture that is fun and rewarding will inspire employees to do their best work, he said. I talked with several managers afterward who vowed to put these lessons to work in their shops.

Richard Beto (left) accepts his award from IPMA President Christopher Donlon.

Another highlight of the conference was the awards ceremony, in which dozens of in-plants were honored. American Academy of Family Physicians was hailed by IPMA as In-plant of the Year, while The University of Texas at Austin received the In-house Promotional Excellence Award, and CHRISTUS Health took home the Innovation Award. My old friend Richard Beto, now retired from The University of Texas, gave a moving speech when he accepted IPMA’s Outstanding Contributor award.

Best of Show

Then I helped hand out the In-Print 2024 Gold awards. The ceremony culminated with the airing of my Best of Show videos, which showed the judges selecting the two winners. This year, the Church of Scientology’s in-plant won its third Best of Show in the offset categories, while Bucknell University’s shop took the non-offset Best of Show, beating out several much larger and better-equipped in-plants.

Between the vibrant vendor fair, the relevant educational sessions, the nonstop networking, and the tour of Iowa State University Printing Services (where we learned about an Iowa delicacy called “walking tacos”), IPMA 2024 packed a lot of valuable content into just a few days. Watch for my recaps online and in our next issue.