In-plant Conferences: Consolidate and Thrive

By John Sarantakos

A Vote of Support

I lend my total support to John for writing this difficult and sincere note to the in-plant industry. It is a very difficult issue. Both John and I have deep ties to ACUP in particular and several other groups he mentions. Some of the friendships I value most have been made through my professional ties forged at annual conferences.

But as John notes, the landscape has changed. And I don't think it is ever going to change back to the way it was. In years past, we used to be able to have multiple in-plant conferences throughout the year without really competing for attendees and vendor support. There seemed to be enough of both to go around. Not anymore.

My fear for future in-plant conferences is that we are all going to go down together if we continue competing for these decreasing and limited resources. What I mean is we will end up with a bunch of annual conferences but each with pitiful attendance and no vendor support. No one wins in that scenario. It takes a lot of attendees and vendor support to pull off a truly successful conference, one that offers a rich array of educational and social opportunities.

I hope anyone reading our plea understands that it is made out of a life-long concern for our industry. Please consider this whole conference issue thoughtfully and objectively. And whether you agree with us or not, I still hope to see all of you at an in-plant conference in the future.

Rick Wise
University of Missouri

I BELIEVE that all in-plant conferences should be cancelled, except one. How's that for a conversation starter?

This is not some rash idea I cooked up last night. I have thought about this for several years and have discussed it with some of my contemporaries. With that said, it is important to understand that I have attended almost every in-plant conference at one time or another. I have had fun and learned something at each one. I believe that everyone would agree that annual conferences are something to look forward to and provide a needed relief from our hectic, meager existence as an in-plant printer.