IPG's DigiGov Conference Packs the House

By Bob Neubauer

Nearly every seat in the auditorium was filled for In-plant Graphics' second annual Digital Printing in Government and Higher-Ed Conference (DigiGov). More than 100 people from as far away as California met in the Government Publishing Office in Washington, D.C., for the one-day event, which included a tour of GPO's massive plant.

More than 100 in-plant managers packed Harding Hall inside GPO's headquarters for DigiGov 2016.

"Thank you to my friends at IPG for a day well worth my while," praised Dwayne Magee, director of Messiah College Press and Postal Services, who drove from Mechanicsburg, Pa., to attend the event. "And the tour of GPO? Truly a great experience. History and the future, all happening under one roof."

"In-plant Graphics' effort to get so many government in-plants in one place really paid off," added Jimmy Vainstein, senior project manager at the World Bank Group. "Innovation continues to be the drive for most of us and the event provided a great platform for our organizations to learn from each other."

IPG Editor Bob Neubauer presided over the conference, which featured seven speakers plus a panel of technology experts discoursing on a range of topics of key interest to in-plants.

The highlight for many was Mike Wash's presentation on U.S. currency development and security features. Wash, chief technology officer with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, detailed the many security features on the new $100 bill, noting that the counterfeiting rate has dropped considerably since they were implemented. He noted that there are now 38 billion notes in circulation and that 2/3 of U.S. currency is off shore.

Michael Wash, chief technology officer with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing gave a popular presentation on U.S. currency development, production and security features.

The conference started off strong, with an address by GPO Director Davita Vance-Cooks, who offered an update on GPO's recent activities.

"The GPO is 155 years old and in the midst of a transformation to a content centric publishing organization," she noted. "[We're] aggressively transforming to meet the demands of the digital world."

: Attendees of DigiGov swarm the vendor area

Damian McInerney, of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, and Paul Sprow, manager of Arlington County's in-plant, each shared details about their print operations and how they have modernized them. Then Catherine Chambers, director of Alfred State's in-plant, talked about the importance of aligning with the strategic goals of one's parent organization.

"What a great venue and event," praised Brian Trott, Systems and Mailing Supervisor at the U.S. Senate. "I found the conference to be very informative—not only of the things that we could be doing as an in-plant, but also what we are already doing that others may not be."

The vendors that exhibited at DigiGov expressed similar feelings about the value of the event.

“The DigiGov conference provides us with a unique opportunity to engage government and higher education in-plants," noted Xerox's Lucy Perez. "We gain so much insight with these connections. DigiGov is a valuable conference to attend."

Watch for full coverage of DigiGov in the next issue of In-plant Graphics. To check out Twitter coverage, use the hashtag #DigiGov. Here are a few of the tweets sent during yesterday's conference:

#digigov conference begins @USGPO learning about the latest trends in digital printing/publishing pic.twitter.com/m9m35Vjupo

— USGPO (@USGPO) May 3, 2016

Hardly an open seat at #DigiGov for Mike Wash presentation on US currency pic.twitter.com/D6UdsbmYjc

— In-plant Impressions (@IP_Impressions) May 3, 2016

Mike Wash tells #DigiGov Bureau of Engraving & Printing will produce 7.8 billion notes this year! pic.twitter.com/dbp6D9GPlO

— USGPO (@USGPO) May 3, 2016

Paul Sprow from Arlington County Government shares details about their #Inplant transformation at #DigiGov pic.twitter.com/iMBUkzM7uJ

— Lucy Perez (@LucyPerezSierra) May 3, 2016

@IPGBob busy at work at the start of #DigiGov pic.twitter.com/dG6lBuCPQb

— Jiɱɱy VɑiɳรtΞiɳ (@JimmyVainstein) May 3, 2016

Full house for GPO Director Davita's Vance Cooks opening presentation at #DigiGov pic.twitter.com/Va33yWgIgj

— In-plant Impressions (@IP_Impressions) May 3, 2016

Catherine Chambers of Alfred State speaking now at #DigiGov conference pic.twitter.com/ME5mkqaz10

— In-plant Impressions (@IP_Impressions) May 3, 2016

CTO Bureau of Engraving & Printing Mike Wash talks about "making the money" for the U.S. Government #DigiGov pic.twitter.com/XLtaAIl8ih

— USGPO (@USGPO) May 3, 2016

Consultant Ray Chambers is at the podium now at #DigiGov conference, telling managers how to avoid being outsourced pic.twitter.com/f5uTf3BW4v

— In-plant Impressions (@IP_Impressions) May 3, 2016

Damian McInerney of Virginia DMV is describing his in-plant's capabilities at #DigiGov pic.twitter.com/HKldbKye5f

— In-plant Impressions (@IP_Impressions) May 3, 2016

IPG's Bob Neubauer questions a panel of manufacturers from Canon, Ricoh, Xerox and Muller Martini during #DigiGov pic.twitter.com/USHobfZSLO

— In-plant Impressions (@IP_Impressions) May 4, 2016

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Bob Neubauer Author's page

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.