SUPDMC Conference is Underway

The 44th annual Southeastern University Printing and Digital Managers Conference (SUPDMC) is taking place this week in Wilmington, N.C., bringing together dozens of in-plant managers for three days of networking and educational sessions.

Dr. Wayne Stein kicks off SUPDMC 2019 in Wilmington, N.C.

Monday morning kicked off with with Dr. Wayne Stein talking about stress management. Though his tips and personal anecdotes were useful, what attendees will no doubt remember best will be the 15-minute break during which they were encouraged to make shapes out of the Play Dough he placed on each table.

SUPDMC 2019 attendees.

Stein was followed by Patrick Bruchs, whose account of how his university made the unfortunate decision to outsource his in-plant — despite his detailed data showing the school would lose $800,000 per year by outsourcing to a vendor — captured the full attention of the audience. Managers asked numerous questions in a discussion that could have easily gone on for another hour.

SUPDMC 2019 attendees.

Later this week, IPI Editor Bob Neubauer will give a presentation on the state of the industry, drawing data from several recent IPI research reports. Other sessions will cover topics like

employee motivation, sustainability, campus-wide MFD programs, emergency management plans, and staying relevant. Round table discussions will tackle topics like outsourcing threats and the wide-format opportunity.

On Wednesday afternoon, the group will tour UNC-WIlmington’s SeaPrint Graphic Solutions.

Sharing a laugh on the vendor exhibit floor.