SUPDMC Wraps Up In Baton Rouge

The Southeast University Printing and Digital Managers Conference (SUPDMC) took place in Baton Rouge this week, hosted by Louisiana State University.

The three-day event, which drew more than 100 in-plant managers from around the country, was also something of a retirement party for organizer Mike Loyd, who is leaving LSU after 12 years as director of Graphic Services. (He won’t be out of sight for long, though, having accepted a new position with a prominent digital printing equipment vendor.)

The conference featured such well-known industry speakers as Barb Pellow, of InfoTrends, and Jeff Hayzlett, of Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group. Debbie Pavletich, incoming IPMA president, also spoke. In addition to a tour of Graphic Services, attendees also spent time in New Orleans, where they witnessed that city’s recovery efforts since Hurricane Katrina, two years ago.

Attendance was strong at SUPDMC this year, boosted a bit due to the cancellation of the Big Ten Printing Managers conference, usually held around the same time as SUPDMC. Several Big Ten regulars decided to test out the southern hospitality of LSU and join their fellow in-plant managers from the south. By all accounts, none were disappointed.