An In-plant Reality Check
At the end of this month, the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA) conference will convene in Kansas City. This is the largest gathering of in-plant printers in the world—so you know I’ll be there, catching up with managers I’ve gotten to know over the years. I haven’t missed an IPMA conference since my first one, in 1995.
I just looked over the program and it seems pretty thorough, with sessions offering practical advice on how to beat the competition, how to better manage the people you lead, and how to make your operation more efficient. Sessions will cover color management, design, Web-based proof approvals, customer service and more; in-plant managers will talk about new services they have added, such as mail scanning and dimensional printing; and a roundtable discussion will let managers share their success stories to inspire others.
“We’ve got a pretty good lineup of speakers,” remarked new IPMA President Tony Seaman, director of Printing & Graphic Services at The University of Mississippi, when I caught up with him on the phone recently. He was especially proud that IPMA had snagged Kansas City Chiefs’ Hall of Famer Nick Lowery to be the opening keynote speaker.
Beyond the sessions, Tony told me of other changes coming this year.
“Our certification program has been completely revamped,” he reported, referring to IPMA’s Certified Graphic Communications Manager (CGCM) and Certified Mail Manager (CMM) credentials, traditionally achieved by taking a very thorough exam during the conference. That exam has been updated, he said, and tests will now be taken using computers, instead of pen and paper.
“We’re also having certification preparation, which we’ve never had before,” he added. This will take place on Sunday morning to help aspiring CGCMs and CMMs know what to expect from the exams.
Classes? Tests? If the conference is starting to sound a bit too much like school, put that notion to rest, Tony said. He pointed out one of his favorite parts of the event: “Peer networking. That’s one of the greatest things that happens,” he said. He looks forward to seeing other managers he has met over the years and talking with them about their in-plants. In addition to enjoying their company, he said, trading stories with other managers keeps him grounded.
“We get wrapped up in our own little environments,” he said. “This a reality check.” Only by networking does he get a real sense of what’s happening to others in the industry, what challenges they are facing (which he may soon face) and what opportunities they have discovered that he may want to take advantage of.
“I really like connecting with my peers,” Tony concluded. And very soon, he and scores of other managers will get a chance to do exactly that.
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.
