In-plant Events

The UK University Print Manager’s Group conference drew 55 delegates from all over the world to the Imperial Hotel in Torquay, Devonshire, in the south west coast of England. The program consisted of sessions by members.

With so many government in-plants unable to travel due to economy-related travel restrictions, the National Government Publishing Association has decided to postpone its October conference in Virginia Beach. This is a major decision for the proud, 33-year-old association, which has never before cancelled a conference—not even when Hurricane Katrina destroyed its venue in Biloxi just a month before its 2005 meeting.

Last month, Ricoh’s Production Printing Business Group (PPBG) brought a dozen in-plant managers to Milwaukee for its annual In-plant Advisory Council meeting. Attendees toured the world-class Briggs and Stratton in-plant and attended two days of meetings, during which they were asked for opinions and feedback on new Ricoh products, services and strategic directions.

More than 40 people traveled to Niagara Falls for the College and University Print Management Association of Canada (CUPMAC) conference in June.

The Association of College and University Printers (ACUP) conference brought in-plant managers to Charlotte to discuss digital printing, Web-to-print and much more.

Two in-plant managers took center stage at the recent On Demand Conference & Expo as part of a four-person panel presentation on the show’s opening day. Debbie Pavletich, Graphic Services manager at Briggs & Stratton, and Roger Chamberlain, manager of Administrative Services at The Cincinnati Insurance Co., took part in a session entitled “50 Ideas in 50 Minutes” during which panelists responded to questions and revealed some important survival tactics.

The National Government Publishing Association's recent conference gave attendees a chance to witness the recovery of New Orleans.

The National Government Publishing Association's recent conference gave attendees a chance to witness the recovery of New Orleans.

IT'S CONFERENCE season again, which means that in between writing and editing articles for this issue, I've been dashing off to in-plant events around the country. In the past two weeks I've been to two in-plant meetings (plus the On Demand Show) and talked with dozens of managers about what's happening in their shops.

After its cancellation last year due to low registration numbers, the Association of College and University Printers (ACUP) conference was back with a vengeance this year. Attendees this year hailed from as far away as Australia, New Zealand and Scotland, and included managers from all over the U.S., from Oregon to New Hampshire, with a large contingent from Texas.