In-plant Events

In-plant managers from around the country will be assembling in Albuquerque June 6-9 for the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association’s annual conference. Taking place at the Hotel Albuquerque, right in the heart of the city’s historic Old Town Plaza, the IPMA 2010 Dream Color conference will feature educational sessions, networking opportunities and a vendor fair.

After taking a sabbatical last year, the Association of College and University Printers conference will begin on Sunday in Charlotte, N.C. Hosted by Richard Griffin, director of Campus Printing at Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC), it will feature several roundtable discussions on topics like digital presses, online ordering and wide-format printing. Other sessions will cover good financial management practices, best business practices, peer evaluation, using social media to grow your business and utilizing Microsoft Outlook to manage your time. 

In June 2009, the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA) met in Rochester, NY, for a successful conference that drew more than 100 in-plant managers.

Take a quick tour of the PRINT 09 show floor with IPG Editor Bob Neubauer.

The 2008 National Government Publishing Association conference brought 82 in-plant managers to Belleview, Wash. Here's a look back.

The devastation of New Orleans at the hands of Hurricane Katrina was witnessed on TV screens worldwide. But seeing the aftermath first hand, as attendees of the recent National Government Publishing Association conference did, left a far more poignant impression.

NEW ORLEANS' devastation at the hands of Hurricane Katrina was witnessed on TV screens worldwide. But seeing the aftermath first hand, as attendees of the recent National Government Publishing Association conference did, left a far more poignant impression.

I BELIEVE that all in-plant conferences should be cancelled, except one. How's that for a conversation starter?

LAST MONTH, in-plant managers from Texas colleges and universities met in Austin for the Texas Association of College and University Printers' (TACUP) conference. While billed as a regional conference, TACUP was actually the largest gathering of university in-plant managers this year, with 40 managers in attendance from as far away as Arizona, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Virginia. And judging by their responses, it was also one of the best events of its kind.

For years there has been a glut of annual in-plant conferences. Not counting trade show round tables, there are no less than six separate conferences each year: ACUP, IPMA, NGPA, Big Ten, SUPDMC and TACUP. Each has its history and its loyal fan base. And despite some overlap, each group has more or less competed against the others. This finally came to a head this month when three of these groups set their conference dates within weeks of one another. Each has struggled to pull in attendees, but travel restrictions have thwarted them.