Conference Confirms Print Has Power

Conference Confirms Print Has Power

The Power of Print was clearly in evidence at the annual PrintNZ conference at Sky City Convention Centre on May 22-23, where delegates took key interest in presentations ranging from empowering your staff to the legal means of protecting your business from “statutory theft”.

The conference transitioned seamlessly into the Pride In Print Awards on the Friday, with the Apprentice of the Year Dinner on the Thursday night positioned between the two days of sessions.

The Power of Print Conference brought a mix of print, commercial, financial and marketing content to its nine addresses.

Opening with an economic “state of the nation” address from Business New Zealand’s Phil O’Reilly, the speakers moved through the smart use of data (Brett Dashwood), empowering your people (Geoff Wake), marketing your business effectively (Ashton Bishop) and the mysteries and potential of 3D printing (Johan Potgieter) on the first day.

On day two, Kellie Northwood outlined the case that Two Sides is presenting for the defence of the printing industry against environmental critics, William Black and Conor McElhinney detailed the protection opportunities for creditors under the Personal Properties Securities Act, Glenda Keegan and Heather Letfus outlined PrintNZ’s inside story of workplace efficiency, and Paul Jarvie explained the intricate detail (and challenges) posed by the new health and safety reforms.

The conference also had its social side with the dinner on Thursday night where the guest dinner speaker was Warren Mahy, part of the celebrated team at Weka Workshops.

PrintNZ Manager Ruth Cobb said the feedback from conference delegates was enthusiastic.

“For example, people who attended the accountancy/legal presentation by William Black and Conor McElhinney were so engrossed and asked so many questions that the session could probably have gone on quite easily for another half an hour.

“One delegate said it was the best conference session he had attended in a long while.”

Ms Cobb said the high ratings received for speakers made up for a slightly disappointing attendance.

“There has been a lot of change happening in the industry and there were many reasons why people couldn’t attend.

“But the conference was not about those that weren’t there, it was about those that were -- the people who recognised the opportunities provided by having so many high-calibre speakers in one place. The decision to sell the conference in sessions meant that individuals could attend workshops that were relevant to their roles.

“The feedback we have had confirms the delegates definitely learned things and got value for money.

“That is what the conference endeavours to do -- give the leaders of our industry exposure to world-class speakers and local experts, so they can be up-to-date with the latest trends affecting our businesses in various ways.

“This is the kind of information most businesses would never be able to get for themselves, at an affordable cost. The benefits of attending conference are significant.”

Ms Cobb also thanked the conference principal sponsor, HP, and co-sponsors APM, Equip Recruitment, Fuji Film, B J Ball Papers, Konica Minolta, PrintCost, Competenz, PSI and the Document Institute, without whose support the conference could not have gone ahead.

ENDS

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