Harness the Power of Print: PacPrint 09
Print and graphic communications is a technologically sophisticated industry that offers an enormous range of options to the marketer, advertiser and communications specialist. The best of these will be on show at PacPrint 09, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 26-30 May – and it’s well worth a visit.
Television may be considered sexier. Twitter and blogging may be the latest buzz. Radio may be marketing itself as a value for money alternative. But if you want a proven, cost-effective solution that delivers real results for your clients, print is a medium you ignore at your peril.
As well as the very latest innovations in hardware and software, PacPrint 09 is the perfect venue to gather new ideas about how you can harness the power of print for your clients – and to gain important information for the future of your own business. And, better still, it’s all offered completely free of charge.
The enduring power of print
In today’s increasingly competitive marketplace, the onus is on agencies, designers and all those involved in marketing communications to devise solutions that offer our clients real business results. Print has an established record of delivering just that.
In the face of a bewildering array of new media options, it continues to hold its own as one of the most effective and cost-effective media available. Yet while its performance and popularity remain constant, the industry itself is anything but static, as visitors to PacPrint 09 will discover.
At PacPrint 09, you’ll see the very latest developments across a wide range of products and technology, from paper, ink and chemistry, to prepress and CtP systems, digital and wide-format printers, high quality presses for commercial, high quality and packaging applications, transpromo and personalisation options, mailing and paper handling systems – everything you need to know about and more.
More importantly, you’ll get a very real sense of how the industry is changing to meet the demands that we – the print buyer – place on them as our markets evolve and change, requiring ever more innovative, value-conscious and environmentally sustainable solutions. You will almost certainly come away not only with practical production solutions, but with new ideas on better ways to meet your client’s requirements.
Sustainable Solutions
Importantly, print is not only effective, it’s environmentally friendly. Really.
While many people still persist in equating printed communications with environmental disaster, when it comes to the print and paper industries, nothing could be further from the truth. The simple fact is that print today is greener than ever –if you want, you can produce a printed product right here in Australia that is as close to carbon neutral as it’s possible to get.
Over the past 20 years, the print and paper industries have done more than virtually any other to reduce their environmental impact.
There has been a revolution in the paper industry with environmentally friendly options including certified virgin fibre stocks, papers with up to 100 per cent recycled content, and even a wide range of papers made with alternative fibres like recycled sugarcane waste. There’s even a paper manufactured right here in Australia that is certified carbon neutral.
The printing industry, too, has transformed itself. Today, it is 90 per cent less damaging than it was in 1990, and every day the industry is getting cleaner and greener. The use of VOCs and other damaging chemicals has been all but eliminated, water and energy use have been minimised with improved technology, eco-friendly inks have been introduced to provide outstanding results with minimal environmental impact.
Add to that the ability to recycle most printed paper products, not once but multiple times (ever tried digging a CD into your compost?) and you have a real argument for print as a responsible and sustainable part of any marketing communications package.
Promise for the Future
Finally, although finding solutions for your clients is probably what will drive you to PacPrint 09, make sure you don’t leave without making the most of the opportunity to discover new solutions for your own business.
Firstly, go to the PacPrint 09 website (www.pacprint.com.au) and, once you’ve registered by clicking on the link, have a good look through the list of exhibitors.
Each exhibitor name on the list links to a description of what they’ll be showing at PacPrint 09. As well as a wealth of information and support from exhibiting associations like AGDA and the Australasian Paper Industry Association (APIA), you’ll find a host of solutions aimed directly at the design, agency and corporate market – many of them innovative niche products offered by small exhibitors with low budgets, but lots of good ideas.
As a registered PacPrint 09 visitor, you will also be entitled to attend three professional forums – on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning of the event – where international experts will outline strategies for the future, the environment, the economy and the importance of leadership and technology.
Moderated by respected broadcaster, journalist, lawyer and businesswoman Elaine Canty, the PacPrint Forums will be addressed by economist and strategist Professor Neville Norman, who on Wednesday will help you understand the economic climate and plan your future directions to maximise opportunity; Dr Peter Ellyard, a world recognized futurist and strategist, who will focus on the future at Thursday’s session, with particular reference to the environment and, on Friday, well known AFL player, coach and media personality Mr David Parkin will bring his educational training, coaching experience and motivational gift to bear on the subject of building effective teams and identifying, motivating and mentoring the leaders of the future.
Anywhere else you would have to invest a considerable amount of money to hear any one of these experts, but with the support of PacPrint 09 hosts (the Graphic Arts Merchants Association of Australia and the Printing Industries Association of Australia) these resources are available to all PacPrint 09 visitors absolutely free of charge.
Not only is this an outstanding opportunity to gather information for your own future, they provide an ideal opportunity for you to invite clients and colleagues to an event of real value and significance.
Add to that a host of other features, including all the winning entries for both the NZ Pride in Print Awards and Australia’s National Print Awards on display in the concourse of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre all week – and PacPrint 09 is a ‘must-see’ event for every designer and print buyer.
How do I register?
Simply go to www.pacprint.com.au and click on the ‘Register to Attend” link. Fill out the form and that’s it – you’re registered.
If you would like to attend any of the three PacPrint Forums, you’ll need to reserve your seat for that separately. Reservations are essential as seats are limited and places are filling fast – again, a simple link from the PacPrint website homepage will enable you to do so quickly and easily.
In short, PacPrint is the best place to inform yourself about the most intelligent print solutions available in the market today and, as such, is an opportunity not to be missed. So make time to get down to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre this May ... and harness the power of print for your clients.