Best Practices and Future Trends: 2025 Wide-Format Summit Day Three

Even after an eventful casino night that had the party going well into the evening, energy was still high for day three of the Wide-Format Summit presented by PRINTING United Alliance and Wide-format Impressions. The third and final day of the fifth annual summit, held at the JW Marriott Turnberry in Aventura, Florida, kicked off with a strong focus on best practices for taking wide-format businesses into the future.

Interior Design: Where Creativity Meets Innovation

Chief Creative Officer & Partner
Western Sensibility

To get things started for the day, Leana Becker, a seasoned interior designer with over 25 years of experience and CCO of Western Sensibility, took the stage to discuss how digital print technology is transforming the way the industry designs meaningful, sustainable products and processes, and painted a great picture of the potential harmonious relationships between printers and designers.

Her presentation detailed the evolution of digital printing in the interior design industry, particularly in textile printing. Throughout her session, Becker really drove home the fact that digital printing offers a valuable toolkit for designers seeking to break new ground in customization and creativity. By better understanding and embracing this technology, Becker said designers can find new ways to solve aesthetic and logistical design problems. She said there's still a lot to learn and implement as the landscape of digital printing continues to grow, but along with that, there are also many opportunities to innovate.

"We're taking digital print technology that we meant for other sectors of business, and we're adapting it for our use, so we're able to create something really special," Becker said.

The Changing Regulatory Landscape: What You Need to Know

Gary Jones, vice president of Environmental, Health, and Safety Affairs for PRINTING United Alliance

Following the remainder of the case study presentations, general sessions resumed for the afternoon, and to get things started, Gary Jones, vice president of Environmental, Health, and Safety Affairs for PRINTING United Alliance, took the stage to discuss how PSPs should approach and address regulatory mandates. The session explored the impact that significant regulatory changes, policy shifts, and enforcement trends have on the day-to-day operations of wide-format businesses, and with that, the need for greater internal accountability.

Jones discussed the recent changes and updates regarding EPA and OSHA regulatory activities under the Trump administration, particularly the significant shift towards deregulation under the current administration, which emphasizes the administration's goal of enhancing business efficiency by reducing federal obstacles.

But even with all that said, Jones said, "OSHA is not going away. There was legislation introduced to basically eliminate OSHA, but it got no traction whatsoever. I don't see OSHA going away; there's going to still be enforcement."

Overall, the ongoing push towards deregulation represents a double-edged sword: potential for innovation and economic growth, counterbalanced by the challenges of maintaining safety and environmental standards.

The Value of Culture in Workforce Development

Following Jones' presentation, the sessions kept rolling with Adriane Harrison, vice president of Human Relations Consulting for PRINTING United Alliance. During her presentation, Harrison emphasized the importance of building a strong workplace culture that fosters respect, loyalty, communication, and inclusion so that you can retain employees as our industry continues to face a labor shortage.

Adriane Harrison, vice president of Human Relations Consulting for PRINTING United Alliance.

One of the major themes that Harrison touched on was trust, and how if your employees don't trust you, they won't work for you to the best of their abilities — she urged the audience to find ways to build that relationship with their employees whether it's making sure they don't pick favorites, making themselves more available, or making committments and following through.

Harrison also listed several ways to engage employees, including breakroom activities, events and gatherings outside of work, and mentorship programs — particularly for Gen Z, because, according to research Harrison presented, lack of career development is the number one reason Gen Z leaves a job.

"Gen Z, about 30% if not now, by 2030, you'll have 30% of your workforce will be Gen Z. So let's focus on what we can do to attract them, but mostly to keep them," Harrison said.

Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities on the Horizon

To close out the day, Alliance Media Brands Editorial Director Denise Gustavson was joined on stage by panelists Brian Hite, co-founder and CSO of Image Options; Jim Fairweather, owner of Hudson Printing; and Troy McGinnis, executive vice president of Phase 3 Marketing and Communications. The discussion focused on trends, challenges, and opportunities in the industry.

(L-R) Jim Fairweather, Troy McGinnis, Brian Hite, and Denise Gustavson.

Common themes amongst the trio were the importance of maintaining optimism despite market uncertainties, leveraging diversified business models, and adapting to technological advancements. All three industry experts highlighted the need for effective communication with customers, cross-training employees, and embracing AI tools to enhance efficiency and productivity. The conversation also touched on the impact of inflation on pricing strategies and the necessity of attracting and retaining a passionate, tech-savvy workforce to stay competitive.

Ending on a High Note 

The intense three-day Summit ended with a seated dinner, entertainment by a comedic magician, awards recognizing exemplary case studies by event sponsors, and recognition of an exemplary attendee, selected by members of the Summit advisory committee. That award went to Sabrina Davis,

Magician and Entertainer Ran'D Shine

president of Port City Signs & Graphics Inc. in Wilmington, North Carolina

The dinner was a final opportunity for attendees to solidify connections, share future strategies, and enjoy time together.

About the Wide-Format Summit

The Wide-format Summit is a free, all-inclusive experience for qualified attendees – senior managers and business executives who want to understand how current and future wide-format printing technology, software and solutions will impact their business and investment decisions. This summit offers strategic-level insights into what printing industry leaders can do to improve and optimize their business.

Next year's summit will be held July 27-29, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs, Florida. To learn more, visit www.wideformatsummit.com.