Three Sessions I’m Looking Forward to at PRINTING United Expo

With only a few more weeks to go until PRINTING United Expo descends on Orlando, Florida, Oct. 22-24, I’ve started to fill out my proverbial dance card. While I’ll certainly be spending as much time as possible on the show floor checking out the latest and greatest technologies in our industry, I’ll also be making the time to take advantage of the robust educational opportunities.

There are a lot of sessions being given all three days of the Expo, presented by experts and thought leaders in their respective spaces. No matter what segment you work in, how large your business, or what your title is, there is something for you.

With that in mind, here are three great sessions I’m personally excited about — make sure to come over and say ‘hi’ when you see me there!

1. State of the Industry: Harnessing Business Investment to Drive Profitability and Competitive Advantage — Oct. 22, 9am, Room S320 B

Opening up the Expo for me this year will be a session that will help set the stage for everything else. Andrew Paparozzi, Lisa Cross, and Nathan Safran — the driving forces behind the Alliance Insights research team — will take a look at the latest economic and market research, and the trends driving them. They’ll then put that in perspective, with actionable take-aways every printer can use to help grow their business. It promises to be a fantastic way to help shape which vendors and technologies you will prioritize once you get down to the show floor. With more than 800 exhibitors this year, it will be impossible to see them all; make sure you visit the ones that are going to help drive your business forward. This session will help you identify them.

2. Train the Trainer – Things I Learned at Disney — Oct. 22, 3pm, Room S320 D

Glenn Swyers is currently the director of marketing integration at Imagine Group. But his career has taken him to many places, including working for Walt Disney World. His should be an interesting perspective, as he comes in with advice on how to effectively train your employees — and hopefully make it enjoyable for them. Not every person learns or absorbs information the same way, so he’ll present different strategies and techniques that can make training feel more inclusive, which in turn means those employees will be more effective and productive at their jobs. This is one session I am very excited to learn more from.

3. Printing Industry Compensation Trends — Oct. 23, 12pm, Room S320 B

Along with training, one way to attract — and keep — employees is with a compensation plan that appeals to them. Onamica Dhar, economist at PRINTING United Alliance; and Adriane Harrison, vice president, H.R. Consulting, PRINTING United Alliance, will walk attendees through the latest trends not just in salaries, but in other tangible benefits today’s employees are looking for. If you want to create a culture of long-term loyalty to the company, starting with the right salary and benefits is critical. And this session will help you understand where you are in relation to your peers in the industry — and where you might want to take another look if you want to attract more talent.

So Much More

And these are just three of the more than 70 sessions being offered — I will certainly be enjoying a wide range of them geared both toward the industry as a whole, as well as more specific sessions designed to focus on narrower topics. This is the one time of year you can both see all the vendors and technologies side-by-side, but also learn from some of the industry’s best and brightest at the same time. Make sure to take advantage of both, and start planning your agenda today.

I'll see you in Orlando!