TORONTO IS HOT! Not only is it the LARGEST print market in Canada, but it is also host to a new event that looks pretty interesting… and not just because it’s being held in a Chateau! The Print Community Forum is as much a networking event as it is two-day educational retreat to learn about products and services that help us do our jobs, and hear from some amazing speakers.
I reached out and asked the event organizers to send me some info about what makes this event different, and they kindly obliged. But seriously… an intimate networking event, with big name speakers and exhibitors in Canada’s hottest print market… doesn’t need much more info than THAT to make a case for checking it out. I can’t make it this year but I will be watching and looking for your tweets – so please stay social!
Why Is Toronto’s New Print Community Forum So Different?
by Tony Curcio, Senior Writer, Graphic Arts Magazine
Well, for starters, it’ll be a smaller, more accessible regional event where visitors will not be overwhelmed by hundreds of booths or have to wait in line to see an exhibitor or talk to an OEM or trade printer. I checked Industry Canada’s website the other day and it said: “printing is generally a local and regional business. Typically, a printer’s five largest customers usually account for almost half of all sales dollars.” This new show is more for local and regional commercial printers in Toronto and the GTA.
But don’t let that fool you. It still has big-name exhibitors and speakers. One of the big OEM’s exhibiting will be Konica Minolta. In fact, it will be printing Dr. Joe Webb’s latest book (you’ve heard of him, right?), “This Point Forward,” on-site! Written with Richard Romano, it reveals that by 2020 the marketplace for print and other media will be completely different – and definitely not what the industry is currently structured for. Oh, I’ve seen Konica Minolta’s bizhub C1100 press in action and it’s speed and print quality is truly amazing. This should be fun!
Speaking of big names, in addition to Dr. Webb will be Dr. Mark Bohan from the PIA, CEO Ralph Askar of Instant Imprints, Canadian web-to-print guru Slava Apel, C.J. Graphics President Jay Mandarino, and many others. They’ll be covering everything from new equipment, new technology and new revenue streams, to sales, marketing, mergers & acquisitions and success stories. Bottom line: This is an event where you won’t feel stressed out, will learn from the industry’s best, and should be able to take new ideas back to your shop to implement quickly.
I spoke to Joe Mulcahy publisher of Graphic Arts Magazine, the Forum’s organizer, and he wants to “make this premiere tradeshow the best investment a printer will ever make for a two-day event.” He should know. From owning two printing companies to becoming publisher, he’s spent his entire career in the printing business – and he still has a full head of hair!
It’s happening Nov. 13 and 14 just north of Toronto in quite a luxurious setting. Check it out at www.printcommunity.com.
