Expo Revisits New York

Billed as "the premier event for professionals looking to improve return-on-investment through digital printing and publishing initiatives," the ninth annual On Demand Digital Printing & Publishing Strategy Conference and Exposition takes place in New York City at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center April 22-25.

"The show's mission," says Danielle Neely, "is to serve as an industry source and gathering place for printers, vendors, corporate communicators, graphic arts providers, and IT and government professionals." Neely is group marketing director for Advanstar Communications, Cleveland, which co-produces the conference and expo with Norwell, Mass.-based CAP Ventures.

The expo part of On Demand, called the largest digital printing and publishing event in the world, consists of 85,000 square feet of display space and more than 125 corporate exhibitors.

"This is one of the best places to hear about and view digital printing and publishing live, where marketers mingle with printers, creatives mix with trade shops, and everyone surveys the equipment," adds Neely.

Conference highlights include the 1:1 Marketing Forum, a full-day event on April 24 that features case studies and examples of successful one-to-one print and Web business-to-business and business-to-consumer campaigns, plus examples of customized marketing mailers, relationship-driven one-to-one communications, and Web-fulfilled personalized brochures.

The forum, sponsored by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and the Print On Demand Initiative (PODi), includes keynote presentations by David M. Sable, president and chief executive of Wunderman New York, on creating and producing integrated one-to-one direct marketing programs, and by H. Robert Wientzen, DMA president and chief executive, on the future of direct-mail marketing and its role in customer relationship management (CRM) and one-to-one printing.

The forum is to conclude with an overview and guided tour of the newest digital technologies, ranging from variable-information publishing tools and full-color printing to automated fulfillment systems.

This year's conference will feature twice as many keynote presentations as last year, with morning sessions geared toward print service providers and afternoon presentations addressing key issues for business communicators.

Speakers include William P. McGlynn, vice president and general manager of digital publishing solutions, Hewlett-Packard Company; Benny Landa, founder, chairman, and chief executive of Indigo; and George Cacioppo, vice president of Internet engineering, Adobe Systems, Inc.

Last year, American companies spent an estimated $7.2 billion for print-on-demand solutions, including equipment, supplies, and services, according to CAP Ventures. The market is expected to grow 17% per year, to reach $15.7 billion in 2005.

One of the appeals of the On Demand event is to present business people with "a lot more options when it comes to personalizing their printing," says Neely. "Whether they're working in the financial, retail, travel, or any other industry, they now have access to more variable data and customization services. And these services will be available closer to home as more printers invest in the technology."

Visit www.ondemandexpo.com for complete show information.