A Fulfilling Conference

Promising to have a little something for everyone in the third-party fulfillment (3PF) industry, “The Fulfillment Conference: Redefining and Growing Your Business,” will be held in Dallas from March 22-25. It is sponsored jointly by NAPL and the Mailing & Fulfillment Service Assn. (MFSA).

The conference program has been designed to assist existing and new companies grow fulfillment operations. The theme, “Out-of-the-Box Thinking for In-the-Box Profits,” further emphasizes these objectives. The conference format includes plant tours, a vendor forum, advanced courses, Fulfillment 101 (four sessions), general topic presentations and round-table discussions.

Plant tours are the first activity. Long a part of the MFSA conference programs, tours allow attendees to visit successful fulfillment operations and gain valuable insight directly from key employees and owners. The tours are always one of the most highly rated activities of the conference. World Marketing Inc. (www.worldmarkinc.com) will provide a tour and, as of press time, several other sites are still under consideration.

The conference's formal education portion will be kicked off by Andrew Paparozzi, VP and chief economist for NAPL, who will discuss recent market research completed specifically for the fulfillment and printing industries. Additional general sessions will include a Vertical Marketing presentation by Tom Curtin, TCa Creative, Rochester, NY, and a State of the Fulfillment Industry discussion with a panel of industry experts.

A new feature added this year is a pre-conference workshop entitled, “How to Sell Fulfillment.” The two-day session includes eight hours of classroom-style conferences devoted to understanding the complex fulfillment program sales cycle. Students will be provided with all the tools and selling aides required to successfully sell fulfillment services.

The main conference's advanced coursework will include presentations on Product Fulfillment, Color–VDP, Diversifying for Success and Best-in-Class Methods. The Fulfillment 101 curriculum includes an introduction to the fulfillment industry, how to choose fulfillment software, how to get started in fulfillment, and mailing requirements for fulfillment companies. For a detailed description of the program and presenters, go online to www.napl.org or to MFSAnet.org.