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Showing 2007 the door
December 26, 2007

Greetings, Campers! This being my final Blog of the year, I thought I’d spend some time looking back on 2007 and remember the best of the best from my limited and highly questionable perspective.

I really can’t comment on the State of the Industry but only because I don’t care and don’t think anyone would care to hear my opinion anyway. So instead, I will provide my list of memories from a year that I’d prefer to forget from a personal standpoint. They say that which does not kill you can only make you stronger. If that’s true, I’m either dead or I’m Superman.  Okay, here goes:

Biggest Graph Expo Surprise
The half empty room at Frank Romano’s “Can’t Miss Digital Print Applications” presentation. I busted my butt to get there early, thinking that it would be SRO but the crowds were MIA.  Wasn’t it supposed to be the Year of Digital? Why weren’t there seats being sold on eBay or Stub Hub to get in?  Hmmmmmm…..

Best Party
Okay, I didn’t attend all of them, so my view is a little jaded here, but short of spending the year bar hopping and ending up at the Betty Ford, I’ll just call this one the best party of the year and you’ll have to trust me: The GPA party at the Martini Park. If you were there, you know what I am talking about. It was a throwback to the old days when companies in this industry had money to blow. What a blast! There was a great band and endless drinks and food and it seemed that there was not going to be an end. Thanks Tauna and GPS: Your awesome gig tops my list.

Best Conference
The HP Indigo User’s Group (Dscoop) conference is in its third year and if I had done three “Best of” lists it would have made my list each of those three years. From a knowledge and networking standpoint it can’t be beat. This coming February you can see for yourself as the Dscoop soire hits town in San Diego. Check it out at www.dscoop.org.

Biggest “Why is this guy talking during my lunch?” Moment
A PIANKO luncheon in June at which I was asked to speak. Actually, that was not completely accurate. I was asked to yell because no one was listening to me. They had just come in from a golf tournament. Who the hell wants to listen to a speaker talk about digital printing after 18 holes? You’ve never seen a faster Q&A session.

Biggest “Hey Bill, You’re Old!” Moment
While training some just-out-of-college Sysco sales people in Raleigh, NC, I was floored by the fact that not one of them could name the song that I was playing on my Mac. Twenty five of them sat in wonderment as “Pinball Wizard” blasted through the sound system. UGH!

Newest Sales Rep named “Farquharson”
That would be one Scott Andrew Farquharson, now selling digital and VDP out in San Diego for Brad Reimers’ SOS Printing. For those of you scoring at home, Scott is #3 (and a distant third at that) in line for the sales crown behind Andy (his dad) and moi (his Godfather). Yup, we’ve got it covered!

Saddest Auld Lang Syne Moment
Hearing that Dan Fogelberg died last week. I LOVED his music.

Well, that’s it. I couldn’t possibly add another comment after that last one. Be safe in the days ahead and check in with me now and then, would you? 

Posted by Bill Farquharson on December 26, 2007 | Comments (0)