ALEXANDRIA, VA (March 28, 2003)- Ancillary services as revenue streams and the future of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) were highlighted as critical printing industry issues at the 2003 GATF/PIA President’s conference, held on March 3-9 in Key Biscayne, Florida. The Graphic Arts Technical Foundation/Printing Industry of America’s annual conference brought together an exciting array of industry practitioners and notables during three general sessions, 21 roundtables and breakout sessions. Attendees also had the opportunity to consult with subject-matter experts in private sessions throughout the conference. Frank Romano, from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), reported his data on the various ancillary services offered by printers. Romano stated that printing will be the "ancillary service" for the future as printers become more and more proficient in the additional services demanded by the customers. However, as Paul Reilly, Mail Well, Inc., indicated, “While printers may be performing the additional services now, most are not charging for them.” Romano gave detailed analysis of these services, indicating that most are non-print related, and how the services can become sources of revenue as printers increase their range of services for customers. In addition, Reilly and Ben Cooper, Executive Vice President, Public Affairs for PIA, led spirited discussions about the future of the USPS. Cooper and Reilly emphasized the intertwining of futures between the USPS and the printing industry. After detailing the issues of postal reform and PIA’s intended role, attendees agreed to support the issue. Among the other successful programs was Bill Farquharson’s Fire Up Your Sales presentation, detailing his 90 day plan for increasing revenues. He itemized the steps to guarantee sales activity, which are also featured in Get Sales Now, a PIA program. David Johnson, Buchanan Visual Communications, enthusiastically commented, "This was the best program I have heard. This is something I can take home and use immediately!" Also of note was the E-Business Council Meeting featuring a discussion of the high level of competition involved in reverse auctions. The E-Business Council will be publishing a white paper exploring all aspects of this Internet-enabled print-procurement process. To learn more details about this year’s conference, visit www.gain.net. The 2004 Presidents Conference will be held in Palm Springs, California on March 10-14. For more information, contact Diane Koch at (703) 519-8183 or [email protected].