ROCHESTER, NY, April 25, 2003 - PODi, the Digital Printing initiative, will host its third Digital Print Applications Forum June 10-11, 2003 at Harrah's Las Vegas Resort and Casino. Held in conjunction with a PODi Technical Working Group meeting, the workshop will educate attendees about digital print applications, Best Practices in project management, sales and marketing strategies, and in-depth technical discussions about implementing digital print workflows using the newest XML methods. For the first time, this PODi Forum will divide into two tracks, business and technical. Each will combine practical advice with theoretical understanding: • The key applications that are driving the demand for digital printing • Methodologies and strategies to sell these new applications • The power of XML-based print streams, including the PPML print language and electronic job ticketing • An in-depth tutorial on the XML aspects of PPML and PPML Templating, presented by a recognized industry expert • The growing number of vendors who are adopting PPML Participants report solid value and practical advice PODi's applications workshops are user-oriented and based on real-world applications. They focus on high-value, high-productivity applications. Past events have received strong favorable reviews from attendees: "We attended the first workshop in San Francisco, and we're already planning to come to the one in June," said Steve Thornton, Director, Information Technology for K/P Corp. K/P is a digital printer with ten offices in four cities. "We're serious about digital printing, and we wouldn't miss this opportunity to help PODi plan the future of the industry." Dr. Rüdiger Schmidt, General Manager of Bosch-Druck GmbH, near Munich, says "Our visit to Rome was absolutely worthwhile. The agenda was on a high level in both technical and marketing aspects. We especially valued the excellent introduction and overview of XML workflows, which provided a lot of technical background and many useful hints." Similarly, Simon Ridge of Documedia Solutions attended the Forum in Rome last march, and says "PODi's Applications Forum puts us close to the action regarding future technical developments in digital print." Documedia provides automated digital print services for U.K. realtors. Joint Sessions provide a comprehensive overview of issues, opportunities, and tactics Each day will start with a joint session, and the event ends with a high-value brainstorming session between business and technical participants and representatives of PODi member companies. Joint session s will cover: ·       Key applications PODi has found are driving demand for digital print ·       PODi's vision for a digital print infrastructure ·       Application segmentation and value proposition ·       Highlights of PODi's Best Practices ·       Adoption of PPML by software and hardware vendors ·       Joint brainstorming session at end of forum Business track provides case-based results from real-world projects Designed for the needs of digital print business managers, the business track presents the results of PODi's research into how to run the business successfully: ·       Case studies in direct marketing, event-based marketing, on-going revenue streams from loyalty marketing programs ·       Digital collateral systems: an application that's ready to scale up ·       Sales management, needs analysis, and lead generation programs Technical track provides the most up-to-date technical information on XML workflows ever presented PODi created PPML, the royalty-free vendor-neutral language for digital print, which is now supported by 20 makers of digital print software and hardware. No digital print system can take full advantage of today's technology without it. The technical track of this event will address this and other aspects of PODi's mission to create a new digital infrastructure for modern, high-productivity workflows: ·       Advantages of XML-based workflows: why XML is optimized for digital print ·       For XML technologists, a detailed walk through the XML Schemas for PPML and PPML Templating ·       Job ticketing for digital print ·       Talk with the experts Who should attend The Las Vegas Applications Forum will be of value to business and technical personnel who create and sell digital printing applications, including ·       Owners and managers of Print Service Providers, including service bureaus ·       Sales managers ·       Marketing managers ·       Operations managers ·       Information technology managers ·       Developers ·       Software developers for vendors of digital print solutions ·       Software developers for CRM vendors will learn how to integrate offline media (print) into their workflow. To register for this event or for additional information please go to the PODi Website at http://www.podi.org/events.