NEWTON, MA -- Printing businesses have learned that by incorporating mailing and fulfillment into their existing print service offerings, they can increase profitability,  build more flexibility into their production schedules and compete more effectively for the business of print buyers seeking the efficiency and convenience of a one-stop shop.  At the upcoming ON DEMAND Conference & Expo, the Mailing & Fulfillment pavilion and conference track will offer print professionals an opportunity to learn about this profitable new service space and will offer print mailers important information and tools on how to expand their current capabilities. 

The ON DEMAND Expo features a new Mailing & Fulfillment Pavilion, co-sponsored by the Mailing Fulfillment Service Association and featuring vendors including BCC Software, The Bennett Group, (MFSA), MT&L Card Products, Satori Software, RENA Systems, Virtual Systems and Whittier Mailing Products. These companies will showcase the newest software and hardware for folding, slitting, inserting, sealing, tabbing, sorting, weighing, addressing, traying, palletizing, strapping, transporting and sorting mail prior to entering the mailstream.


The conference program offers a Mailing Education Track, produced by The Bennett Group, which takes attendees through all of the steps that a printer needs to take to quickly move into this profitable arena from concept to mailbox, including mail piece design, mailing software, database management, Variable Data Processing (VDP) for mail and marketing of mailing services. 
 
According to Mary Ann Bennett, President and CEO of The Bennett Group, and founder of the Mailing Training Institute, "Throughout the country, printers are facing declining margins and increasing competition.  Those conditions are causing many of them to explore mailing services as a way to carve out significant new revenue streams and to differentiate themselves from the crowd.  Through our education sessions and the pavilion in the Expo hall we will provide valuable information for printing and mailing professionals who are looking to break into this segment of the market."
 
Sessions in the Mailing & Fulfillment Operation Conference Track include Printers Expanding into the Mailing Industry: 10 Steps to Success; Best Practices for VDP and Direct Mail; Increase Print Revenues by Maximizing Postage Savings with Mailpiece Design; Implementing the Intelligent Mail Barcode and Software; 7 Essentials for Mailing in 2009; Marketing Your Mailing Services; How the Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) Impacts Bulk Mailing; New Ideas to Generate Leads and Showcase Your Services; Production Intelligence: Linking Print and Mail Production to Transform Your Operation. Speakers in the conference sessions include executives from The Bennett Group, Pitney Bowes, CIGNA, Heeter Direct, Clemson University, BCC Software, Window Book, Inc., The Master's Touch, LLC.
 
 
Of special note is the new series of educational "Intensives" that provide attendees with quick, economical ways to take a deep dive into the hottest business and technology issues in printing and document production.  This includes a Mailing & Fulfillment Intensive, Making Money in Mailing: A "How-to" Guide for Printers (Thursday, April 2 · 9:00 am - 1:00 pm).  It is a distillation into a single four-hour session of the most important core concepts that are vital to the successful start-up of a mailing services operation by a printer. 
 
The intensive session will include a peer to peer panel discussion led by executives from VISOgraphic, Inc. and Mercury Print Productions, Inc. who will provide answers on how printers can effectively sell their mailing expertise to their clients and how quickly they will be able to turn a profit. Another ON DEMAND first will include LIVE demonstrations of three of the nation's most popular mailing software applications: Mail Manager 2010 by BCC Software; Bulk Mailer by Satori Software, Inc., and AccuZIP6 by AccuZIP, Inc., giving conference attendees the chance to see the software packages side by side.
 
"The ON DEMAND show is dedicated to helping printers weather the difficult economic climate, and giving attendees new ideas to make their businesses more competitive and profitable is critical to that effort," said Tom Bliss, Group Conference Director for Questex Media Group, producers of the event.  "Our relationships with The Bennett Group and the Mailing Fulfillment Services Association complement the print-specific solutions that ON DEMAND is known for by providing attendees with deep knowledge and expertise in mailing and fulfillment operations. These industry-leading organizations offer tremendous business-building value to our attendees, and we're thrilled to have their involvement."
 
In addition to the Mailing & Fulfillment track and pavilion, the ON DEMAND event will offer three dynamic keynote speakers, 75+ educational sessions, and an Expo floor with nearly 150 exhibiting companies, dozens of networking events and opportunities to find out about new products and learn from leaders in the industry. 
 
The Conference & Expo encompasses all the technologies used to create, manage, personalize, print and deliver content.  It's about more than print on demand technology, management and strategy; it's insight into the future of the printing industry by experts who have been at the forefront of the printing business for many years.  The event will take place March 30 - April 2, 2009 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.