Archive Available for Premium Members

Lexington, Kentucky USA - WhatTheyThink today reported that nearly 300 Premium WhatTheyThink Members registered to attend an economic outlook webinar featuring Dr. Joe Webb, Director of WhatTheyThink’s Economics and Research Center (ERC). The session was moderated by WhatTheyThink Senior Editor Cary Sherburne and featured a wealth of information designed to be extremely valuable as companies are planning for year-end and into 2015. The session was held on Wednesday, July 16^th.

The archive of the webinar is available for Premium Members by visiting WhatTheyThink.com and selecting the Webinars tab. If you are not already a Premium Member, the link will direct you to the WhatTheyThink Member Center to sign up.

“The level of registrations for this event validates that our Premium Members value Dr. Webb’s insight and advice,” said Sherburne. “He also provided a sneak peek into a new book he will be releasing at Graph Expo, entitled This Point Forward.” If you missed the session, you will want to check out the archive to benefit from all of the great information that was presented.”

During the session, Dr. Webb covered the following topics:

• Economic overview and forecast
• Printing shipments and profits forecasts
• Industry demographics: A new look and outlook
• How consolidation is reshaping the industry
• Is the death of offset near?
• What are printing firms offering beyond print?
• Dr. Joe's summer reading list
• … and the famous Q&A

“We present much new market data in this session,” said Dr. Webb. “We examined the forces at play in the macroeconomic environment and offered our forecasts, providing commercial printing shipments forecasts to 2020. We also gave our latest estimate and forecasts of the number of commercial printing establishments in the U.S. now, and projected for 2015 and 2020. This included estimates of the establishments that the Census Bureau has stopped covering. The new survey data about the non-print services that printers offer was also presented. It was a wide-ranging discussion from which every printer and supplier could find benefit.”

“As companies look to begin the 2015 planning process,” said Eric Vessels, President of WhatTheyThink, “we believe the print shipment and industry demographics forecasts will be especially helpful. And Dr. Webb also be unveiled his crystal ball to present a picture of what the printing industry will look like in 2020. He projects a very different industry by that time and our Premium Members will want to be aware of the potential dramatic shifts we are facing from this point forward.”

Sponsorship and licensing opportunities associated with Dr. Webb’s new book are available. For more information, contact [email protected]. 

About Dr. Joe Webb

Dr. Joe Webb is one of the graphic arts industry's best-known consultants, forecasters, and commentators. He is director of WhatTheyThink's Economics and Research Center and president of Strategies for Management, Inc. A 35+ year veteran of the graphic arts industries, his forecast webinars and industry presentations assist C-level executives, owners, and analysts understand how changes in the economy, technology, and the industry affect their strategic decisions. He is a Ph.D. graduate of the NYU Center for Graphic Communications Management and Technology (1987) and served on the Center's Board of Advisors.

He holds an MBA in Management Information Systems from Iona College (1981) and was a magna cum laude graduate in Managerial Sciences and Marketing from Manhattan College (1978). He started in the industry with Agfa's Graphic Systems Division, was a marketing executive with Chemco Photoproducts, and entered consulting full time in 1987. In 1994, he founded the influential TrendWatch information service, sold to multinational publisher Reed Elsevier in 2000. 

His book, Disrupting the Future: Uncommon Wisdom for Navigating Print's Challenging Marketplace, written with Richard Romano, has been described as “the manifesto for a new generation of printers.”

About WhatTheyThink

WhatTheyThink is the printing and publishing industry's leading media organization. We offer a wide range of publications that deliver unbiased, real-time market intelligence, industry news, economic and trend analysis, peer-to-peer communication, and special reports on emerging technology and critical events. Special interest sections include Economics, Wide Format, Print Software, Labels & Packaging, Production Inkjet and Mergers & Acquisitions.

WhatTheyThink hosts webinars and live events as well as providing content through a syndication program, delivering content directly to related websites. In addition, WhatTheyThink offers a wide range of lead generation and branding programs that help print- and publishing-related companies achieve business growth.

For more information about partnering with WhatTheyThink, contact [email protected].