Remember our print buyers from Delaware Investments who were interviewed on Day 1? Well, Cynthia Bittle, Karen Barnaby, and Bonnie Rockhill are back. Let's see how they fared. I asked the obvious, did they like the conference? "Definitely would come back, " "Very good," "Informative" and "Glad I came" were the responses. What did they like the best? Our buyers were especially excited about the practical ideas they could use right away. They had raves for John Leininger, Professor at Clemson University, whose topic was What Does that Print Job Really Cost? and the presentation of Dick Gorelick, President of the Graphic Arts Sales Foundation (GASF), on Buyer-Seller Pre-Nuptials: Terms and Conditions of Sale. The Delaware Investment buyers liked the way that Gorelick "addressed things you don’t think of so you can plan for them," and his style.

I, too, liked Gorelick's talk, although I don’t know much about the nuances of print buying. He does make the practical very funny. A firm believer that "It’s always better to steal than do without," Gorelick lets print buyers steal all the tips and tricks he has accumulated over the years. He deals with topics such as: the duration of a quote when paper prices are volatile, the treatment of work that does not conform to quoted specs, ownership of plates and corrected files, handling overs and unders, asking about security and the blanket annual letter with terms and conditions. How does he make this funny, you might ask? I can't explain it. You had to be there.

An Old Company with New Answers
As a luncheon speaker, they enjoyed the presentation of Richard Sand, Director of Business Development, Digital Printing, from Heidelberg. (Disclosure, I currently work with Heidelberg on various projects.) Sand's theme was that technology forces us to change and, even though people still want paper, we can't stay put. Printers have to change and anticipate the needs of their customers. Everybody's roles are changing. "The reason I participate in this conference," Sand told me, "is to educate the buyers on how to buy digital printing. Heidelberg is a sponsor of PBO (Print Buyers Online), and I think it is important for suppliers to support and educate during these changes and transitions." Regarding the conference itself, Sand commented, "The topics are well thought out and relevant because the PBO folks really listen to their members and provide an educational forum based on the needs or their membership." In his presentation, Sand emphasized that Heidelberg is an old company and has a reputation for reliability, not just in traditional printing but digital, as well. What about the presentation stood out in the minds of our 3 buyers? "We didn't associate Heidelberg with digital at all and this was good news. Since it's a reliable technology, we would be most comfortable to start with them," they told me.