Learnings from the Road: May Trade Events in Perspective

May 2019 saw a variety of important trade events on a global scale, including the National Postal Forum, the Fiserv Forum, Xeikon Café, and FESPA. This article provides a brief synopsis of the major trade events that occurred during the past month.

With more than 100 workshops, six tracks of informational sessions, and opportunities for certification, NPF 2019 brought the United States Postal Service (USPS) together with its consituents.
During the Fiserv Forum, Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends covered Profitable Engagement with Billing Communication. Bills are often overlooked elements of marketing campaigns, and print is as relevant today as it was three decades ago.
Kodak’s 2019 Graphic Users’ Association (GUA) Conference celebrated the 20^thanniversary of its PRINERGY workflow.

By Pat McGrew

Introduction

There is always much to take away from any trade event, but a month like May is filled with many events to cover. In these cases, the challenge becomes finding the golden nuggets within the vast number of presentations and conversations.

Highlights from Recent Events

Early last month (May 5–9), the 2019 National Postal Forum (NPF) took place in Indianapolis. If you mail anything and this event is not on your radar, it should be! NPF is such a strong event that even the Sunday sessions were well-attended, even though the exhibits didn’t open until the next day. With more than 100 workshops, six tracks of informational sessions, and opportunities for certification, this event brings the United States Postal Service (USPS) together with its consituents. During this year’s event, there was even a USPS Consultation Center providing insight and assistance to mailers seeking options to become more efficient.

Attendees who were thinking ahead took advantage of the sessions devoted to Informed Visibility platform. If you’re already aware of Informed Delivery, you likely got the hint that it has to do with mail tracking and reporting. Informed Visibility (IV-MTR®) provides that desireable end-to-end mail tracking for all mailstream items, including packages and containers, and leverages Mail Quality Data (MQD) to give mailers advanced warning on errors and warnings for lodged mail.

During NPF, Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends co-presented with the USPS in the session entitled First Class Mail – The Personal Touch, which reminded attendees of how recipients perceive the mail that they receive and how to drive the most value from mail that is sent. If you missed this year’s event, start making plans for next year! National Postal Forum 2020 will be held April 26–29 at the Marriott World Center in Orlando—only a few weeks after DSCOOP Edge 2020 in the same venue!

During the same week as NPF (May 6–9), the Fiserv Forum was held at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. Vendor forums can be fascinating educational opportunities because they bring together a varied array of constituents that push the people in charge of the agenda to meet a variety of educational needs. At Fiserv Elevate, the education program was focused on educating Fiserv and First Data customers on Fiserv’s broad array of service offerings. During the event, InfoTrends covered Profitable Engagement with Billing Communication with a reminder that bills are often overlooked elements of marketing campaigns, and that print is as relevant today as it was three decades ago. It is important to remember that print must remain an integral component of multi-channel and omni-channel campaign design for optimal efffectiveness.

Later in May, Kodak’s 2019 Graphic Users’ Association (GUA) Conference took place from May 13–16 in New Orleans. This event marked the 20thanniversary of its PRINERGY workflow. During that same week (May 14–16), Xeikon Café in Chicago celebrated the company’s commitment to change. In addition, the 2019 FESPA Global Print Expo was held in Munich, Germany from May 14–17.

The Bottom Line

All of these events had their own key takeaways, but each shared a common thread—change is in the air across all facets of communication. Whether you are printing analog or digital, toner or inkjet, sheets or rolls, wide-format or letter-size, on paper or vinyl, the printers who buy equipment and the brands that purchase print are all seeking more innovation, faster turnaround times, and a view to the future that will enable them to differentiate their offerings. To learn more about these events and others, check out the WhatTheyThink and Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends websites for commentary, analysis, and additional information.

Leveraging more than three decades as an evangelist for technology in communication, Keypoint Intelligence – InfoTrends’ Pat McGrew uses her technical and marketing background to lead the industry toward optimized business process and information workflows. She has worked with companies to help them define their five-year plans, audited workflow processes, and developed sales team interventions and education programs. She educates the industry in production workflows to promote effective communication. If you have stories to share, Pat would love to hear from you! She can be reached via Twitter (@PatMcGrew), LinkedIn, or e-mail (Pat.McGrew@keypointintelligence.com).