Interview with Doug Billings of Empire Screen Printing about Partners in Printing 2021

We sat down with Doug Billings, VP of Sales and Marketing of Empire Screen Printing, to get details about the company’s Partners in Printing Expo, which will mark over a decade of events at this summer’s conference.

How did Partners in Printing get started, back in 2010?

We originally organized the event in 2010 as a national sales meeting for Empire Screen Printing’s representatives throughout the U.S. and Mexico. It had been many years since all of the sales reps and employees were able to all be together – we have 42 reps in the U.S. and Mexico – so we made a plan to get together and for the representatives to be able to tour the plant.

How did you make the decision to move from a sales meeting to an industry conference?

Actually, Partners in Printing still includes a sales meeting, it’s just a little overshadowed by the rest of the week’s events! The evolution was somewhat gradual. The first year, we had a sales meeting, some speakers within the company, a plant tour, and a social barbecue. Two years later we included those same events, but added a small trade show for the benefit of the plant employees and sales reps. From there, the trade show continued to expand from the positive reviews from exhibitors and attendees. Now, the Partners in Printing Expo is intended to strengthen the printing industry as a whole, not just Empire Screen Printing employees and representatives. It has grown to be a major event in the printing industry every two years. As it has grown, it has also shifted to include education about and for the entire printing industry, including Empire plant tours that are open to all within the industry, including competitors.

Really, you welcome your competitors for tours of your plant? How does that work?

We really believe that from industrial to commercial printing, we all have to work together for our industry to continue to thrive. Everything from adapting to changing technology, improving sustainability, and learning from one another helps to keep the industry as a whole strong and relevant. Sustainability is probably the clearest example of the learning that has been going on in the industry, and where we lead through partnerships. That learning requires networking, as we have to know and trust one another if we want to make progress.

More than anything else, we want to provide education on printing in order to promote the industry and the suppliers as a whole. Part of how we're doing that is by inviting printers from around the United States and Canada to come in for Partners in Printing. Through the partnerships we forge at the Expo, we’ve been able to strengthen and grow both suppliers and printers, and when the market is thriving, our business is thriving too. This year, we’re inviting suppliers and printers who work in screen printing, digital printing, flexographic printing, and more.

It sounds like sustainability and innovation are themes for the event.

They really are. We’re focused, as a company, not just on competing or taking over the market but on leaving a meaningful legacy in our space. Right now, in printing, that means leading the way in terms of sustainable technology to try to minimize the environmental impact that we and the rest of the industry has. We’ve completely eliminated solvent-based inks from our production, since they’re harmful for the environment and for workers. Now, we’re working on shifting our production lines from using mercury vapor UV lights to cure the ink to using LED technology, which we pioneered. Less than 15 years after we created the LED ink curing process, 95% of our production uses that process. That proportion is growing each year as more inks become compatible with UV LED curing thanks to our working hand-in-hand with suppliers towards sustainability.

We’ve made available our knowledge with UV LED ink curing technology to our competitors because it doesn’t do us any good to keep it under wraps. By sharing it, through venues like Partners in Printing, we can help to make our industry safer and greener for everyone. That kind of innovation for the common good is exactly what our company, and this event, is all about.

What kinds of events will be happening at Partners in Printing 2021?

For the 2021 Partners in Printing Expo, events will include a vendor fair, plant tours, professional training and networking, concerts, a charity golf outing, and more. The vendor fair will include businesses and suppliers from throughout the printing industry, and will be focused on evolving technologies, sustainability, and strengthening small businesses through partnerships.

The past year has been difficult for small businesses, and our industry is no different than any other in that regard. We hope that the opportunities for education, networking, and innovation that Partners in Printing represents will be some of the many steps the industry can take to move forwards towards thriving for businesses of all sizes.

While many of the activities, like the speaker presentations, special networking event and Wisconsin Backyard BBQ are open to exhibitors or invited guests, the expo, concert, plant tours and golf tournament are open to the public. We do that in part because the printing industry has a major impact on the community in the La Crosse area, we want to give back to the community that supports our industry in direct and indirect roles. The charity golf outing at the Expo this year will benefit the La Crosse Children’s Museum, and that’s also open to the public to maximize the fundraising and impact.

You mentioned a concert series open to the public. Who will be performing?

The Tattoo’s and Tailgates Concert Series will feature rock, pop, and country acts. The event is emceed by Chris Kirkpatrick from *NSYNC and includes The Nashville Cartel, Trailer Choir, Hinder, and Tyler Farr.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions! One last one – how can printing professionals learn more about the event?

The 2021 event, rescheduled from summer 2020, will be taking place July 20-22 at the La Crosse Convention Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Those interested in more information can visit the event website at https://www.empirescreen.com/partners_in_printing.html.