19 students from 14 countries and four continents help create an international network August 27, 2002 -- Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg)’s Print Media Academy launched its first ever “Summer University” program between August 4 and 10. All in all, some 19 business owners and managers from the print and media industry – gathered from 14 countries and four continents – converged on Heidelberg to receive their six-day advanced training course. The focus was on management issues such as strategy, innovation management, sales and marketing, HR, controlling and finance. The use and marketing of new technologies such as digital printing was also discussed. All the examples used were based on real-life, practical situations. Each student created a personal action plan in which he noted down what he would do or change and when and how he would do it. There were plenty of opportunities for the students to exchange information. Everyone benefited from the group’s international composition. The result was a global network. The group received instruction from prestigious international speakers. Company visits and a program of cultural events rounded off the event. “As someone who has been familiar with the industry for many years, I had high expectations of this course. And my expectations were surpassed by the excellent speeches and practical examples”, said one entrepreneur from the USA. “Essentially, nobody should tell anyone about this program if they want to hold onto the competitive advantage that this Summer University course gives them”, added another student from Costa Rica. And one Belgian entrepreneur said: “We all have a wealth of technical expertise. What we’re lacking is in-depth management expertise. The Print Media Academy has gone a long way to helping us fill this gap”. More information on the Summer University can be obtained from [email protected] or by visiting www.heidelberg.com.