Lexington, Kentucky USA -- WhatTheyThink.com today announced the opportunity for industry professionals to attend a free printing industry educational webinar. Partnering & Networking to Build Your Business, which will be led by industry expert Barbara A. Pellow, Group Director of Production Services for research firm InfoTrends.  Sponsored by HP, the event will be held Wednesday, November 11th, from 2:00 to 3:00 PM EST (-5 GMT).

No-charge registration is available at the webinar registration page.

“Being successful with digital printing requires much more than simply purchasing a press,” said Pellow.  “And it can be difficult to devote time to development of strategic business plans amidst the hectic daily activities of managing a business.  This session will discuss a wide array of resources available to print service providers that can help them figure out how to enter new markets, explore new opportunities and outpace the competition.  It will discuss the importance of leveraging tools and technology associated with business development, training and education and new market development, as well as taking advantage of user communities like the Digital Solutions Cooperative (DSCOOP) to interact with peers and learn best practices..”

Pellow will be joined by

• Warren Werbitt, Fisherman and Founder, Pazazz.com.  You may remember Warren from his famous YouTube video which has had nearly 200,000 views. Warren Werbitt is the Founder and CEO of Pazazz. At the age of 25 Warren started Pazazz, a full-service independent printer based in Montreal. Pazazz is a solution provider delivering a one-stop-shop offering that is unique in the printing industry. Pazazz Printing, Pazazz Digital, Pazazz Labels and Pazazz Large Format ensure high quality print solutions to an ever-growing number of clients. In August 2009 Warren was inducted into the NAPL Soderstrom Society, an honours organization that recognizes the contributions of industry leaders, including printing firm owners, equipment manufacturers, consultants and educators
• Larry Vaughn, President, Ideal Printers, Inc..  Larry Vaughn has been in the graphic arts industry since 1978. Twenty-two years ago, Larry founded Ideal Printers, Inc. in Houston, TX. What started out with one small press and two employees has grown into the fifth largest printing company in Houston. Ideal Printers now handles a multitude of print and marketing needs including commercial print, design, digital print, large format print, bindery, kitting, vehicle wrapping, and distribution. Larry served two years on the HP Digital Printing Advisory Council as one of the original board members and is slated to become the Dscoop Chairman of the Board in 2010.
• David Smith, Director of Business Development, Williams Visual Solutions.  A solutions development professional with over 25 years of experience in marketing communications, agency management and commercial print operations leadership. David Smith is Director of Business Development at Williams Visual Solutions, a Marketing Services and Logistics Provider located in Chattanooga, TN and is focused on the growth of integrated marketing programs and dynamic solutions based web services portals. Formerly, as Senior Manager of Digital Print and Business Development for Aflac subsidiary Communicorp Inc., David supervised the development of digital printing infrastructure, including web-to-print, variable data printing and fulfillment, and operations automation.

“This session will also touch on how social media can be used to grow your printing business,” said Randy Davidson, President, WhatTheyThink, “and I am sure all the panelists will have valuable contributions on that front, especially Warren, an early adopter of this medium.  We appreciate the fact that HP is sponsoring this important session, allowing us to make it available at no charge.”

Attendees will be able to participate in a live question and answer session to get the most from the experience and will be able to view and listen to the presentation using a standard Internet browser with audio streamed via computer.

Register for this free webinar.

About HP

HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all customers. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world's largest IT companies. Featuring next-generation digital printing technologies that enable the professional printing of postage stamps to building wraps, and everything in between, HP Graphic Arts solutions include digital presses, wide and super wide-format printers, and custom inkjet solutions. Couple HP’s progressive portfolio with it's reputation for innovation, global responsibility and an industry-leading commitment to helping customers capture business success and you have a company that’s equipped to help you achieve profitable growth and thrive. www.hp.com/go/graphic-arts

About WhatTheyThink

WhatTheyThink is the printing and publishing industry's leading media organization; offering a wide range of publications delivering unbiased, real-time market intelligence, industry news, economic and trend analysis, peer-to-peer communication, and special reports on emerging technology and critical events. WhatTheyThink also hosts webinars and live events that are timely and relevant o today's busy industry executives along with consulting and speaker services that leverage a talented pool of writers and industry analysts.

WhatTheyThink consists of flagship site WhatTheyThink.com, discussion forum site PrintPlanet.com, and industry blog PrintCEO.com.

About Barbara Pellow

Barbara Pellow recently assumed responsibility for the development and delivery of two new services at InfoTrends specifically focused on the evolution of the Graphic Communications Market – The Business Development Service and Custom Communications Service. Pellow has served in a number of roles including the Chief Marketing Officer of Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group. In the role of Chief Marketing Officer, Pellow was responsible for all marketing activities for the division, including marketing communications, public relations, marketing intelligence and advertising strategy. She was an active participant in developing business strategy and helping define the group’s go-to-market organizational structure.

Prior to joining Kodak, Pellow was the Gannett chair in integrated publishing sciences in Rochester Institute of Technology’s (RIT) School of Printing Management and Sciences (SPMS). She has also held senior marketing roles at IKON Office Solutions, InfoTrends, Xerox and IBM.

Pellow can be reached at [email protected].