Unique printer-only event scheduled for October 2-3 at Chicago’s prestigious University Club

Lexington, Kentucky USA -- WhatTheyThink.com announced that plans for the second annual Print CEO Forum in Chicago are well underway.  This printer-only event will be held October 2^nd and 3^rd, 2010, in Chicago’s prestigious University Club.  Limo transportation to McCormick Place for Graph Expo will be provided on October 3^rd.

“Following the conclusion of a very successful inaugural session of the Print CEO Forum last year,” said Randy Davidson, President of WhatTheyThink, “we have been analyzing attendee feedback and working to make this year’s session even more powerful.  As we begin to see signs of economic recovery, owners and managers of printing businesses will need to think very differently about their businesses and the industry at large.  This exclusive, printer-only event is designed to provide profound insight into market, industry and economic trends while giving attendees a wide range of actionable ideas they can put to work immediately. In addition, through this venue, WhatTheyThink is building a community of leading print business owners and managers that will have benefits beyond this single event. Over time, we will be reaching out to Print CEO Forum alumni in ways that will provide ongoing support to their business management efforts.”

The agenda and registration page is available at PrintCEOForum.com. WhatTheyThink has also arranged a limited number of rooms at the University Club, should attendees wish to take advantage of the convenience of staying at this exclusive venue during the Forum.

Why Attend?

The Print CEO Forum, which opens Saturday, October 2^nd, at 8:30 AM and concludes at 11:30 AM on Sunday, features a wide range of industry thought leaders speaking about highly relevant topics for print business owners and managers.  Each session will conclude with two to three takeaways that can benefit any business in the industry.

“While we are striving to make the 2010 Print CEO Forum even better than last year,” said Cary Sherburne, Senior Editor, WhatTheyThink, “it is telling that CEOs attending last year’s session were changing their strategic planning agendas as the session was underway and they were exposed to new ideas, bold best practices, and the ability to network with their peers in an environment that encouraged sharing of ideas.  This year’s event will take that experience to the next level and is a not-to-be-missed event for any print business owner or manager looking to accelerate business growth in an environment that is still challenging.”

Confirmed speakers include:

• Robert Tapella, U.S. Public Printer
• Dr. Joe Webb, Director of WhatTheyThink’s Economics and Research Center
• Barbara Pellow, Group Director of research firm InfoTrends and digital media pioneer
• Peter Schaefer, New Direction Partners, an expert in printing industry mergers and acquisitions
• Margie Dana of Print Buyers International and a panel of high-profile marketing executives discussing the role of print in the modern media mix
• Paul Reilly of New Direction Partners, an expert in succession planning for printing businesses.

“One of the most popular sessions last year,” added Sherburne, “was the discussion between industry luminaries Frank Romano and David Zwang about the highlights of Print 09, and we are repeating that session again this year to help attendees make more effective use of their time at Graph Expo 2010. While we are still securing speakers and developing the agenda, we expect to be joined by a panel of high-profile and very successful print CEOs who will share their thoughts about the industry and what printers should be doing to address a rapidly changing future.  Finally, there will be a focus on social media, how printers can use these new media in their businesses, and what customers are doing in this realm.  This will be a fast-paced, forward-thinking conference that is unlike anything else in the industry.”

To register for the event and for more details, visit PrintCEOForum.com. 

“While this is a printer-only event,” said Davidson, “we are pleased that manroland has agreed to be our sponsor this year, allowing us to grow this exclusive event and make it even more valuable to attendees than last year. Their generous sponsorship makes possible a dinner at the University Club Saturday evening as well as limo transportation to the convention center on Sunday.”

About WhatTheyThink.com

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 as well as providing content through a syndication program, which delivers content directly to related websites.

About manroland

manroland Inc., a division of manroland AG, is the world’s second largest printing systems manufacturer and the world’s market leader in web offset.  manroland employs almost 8,700 people and has annual sales of some Euro 1.7 billion with an export share of almost 80%.  Web and sheetfed offset presses provide solutions for publishing, commercial and packaging printing.  For more information visit the web site at www.manroland.us.com <http://www.manroland.us.com> .