Rochester, NY - PODi, the Digital Printing Initiative, has announced special Spotlight Sessions for the 2011 AppForum digital printing conference, http://www.AppForum.org January 31 – February 2 at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to hear from Sharon Buntain, US Brand President for TISSOT, Swiss Watches, who will share her perspectives on key marketing issues and the challenges of promoting a luxury brand. Then nonprofit expert, David Hazeltine, Vice President of Business Development for DMW Direct, his client, Shane Guiter, the Director of Development for KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, and service provider partner, Dean Sparks, Principal at BrightDart, Inc. will share their varied viewpoints on opportunity in the nonprofit arena.

Spotlight on the Brand Manager's World: Ms. Buntain shares the secrets of a brand marketer's decision-making process. She'll discuss how she divides her marketing budget, how marketing service providers get her attention, and what makes a great partner. Attendees will also hear about TISSOT's extensive use of direct mail, QR codes, & their latest head-turning augmented reality campaign.

Ms. Buntain is no stranger to the luxury goods industry. She has a history of leading American subsidiaries of well-known European brands. Her resume includes stints as President and CEO at The Americas/Links of London, and North America/Lalique. She has been a featured speaker at PMA conferences and the International Business Programs at Lehigh University & Penn State.

Spotlight on Nonprofit Strategy:   Mr. Hazeltine looks at challenges and opportunities in nonprofit with his client KLRU-TV's Shane Guiter and his partner BrightDart's Dean Sparks. They will share insights and case studies on 1:1 direct response fundraising, give tips on selling to resistant nonprofit marketers, and explain why the nonprofit segment is ripe for VDP. "Most nonprofit organizations have an incredible amount of data at hand on their donors, members, or friends," says Mr. Hazeltine. "Currently they use less than 10% of it. The possibilities of what can be done with that data are immensely exciting – we just need to demonstrate the effectiveness of relevance in order to sell integrated cross-media direct marketing campaigns to this segment."

"This is our first year for Spotlight Sessions at the AppForum," says David Erlandson, GM for Caslon & PODi. "The intelligence these speakers have to share with our audience really stands out. It is incredibly relevant; it comes from people who are succeeding with these strategies, people who know what they are talking about. We believe these Spotlights can make a huge difference to the digital printing community's business in 2011."

TISSOT Swiss watches www.tissot.ch has continually surprised and delighted customers with its innovation since 1853. TISSOT is the official timekeeper and partner of NASCAR, FIBA, AFL, CBA, MotoGP and the World Championships of cycling, fencing and ice hockey.

DMW Direct www.dmwfundraising.com works as an extension of their clients' fundraising and membership marketing staffs, providing strategy and creative; execution and production; program management; and program analysis. They serve a multitude of nonprofit sectors.

KLRU-TV www.klru.org is Austin Texas' community licensed PBS station. They produce shows like Austin City Limits, Central Texas Gardener, and Texas Monthly Talks.

BrightDart www.brightdart.com is built around providing personalized communications for its clientele and has positioned itself as a focused provider of variable data and 1:1 communications.

The AppForum features 60 speakers, presenting more than 40 educational sessions and pre-conference intensives. Tracks include:
Business Growth Strategies – Chaired by Kate Dunn, President, Digital Innovations Group. Get tips on strategy development, rebranding, selling through portals, and solution sales
Direct Marketing Tactics – Chaired by Debora Haskel, VP of Marketing, IWCO Direct. Explore best practices for multichannel direct response programs, lead gen, nonprofits, email, & referral programs
Leading Edge Applications – Chaired by Mark Parent, President, SugarBush Media Solutions. Learn about hi-margin apps: QR codes, social media, personalized packaging, eDiscs, & dimensional mail
Digital Print Technologies – Chaired by Dr. John Leininger, Professor, Clemson University. Topics will include POD, VDP, personalized landing pages, QR codes, email, ecommerce, IMBs, and more

As the digital printing industry reshapes itself around new digital technologies and high-margin marketing services, the AppForum has become an essential touchstone. In 2010, attendance grew over 20% and included owners driving the direction of their print and marketing service provider companies, sales and operations teams who create ultimate success, and marketers who use digital printing as an important part of their marketing plan.

2011 AppForum sponsors: Gold Sponsors – Canon, FUJIFILM, Kodak, Konica Minolta, Pageflex by Bitstream, Xerox, xpedx / Silver Sponsors – CGS Technologies, HP, Online Print Solutions, Ricoh / Bronze Sponsors – Avanti, Finch Paper, MindFireInc., PrinterPresence. Media Sponsors – CANVAS magazine, In-plant Graphics, Printing Impressions, Process Magazine, Quick Printing, The Seybold Report, WhatTheyThink. A limited number of sponsorship opportunities are still available. Attendees will have the chance to meet representatives from sponsoring companies, an elite group of vanguard vendors, for quiet one-on-ones and discussions at the vendor fair.

The AppForum is produced by Caslon, a PODi Affiliate. For more information on the 2011 AppForum, or to register, visit www.AppForum.org (Early Bird Pricing is in effect until November 24.)