Reston, VA — Innovation is one of the hallmarks of a successful business, but creating that new business model isn't always easy to do. Graphic communications professionals wanting to glean some new ideas will hear what worked for others in the industry at the Vision 3 Summit, a groundbreaking new leadership conference. The Vision 3 Summit will take place March 13–16, 2011, at the Desert Springs JW Marriott in Palm Desert, CA. The conference is a joint effort of the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL); NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies (NPES); and Printing Industries of America. It is open to all company owners and executives—service providers and suppliers—in the graphic communications industry.

One of the highlights of the Vision 3 Summit promises to be "The Innovators Panel—Vision That Created New Models." This prestigious panel will feature executives from three different companies that found innovative new ways to address the demands of the graphic communications industry. The panel will include David Fox, vice president, manufacturing, of Valpak, one of the leading direct marketing companies in North America; Chuck Gehman, vice president, product management, of Mimeo.com, a provider of online, on-demand cloud printing services; and, Andrew Field, president and CEO of PrintingForLess.com, which provides high-quality commercial color printing in the short- to medium-run color printing market. These executives will shed light on the experiences of their companies, how and why their business models are successful, and how they are addressing challenges in today's economy.

The panel will be moderated by Joseph Truncale, president and CEO of NAPL. "Most executives understand that we can no longer do business the way we've always been doing it—but they don't necessarily know what other business models will work. This session will offer some new ideas and tips for successful innovation, from executives who have managed it successfully," said Truncale.

In addition to the Innovators Panel, other sessions will cover a range of topics of interest to today's graphic communications executives. Topics will span the gamut of management concerns—from the economic recovery to future growth markets, to new-media marketing strategies and sales tactics. All sessions are geared to issues of top interest to management-level executives, and emphasize real-world applications and 'best practices' and will offer actionable "how-to" advice. The Vision 3 Summit will also feature a variety of networking events and a number of receptions.

The Vision 3 Summit replaces NAPL's, NPES' and Printing Industries of America's individual leadership programs, including NAPL's Top Management Conference; NPES' Industry Summit that included the PRINT OUTLOOK Conference and PRIMIR Spring Meeting; and, Printing Industries of America's Presidents Conference. Both NAPL and NPES will hold their individual board of directors meetings in conjunction with this conference. Additionally PRIMIR will hold its Spring Meeting in conjunction with the Vision 3 Summit.

While the first co-produced conference by NAPL, NPES and Printing Industries of America, the Vision 3 Summit is not the first joint venture between the three organizations. NAPL, NPES and Printing Industries of America also co-own the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC), which produces the popular industry GRAPH EXPO and PRINT exhibitions.

For more information about the Vision 3 Summit, or to register for the Conference, visit: www.vision3summit.org. For all of the pre-event updates and news follow the Vision 3 Summit community online at: Facebook.com/Vision3Summit; Twitter.com/Vision3Summit; and Youtube.com/Vision3Summit.