Rochester, NY -- PODi, the Digital Printing Initiative, has announced that Ken Schmidt, former director of communications at Harley-Davidson will present the kick-off Keynote address at the 2012 AppForum digital printing conference, planned for January 23–25 at the newly renovated Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas. The AppForum is the longest running event focused on emerging, high-margin business opportunities made possible by digital printing. Ken Schmidt is an expert in helping companies create compelling marketing messages that drive an emotional response. He helped Harley-Davidson make one of the most celebrated turnarounds in corporate history.

Mr. Schmidt roars onstage at AppForum with a passionate look at how businesses can and must differentiate themselves from the competition or fall prey to being simply forgettable.” Most companies still all say the same predictable things, about ‘quality,’ ‘cost,’ ‘solutions’. If they really want to connect with prospects, they need to leave out the “givens” and kill the business-speak. Make your message unpredictable. Own it exclusively. It’s an approach that works – for your own marketing and for your customers’ marketing programs, too. I’ve run a lot of direct marketing programs, and I can tell you from experience that if your competition is doing something, you should be doing something completely different. I’m amped about coming to AppForum to speak with the real winners in this space, and inspire them to go further by being different.”

“Ken will challenge the AppForum audience to discover new ways to differentiate themselves, to communicate with their customers; and ultimately to encourage their customers to try new things with their marketing,” says Caslon General Manager Dave Erlandson. “In today’s competitive environment, winning requires it. And that is what AppForum is all about – innovating, embracing change, being the first to jump on new opportunities. And let’s face it – how many brands can say their customers have their logos tattooed on their biceps?”

Dean Petrulakis, Sr. VP with Rider Dickerson, says, "Ken Schmidt delivers a message that resonates with anybody interested in engaging on a more personal level with their customers. His passion for customer-centric marketing is undeniable, and anybody who hears him will come away inspired."

The 2012 AppForum digital printing show is all about winning – it’s bigger and better than ever, with two complete educational Tracks focused on cross-media and direct mail strategy, creative, execution and technology. Presentations are led by innovative marketers and their partners who are creating opportunity and revitalizing marketing with the latest techniques and technologies.

In addition attendees will find new sessions on digital packaging and digital printing technology discussion panels, the latest developments in QR codes, VDP, data analysis, augmented reality, collateral management and web-to-print, print-on-demand and sales and business strategies.

Registration for the 2012 AppForum digital printing show is open now. Early Bird pricing is in effect until November 30. The AppForum is produced by Caslon, a PODi Affiliate. For more information on AppForum, visit www.AppForum.org

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2012 AppForum Sponsors: Gold – Xerox, Canon / Silver - CGS Publishing Technologies / Bronze – Avanti, Convertible Solutions, Online Print Solutions, Page Technology, PrinterPresence

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Get more information at http://www.appforum.org/sponsors-info/reasons-to-sponsor