The Printing Industries Association of San Diego (PIASD), the largest local association serving the graphic arts and printing industry, announced the seminar and training line up for the annual 2012 PIA Expo being held from Apr. 9-13, 2012, with the trade show and seminars to be held on Wed., Apr. 11, 2012 at the San Diego Convention Center.  The Expo is an opportunity for software distributors, equipment manufacturers, paper distributors, commercial and specialty printers to meet directly with new customers to make “first impressions” with design­ers, Mar/Com professionals, printers and print buyers.  

The schedule of seminars on Apr. 11 includes the following:

Concurrent sessions from 10 am – 11:30 am are “The Power of Direct Mail in a Digital Age” featuring speaker Michael Maguire of Neopost discussing the digital tools such as R Code and electronic communications can increase the benefits of response of direct mail.  “Multi Channel for Multi Success” with speaker Ed Bokuniewicz of Ricoh America will discuss the proven benefits of combining channels of email, direct mail, PURLS, QR Codes and mobile marketing to get the most ROI of marketing campaigns.  “InDesign Hidden Gems” will feature Adobe certified trainer Brian Wood who will show attendees how to work smarter, more efficiently and discover the full potential of CS5.5 utilizing cool effects, gridify, Hide/Show, mini-Bridge and more.

Concurrent sessions from noon – 1:30pm are San Diego Ad Club’s “Integrated Design with the San Diego Zoo” featuring Michael Warburton, Marketing Brand Manager for the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and will address their strategy for integrating design across multiple channels.  “Dynamics of Augmented Reality” with Joe Marin, Sr. Managers of Training Programs with PIA, will show how to interest with print using 3D modeling, video and audio clips, or virtually any kind of multimedia experience.  “Easy Website Creation with Adobe Muse” will be taught by Adobe Certified Instructor Brian Wood and will show how to design and publish HTML websites without needing to write code, and he will use robust design tools to add interactivity to pages.

Concurrent session from 2 pm – 3:30pm are “Design is Not a Commodity” with AIGA and will show how designers collaborate, innovate, differentiate and create meaningful customer experiences through design, and how to communicate the value of design.  “Designing for Digital” with PIA Training Program Manager will address best practices for dealing with color, transparency, PDF creation, variable data and more.  “Developing a Powerful Brand” with Ad and Social Media Exec Hank Blank will demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of a strong Google presence and powerful personal brand through social media to improve SEO and build a strong personal network.

The sponsors for this year’s show include premier sponsors UPS, and Ricoh USA, followed by gold sponsors Marathon Solutions, Inc., Komori America Corporation, Hewlett Packard (NYSE: HPQ), Adobe(NASDAQ:ADBE), and Eye/Comm (Mail Sponsor).  These companies will partner with PIASD to host the 2012 PIA Expo, the only show of its kind, and the more than 1,000 expected attendees, to showcase print, marketing and digital capabilities to corporate business inSouthern California.  In addition, San Diego Ad Club, American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA), and the Mailing Systems Management Association (MSMA) will be industry partners of 2012 PIA Expo.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
With the average consumer attention span lasting about 20 seconds, your first impression may be the ONLY chance you get to deliver a memorable message. Businesses should be asking themselves, “Will my marketing collateral engage the consumer or leave them feeling unfulfilled?"

To sign up to attend, exhibit, sponsor, or general information on the 2012 Expo and Print Week, call PIA/SD at (858) 571-6555 or visit our websites at www.piasd.org or www.piaexpo.com.