New York, N.Y. – Printing Industries Alliance today announced that the organization would no longer be co-sponsoring the annual Franklin Luminaire program with Idealliance and the Franklin Luminaire event was being shelved for 2019. Going forward, the annual Franklin Event will be supported only by the Printing Industries Alliance and will be held in May 2020 at a new location in Manhattan.

PIA affiliates of the greater New York/ New Jersey geographic footprint have presented the Annual Franklin Event for 67 years, since 1952. During that time period a wide variety of national and industry dignitaries have received well-earned recognition during the event. From 2014 to 2018 the Franklin Luminaire event was co-sponsored with Idealliance. During that time period, the sponsoring organizations combined to produce successful events each year, at a time when many comparable programs within the graphic communications industry were struggling, and generated thousands of dollars to support industry scholarship efforts as well as related charitable causes. Going forward, Franklin Event proceeds will be earmarked solely to support the PRINT DRIVES AMERICA FOUNDATION, an organization developed to give PRINT a stronger voice, increase PRINT’s dominant market share, highlight its effectiveness and ROI, and enhance its positive perception. In May of 2020 the event returns to a 100% Printing Industries Alliance sponsored Franklin Event.

Tim Freeman, President of the Printing Industries Alliance commented “It has been a pleasure working with an association like Idealliance on this event in the Greater New York /New Jersey region which is arguably the most important graphic communication market in the world. Despite the success of this 5 year co-sponsorship, our management and Board of Directors feel that the time is right for a change.”

Over the next several months, Printing Industries Alliance leaders and staff will be developing ideas to completely reinvent this event including a new theme, new venue, new format, as well as a new committee, while retaining the important features that made the Franklin Event so special. Among these are long standing awards owned by Printing Industries Alliance and their predecessor organizations including the “Franklin Award for Distinguished Service”, the “John Peter Zenger Medal” and a variety of “Power of Communications Awards” for categories to be determined.

Marty Maloney, Executive Vice President of the Printing Industries Alliance added” We are very excited to be in the graphic communications industry and we need the Franklin Event to be as exciting and as relevant as our industry is”.

Freeman further advised “We would like to thank everyone for their support of this program through the years and encourage you to watch your mail and your favorite news source for news about the Franklin Event and the exciting changes ahead.”