If you’ve spoken with me over the past few months and found me preoccupied, please forgive me. Producing an annual educational conference is like having a wedding once a year – without the gifts or having to squeeze into a white gown.

While finding the venue is absolutely key, that step’s a breeze when compared with building the program. After all, that’s what will attract attendees. What will they learn at your show, how will it directly benefit them, and who will be presenting?

This year, for the first time, we are creating a 2-day Conference to benefit a broader audience of professionals: print buyers, graphic designers, and marketing folks who are responsible for media strategy and/or campaigns.

Print is our cornerstone, but our program will also offer you insights about related topics: how print works in tandem with newer media, what experts are predicting about the future of publishing, why paper prices vary, how to become an influencer in your job, how brands are keeping print in their cross media campaigns, and on and on.

Identifying the best topics are challenging enough (it’s the part I like the best), but finding experts who are also compelling speakers is the tricky part. Lucky for me, I know a lot of industry greats. One by one, they’ve said “sure thing!” when invited to speak for us next November 3rd and 4th.

Believe me when I tell you I’m bursting with excitement to share 3 of the speakers and their topics with you today:

1. Jeffrey Dickerson, C.P.M., ChFC for State Farm Insurance Companies, Purchasing and Distribution Services

Jeff has been a panelist for me in other parts of the US at different times in recent years. He’s among the “elite buyers” in this field. What impresses me most? His wisdom and professionalism. When I heard him speak, he came across as a natural teacher, too. Someone with integrity, and someone I inherently trust.

“How to be a Person of Disproportionate Influence in Your Field”

Influence is always a big topic in Supply Chain Management. Being a person of influence is the essence of leadership. Even if someone does not have the title or responsibility of leader, we should all seek to create a significant, lasting impact on others. An influential buyer has developed relationship-building skills, sales skills, and is a credible, ethical professional. They have learned and understand that influence is a skill that involves many small steps that eventually leads internal customers, suppliers and management to an understanding of the value a buyer/purchasing provides. It is a critical skill that does not simply “happen,” and as we are sourcing more non-traditional items, influence helps us reach out to different areas and seek support of upper management’s resources and reach. Participants will learn how to be a person of disproportionate influence in the print-sourcing field.

2. Jack Miller, Principal Consultant, Market-Intell

Jack is known as The Paper Guru and is a veteran of more than 30 years in the paper industry. He founded Market-Intell, a market intelligence consultancy focused on paper, print, and packaging. Jack was the author of Trend Price and the Earnings of North American Paper Producers, published by RISI, and he co-authored two major studies for PRIMIR.

He’s not merely a paper guru. He’s also a curler!

“The Mystery of Paper Prices Explained”

At times it seems like paper prices keep going up – even though print is shrinking. Why does this happen? Do paper prices ever go down? This presentation by Jack Miller will explore how supply and demand affect paper prices, and in turn, how paper prices affect supply and demand.

We’ll discuss the role of pulp prices, imports, inventory, and other forces that impact the price of paper. We’ll also discuss the roles that mills, paper merchants, printers, publishers, print buyers, and graphic designers play in paper buying and selling and they ways that they influence paper prices.

We’ll talk about the pros and cons of directed buys, rebates, and buying the paper versus letting the printer do it.

Finally, we will identify what paper buyers and sellers – as well as print buyers and sellers – can do to better manage paper prices.

3. Frank Romano, Professor Emeritus RIT

When I want to test someone who claims to be plugged-in to printing, I drop the name “Frank Romano.” If they know who he is, they’re in like Flynn. If they don’t, I am immediately suspicious.

With 50 years in this industry and 50 books to his name, Frank has been there and done that. He has a photographic memory, a thing for music-and-lyrics, and hundreds if not thousands of former RIT students who remain in awe of him. I invited Frank to tell us about the latest-and-greatest digital applications.

“There’s an App for That in Digital Printing”

Digital printing is based on the fact that each impression is re-generated. This allows an amazing range of printed products that can be versioned and personalized – and even electronically collated.

Only your imagination can hold you back in a brave new digital world. From targeted direct mail to books on demand to versioned brochures, print and media professionals are finding new ways to communicate marketing messages. This session will present many of these new ideas by the world’s #1 expert in all-things-printed-digitally.

Friends, this is just a taste of all the excellent programming we have planned for buyers, designers, marketers and printing pros at the 5th Annual Print & Media Conference November 3-4 in Westford, MA. Registration will open next month.

Won’t you please join us?

I’ll continue to share presenter names and session info as the program builds. We’re nearly there. If you have questions about pricing, we’re happy to share that information. Email our Conference Manager Barbara Graham at . The best pricing is reserved for members of Boston Print Buyers.

© 2010 Margie Dana. All rights reserved. Your comments are encouraged. You’re free to forward this email to friends and colleagues. However, no part of this column may be reprinted without permission from the author.