Below is a guest blog post from the team at Performance Plus Global Logistics, the newest addition to the National Buying Program at Printing Industries of America. For more information on how members can take advantage of the great savings as part of this program, visit www.printing.org/buyingpower.  The year has gotten off to a busy start with an array of new customers for our team thanks in part to our recent partnership with Printing Industries of America. Performance Plus Global Logistics is excited to have had the opportunity to team up with Printing Industries of America as part of the National Buying Program. This program officially kicked off in January, and we have already seen great success. We have multiple webinars scheduled throughout the weeks with the PIA affiliates and their members, and we have also fielded numerous requests from PIA members to send more information and details regarding the program and how we can help. There are a great deal of benefits provided to PIA members when it comes to utilizing the Buying Program of Performance Plus to better suit your transportation and logistics needs, all of which have been outlined more specifically on the PIA website and can be found at www.printing.org/performanceplus. The key feature of utilizing Performance Plus that we would really like to express to the PIA members is the use of our transportation management system portal. The portal that we use and are offering to each of you at no cost is much more than just a rating tool and is full of time-saving features that allow you to manage your freight and invoices as well. For those affiliates and members who are interested in the program and have not yet gotten set up, please contact us today so we can send you more information and get you signed up for one of our upcoming webinars. We have a demo account that we can send to you to begin rating immediately. All we will need from you to be set up in our system is a credit application. Once the credit application has been received and approved, we will get you set up. The setup process for our program is as simple as utilizing the program itself. We look forward to working with each and every one of...

Below is a guest blog post from the team at Performance Plus Global Logistics, the newest addition to the National Buying Program at Printing Industries of America. For more information on how members can take advantage of the great savings as part of this program, visit www.printing.org/buyingpower.  The year has gotten off to a busy start with an array of new customers for our team thanks in part to our recent partnership with Printing Industries of America. Performance Plus Global Logistics is excited to have had the opportunity to team up with Printing Industries of America as part of the National Buying Program. This program officially kicked off in January, and we have already seen great success. We have multiple webinars scheduled throughout the weeks with the PIA affiliates and their members, and we have also fielded numerous requests from PIA members to send more information and details regarding the program and how we can help. There are a great deal of benefits provided to PIA members when it comes to utilizing the Buying Program of Performance Plus to better suit your transportation and logistics needs, all of which have been outlined more specifically on the PIA website and can be found at www.printing.org/performanceplus. The key feature of utilizing Performance Plus that we would really like to express to the PIA members is the use of our transportation management system portal. The portal that we use and are offering to each of you at no cost is much more than just a rating tool and is full of time-saving features that allow you to manage your freight and invoices as well. For those affiliates and members who are interested in the program and have not yet gotten set up, please contact us today so we can send you more information and get you signed up for one of our upcoming webinars. We have a demo account that we can send to you to begin rating immediately. All we will need from you to be set up in our system is a credit application. Once the credit application has been received and approved, we will get you set up. The setup process for our program is as simple as utilizing the program itself. We look forward to working with each and every one of...

Imagine you are at a conference rubbing elbows with hundreds of people who have ideas and answers to make your business more profitable? Hundreds of industry executives and suppliers will be at the 2013 Binding Industries Association (BIA) Conference. The event is slated to be one of the most successful BIA conferences to date (find out why in the video below). We have a lineup of expert speakers from around the industry to provide how-to advice on creating leaner, more efficient operations, analyzing your customer, and improving your leadership strategies.   With a surge of new and returning attendees, along with more than 50 of the industry’s top suppliers, this is the place to be this April 8–10.  We’d recommend you get familiar with some of these suppliers before you arrive and get an idea of the resources they have to help your company. They’re here to answer your questions and show you their newest technologies and solutions. If you want to really “branch out,” at this year’s conference, take advantage of the unique networking events we have to offer: Tabletop Resource Lunches Spend one-on-one time with industry experts who can speak to innovative approaches and products specifically designed to help you achieve maximum efficiency. The companies represented are strong supporters of the BIA program, the association, and the industry, so please make it a point to visit with as many of the resource experts as you can. Customer Connections: Tabletop Reception Mingle and connect with the top suppliers for binding, graphic finishing, and loose-leaf manufacturing companies that will have solutions to help improve your business. “The BIA Annual Conference is the top event of the year for the graphic finishing and information packaging industry.  It’s the one event I always circle on my calendar as a must-attend.” Rick Ciordia, Standard Finishing,  Industry Supplier And if you still need a reason to come to the 2013 BIA Conference, we can give you five! In this video, Justin Goldstein, Director, Member Services, talks about what is in store for you at the conference. Find more information on the 2013 BIA Conference at www.printing.org/biaconference, and network anytime with top professionals on the Binding Industries Association LinkedIn...

In a Q&A with Julie Shaffer, Vice President, Digital Strategies, Printing Industries of America, we learn what to expect from the highly anticipated Integrated Print Forum 2013. Q. What sets the Integrated Print Forum 2013 apart from other conferences featuring the printing industry’s latest technologies? A. We’ve built the Integrated Print Forum to be different from other conferences, which often feature many breakout tracks and a wide swath of topics. For the Forum, we wanted all attendees to share the same experience so that they can better engage during networking times. That’s why we built a program with short back-to-back sessions, all (with the exception of a few hands-on labs) on the same stage. When a group stays together for two days, very often people develop camaraderie with each other and the presenters. While so many of the topics of this conference center around mobile and digital technologies, the event itself is very steeped in personal communication and learning. Q. Is there a session you’re looking forward to the most this year? A. No, I have to say what I’m most looking forward to watching the audience be blown away by the spectacular speaker lineup! Q. How do the speakers of the Integrated Print Forum set this conference apart? A. The Integrated Print Forum features a diverse group of speakers who all have tremendous credibility in marketing, business, and commerce—but they’re not the “usual suspects” who are often found on the podium of most other industry conferences. We have author and respected blogger Jason Falls, who’s a huge name in the social media circles—even some of the other speakers are pumped to be able to meet him! Our keynote, Andrew Davis, is a top name in brand marketing, and his book, Brandscaping, which all attendees will receive, is a must-read for anyone striving for success in the marketing services space. We’ll hear from entrepreneurs both in and out of the printing industry, people who know what it takes to start a business and offer solid practical advice to the audience. Of course, we’ve included a few respected and knowledgeable people well known to our members, including the incomparable Daniel Dejan of Sappi Fine Paper. I can say this; no one is going to be bored for a minute at the Forum. Q. What are some of the unexpected benefits of attending this conference? A. Since the Forum is right here at Printing Industries headquarters, attendees can tour our great facility and meet our staff—people they may have only talked to on the phone or followed through their articles and columns, like our lab manager, Brad Evans. Then there’s the fun dinner event we have planned for the evening of...

You have only to consider the smartphone in your pocket, the tablet device your kids are scrolling through, and the computer that sits ever at the ready on your desk to understand this fact: digital communication is here to stay. Can print remain an important part of the communication mix today? Of course! For example, did you know that one in ten magazine ads contained a mobile action code last year? Integrating print with digital is at the core of what we call “Integrated Print,” and it can represent significant business potential for print and marketing service providers. Sharing the insights of renowned brand and marketing leaders, social commerce experts, publishers, business entrepreneurs, and printers who are finding new successful business strategies is what the Integrated Print Forum 2013 is all about. Much like the popular “Ted Talks,” the sessions at Integrated Print Forum, May 14–15, will be presented in a clear, concise format. Our lineup of powerful and expert speakers will deliver their message on one main stage, getting right to the valuable material that attendees need to know—a new idea or technology, a fresh strategic direction, or realistic tactics for business growth. With the recent release of the lineup of presenters, people are already talking about these sessions that will be presented at the Forum: The Future of Print Is Digital—Andrew Davis, Monumental Shift Get inspired to re-think current print, digital, and mobile strategies and consider aligning them as a content continuum instead of unrelated initiatives. It’s Time for Direct Mail 2.0!—Joy Gendusa, PostcardMania The concept of Direct Mail 2.0 addresses all of the current issues that can plague direct mail marketing and replaces them with a modern, integrated program.  The Digital Frontier: What Social Media Means for YOUR Business, YOUR Customers—Jason Falls, Social Media Examiner                                                     Learn why social media is such a powerful sales and marketing force and how we can embrace it to drive offline revenues. Business Black Box: A Magazine Success Story—Jordana Megonigal, Editor-in-Chief Explore how a regional business magazine adopted a new way of doing business and, in doing do, is on the way to achieving the sought-after trifecta among publishers: journalistic integrity, full issues, and bottom-line profitability. Topics at Integrated Print Forum 2013 will include: Social Commerce, Integrated Media Marketing, Online Business Engagement, Business Transformation, and Sales Growth. You can’t miss this event! Visit www.printing.org/integratedprint to learn more about the speakers, read up on featured topics and stories in the blog, and most importantly, sign up to attend! Get Involved Before the Forum Have questions, comments, or suggestions about the event? Visit us at the following locations: Blog:               www.integratedprintforum.org/blog Twitter:          www.twitter.com/printind YouTube:       www.youtube.com/printingindustries Facebook:      prnt.in/integratedprintforumevent Hashtag:        ...