It follows a members’ meeting, which took place yesterday (19 September), where it was agreed to place NGS into creditors’ voluntary liquidation. Carl James Bowles and John Anthony Dickinson of accountancy firm Carter Backer Winter were appointed as joint liquidators. In July NGS Print Finishing closed the doors of its Perivale, West London site and moved into the Wembley facility of Purfect Binding Company, taking all NGS staff with it. NGS managing director Neil Sharp was appointed managing director of the new entity, while PBC’s co-directors Reginald Walwyk and Yat Ng positions were terminated on the same day, according to Companies House. Sharp was unavailable to comment on NGS’ liquidation. In a letter to clients, dated 11 July, Sharp explained that the amalgamated companies would trade immediately as PBC, with a rebrand to be scheduled during the new entity’s first quarter of trading. He stated that the new business would take on NGS’ equipment as well as PBC’s 16-station Wohlenberg Master E perfect binder and a six-station Muller Martini binder with cover feeder and stacker, replacing NGS’ older four-station model. Sharp formed NGS Finishing Solutions in February 2011, which he then used to buy his previous company, NGS Print Finishers, out of administration the following month....

Once again we’ve teamed up with the UK’s leading accountancy group Grant Thornton to compile the industry’s most anticipated survey and if you have annual sales of more than £750,000 you might qualify for inclusion in this year’s ranking of the 500 biggest print businesses. To ensure we have up-to-date information on your firm, so that you can see how you measure up against your peers, please email your latest audited accounts to: top500@markallengroup.com. However, if your company has a turnover of less than £6.5m or fewer than 50 staff, which means you file abbreviated accounts at Companies House, it’s particularly important that you send in your full accounts or download and complete the Top 500 entry form, available here....

Once again we’ve teamed up with the UK’s leading accountancy group Grant Thornton to compile the industry’s most anticipated survey and if you have annual sales of more than £750,000 you might qualify for inclusion in this year’s ranking of the 500 biggest print businesses. To ensure we have up-to-date information on your firm, so that you can see how you measure up against your peers, please email your latest audited accounts to: top500@markallengroup.com. However, if your company has a turnover of less than £6.5m or fewer than 50 staff, which means you file abbreviated accounts at Companies House, it’s particularly important that you send in your full accounts or download and complete the Top 500 entry form, available here....

Marketing manager Andrew Thornhill said that the Cross Media 2013 team had listened to feedback that 2012’s show was too print-centric and featured too many seminars. He said: “Feedback from exhibitors and visitors suggested there was just too much content. Exhibitors were concerned that while there were a lot of visitors on the floor – it seemed quite busy – they all seemed to be rushing from one seminar to another. So we’ve reduced the number of theatres form six to five and staggered the talks better.” He added: “One of the things that was leveled at 2012 as a criticism was that it might have been too print-centric, but I think having listened to what all the stakeholders and visitors said, we’ve now shifted it to a more balanced cross-media event.” Thornhill said another key aim was that this year’s show should attract a more even spread of visitor types than last year’s, also held at the Business Design Centre, Islington. He said: “We received a mix of visitors last year, both printers, but also marketers, brand owners and people from creative or digital agencies, and then also publishers. We’re hopeful we’re going to grow the publisher background; we’d like to steal some back from the marketing section so we get a more even spread.” So far Cross Media 2013 has attracted pre-registration figures 150% higher than at this point before last year’s show. Though this is expected to level out slightly, visitor figures are predicted to be 3,000-3,500, up from 2,500 last year. Thornhill attributed this to an overall highly successful 2012 show. “The feedback we got was that 89% of visitors thought Cross Media was in tune with what was going on in the marketplace. With a figure like that you can’t argue that people weren’t happy with what they’d seen. 83% of people said they’d consider exhibiting again.” This year’s show will feature more special features than 2012’s, including an AR (Augmented Reality) Hall of Fame, Virtual Reality Skydive, interactive portrait and Oglivy Ideas Shop for small businesses to receive one-to-one guidance from this marketing agency. Thornhill said: “It’s been quite challenging to pull together a features programme, as obviously budgets are quite tight at the moment. But we’re confident we have a fantastic programme and a really informative seminar schedule featuring first-class speakers.” He added: “Printers coming to Cross Media will access a wealth of new possibilities in areas such as automated marketing and mobile technology, so how they can augment the work they’re already doing with technologies like near field communication and augmented reaility.” Cross media 2013 takes place 23-24 October. Register at: www.crossmedialive.com/register....

Marketing manager Andrew Thornhill said that the Cross Media 2013 team had listened to feedback that 2012’s show was too print-centric and featured too many seminars. He said: “Feedback from exhibitors and visitors suggested there was just too much content. Exhibitors were concerned that while there were a lot of visitors on the floor – it seemed quite busy – they all seemed to be rushing from one seminar to another. So we’ve reduced the number of theatres form six to five and staggered the talks better.” He added: “One of the things that was leveled at 2012 as a criticism was that it might have been too print-centric, but I think having listened to what all the stakeholders and visitors said, we’ve now shifted it to a more balanced cross-media event.” Thornhill said another key aim was that this year’s show should attract a more even spread of visitor types than last year’s, also held at the Business Design Centre, Islington. He said: “We received a mix of visitors last year, both printers, but also marketers, brand owners and people from creative or digital agencies, and then also publishers. We’re hopeful we’re going to grow the publisher background; we’d like to steal some back from the marketing section so we get a more even spread.” So far Cross Media 2013 has attracted pre-registration figures 150% higher than at this point before last year’s show. Though this is expected to level out slightly, visitor figures are predicted to be 3,000-3,500, up from 2,500 last year. Thornhill attributed this to an overall highly successful 2012 show. “The feedback we got was that 89% of visitors thought Cross Media was in tune with what was going on in the marketplace. With a figure like that you can’t argue that people weren’t happy with what they’d seen. 83% of people said they’d consider exhibiting again.” This year’s show will feature more special features than 2012’s, including an AR (Augmented Reality) Hall of Fame, Virtual Reality Skydive, interactive portrait and Oglivy Ideas Shop for small businesses to receive one-to-one guidance from this marketing agency. Thornhill said: “It’s been quite challenging to pull together a features programme, as obviously budgets are quite tight at the moment. But we’re confident we have a fantastic programme and a really informative seminar schedule featuring first-class speakers.” He added: “Printers coming to Cross Media will access a wealth of new possibilities in areas such as automated marketing and mobile technology, so how they can augment the work they’re already doing with technologies like near field communication and augmented reaility.” Cross media 2013 takes place 23-24 October. Register at: www.crossmedialive.com/register....