PODi Engages Top Industry Experts for AppForum Keynotes
ROCHESTER, NY—February 12, 2014—PODi, the Digital Printing Initiative, announced its keynote speakers and general sessions for this year’s AppForum conference, March 31-April 2, at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. These experts will share their perspectives on emerging, print-related opportunities and sales techniques for print and marketing services. Their presentations will be delivered with a strong bias towards practical application rather than theory.
Rab Govil, President, PODi, kicks off the conference with a new perspective on the sales approach. New research has found that the customer buying process is far along before they even engage a potential vendor. The role of the sales person has shifted from supplying product information to challenging and engaging prospects in meaningful business conversations. Govil will show the most effective way to communicate this critical information for maximum effect.
“In the new buying process, customers don’t need a product or solution expert,” said Govil. “What is really needed to gain the customer’s attention are stories that are focused on the customer’s need. The salesperson who can tell the right story, at the right time, in a way that resonates with the buyer will win every time.”
The first day will end highlighting new technologies discussed firsthand by people actually implementing them in their businesses. “It has become a tradition at PODi to end the first day of the conference with a look at emerging technologies and business opportunities,” noted Dave Erlandson, general manager of Caslon & PODi. “This is the time to put aside your daily struggles and take a look at possible future opportunities.”
The first technology discussed will be 3-D printing. Jim Corliss, co-owner of Braintree Printing in Massachusetts, will provide information and insights he’s learned over his past year of offering 3-D printing service. The opportunities and challenges he shares will help attendees determine whether this is an opportunity worth pursuing.
Second, while QR Codes have been used to make print interactive for quite some time, there are new technologies poised to replace them which add new advantages and value. Robert Jozefowicz, vice president at Freedom Graphic Systems, will describe these new technologies to prepare AppForum participants for the next generation of cross-media integration.
Third, while there are many Apps for mobile phones and tablets, few are integrated with cross-media marketing campaigns. Merging these two existing technologies together can offer exciting new business opportunities. Clint White, president of WiT Media, will show how his firm has created Apps that get integrated in marketing campaigns for clients in the non-profit industry.
The final day of AppForum will open with a session providing attendees with valuable information and insights on selling to one of the largest markets for direct marketing campaigns: the non-profit sector. Lawrence Henze, managing director of Target Analytics, is one of the leading experts in the United States on this topic. This top-rated speaker from previous AppForums will talk about the kinds of solutions non-profits want, how to get in the door with these types of organizations, and how to develop solutions for them that interact with donors in meaningful and personal ways.
If these sound practical, they are. They reflect the new “how to” focus of the PODi AppForum Conference designed to ensure that attendees leave with real, actionable knowledge that can be applied to growing business and improving profitability.
Conference registration is now open and there are still rooms available at special AppForum rates at Caesar’s Palace. The 2014 AppForum digital printing conference will occur March 31-April 2, 2014, at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. For more information on the 2014 AppForum, visit www.AppForum.org. Follow PODi on Twitter LinkedIn Facebook. The AppForum is produced by Caslon.
About the AppForum
The annual AppForum is the only digital printing conference dedicated exclusively to marketing applications powered by digital print with a truly independent, vendor-neutral, unbiased agenda. All of PODi’s extensive research, resources, industry contacts, and expertise come together once a year to make the AppForum the cornerstone of what’s new and what’s next in digital print applications.
About PODi
PODi is a global, vendor-neutral, not-for-profit organization with hundreds of printing industry members. It drives demand for marketing, print-on-demand and packaging applications powered by digital print, promotes understanding and adoption of efficient production workflows, and helps members build successful print-related businesses. It achieves this through Webinars, blog articles, innovative sales training techniques, an annual AppForum thought leadership conference, and an evergreen library of over 500 worldwide digital printing and marketing case studies, research reports, and workflow product briefings.
About Caslon
Caslon helps companies leverage digital media and technologies, especially relevant direct mail and digital printing. Caslon generates industry research, creates content, tools, and business resources for solutions providers including the Foundry sales enablement system. Caslon is the management company of PODi and produces the annual PODi AppForum.
Source: PODi.
