World Print and Communication Congress comes to SA shores
By: Louise Marsland
With a mere three months to go before the World Print and Communication Congress (WPC8) gets underway in Cape Town, South Africa, January 24 - 28, 2005, the stage is being set for arguably the biggest industry event in the media and communications industry in South Africa to date, as players in the printing, packaging, graphics, design and communications arena gather from around the globe.
Biz-community.com has pledged its full support to this global event, and will be reporting weekly in the run up to the congress in January next year, fielding a team at the event to bring daily updates of the main speeches.
Speeches are cutting-edge and include global input on the future of newspapers and magazines; environmental concerns; packaging and publishing case studies from around the world; strategic and management experts; what advertisers want from print; and the power of print.
Of course, one of the main reasons to go in any event, is for the networking - which judging from the speaker panel alone, and the 1000 delegates expected - the majority from overseas - this is one opportunity not to be missed.
The World Print and Communication Forum (WPCF), hosts of WPC8, met last month in Chicago, USA, to highlight global print and communication industry issues and to determine the role of the WPCF in addressing these issues into the future.
President of the WPCF and Chief Executive of the Printing Industry Federation of South Africa, Chris Sykes, confirmed that reaction to the inaugural meeting held in the run up to WPC8, was extremely positive.
"Print touches every area of every person's life and the WPCF is committed to a number of initiatives that will elevate print to its rightful place in the media mix, ensuring that it is appropriately positioned in the minds of all consumers. The future of the industry depends on the strength of partnerships forged between suppliers, their customers and the end users of the medium, and the WPCF will promote this message utilising global platforms including the World Print and Communications Congress (WPC8)," explained Sykes.
A number of global industry players have pledged their support for WPC8 by way of sponsorship agreements. In addition to the platinum sponsorship announced by Sappi, major sponsorship support has been announced by Heidelberg, Xerox, Kodak and MAN Roland. Other substantial sponsorship has been forthcoming from Creo, Hewlett Packard, and Antalis Paper.
Sykes reported that WPC8 has received overwhelming support from the Japanese Federation of Printing Industries, with sizable contributions made by Komori, Toyo Ink, Oji Paper, Nippon Paper Industries and Dainippon, amongst many others.
"The support from the industry as a whole has been phenomenal, and proves that global print and communication players believe in the objectives of WPC8 and understand the importance the congress will play in addressing key global issues that affect every aspect of the industry," said Sykes.
The WPCF believes that WPC8 will offer the following:
Strategic direction in a complex environment.
A global perspective on local issues and industry trends.
A unique report on what is happening globally in different market segments - including the opportunities and threats that exist.
Clarity on technological developments and innovation that may directly affect delegates' businesses.
The best international networking opportunity available.
Identification of business opportunities.
An insight into what your customers really want and need.
A glimpse of the future of magazines and newspapers.
Knowledgeable international speakers and panelists.
A world class, excellent value conference in a breathtaking destination.
Visit www.wpc8.com to find out more. The website offers comprehensive details on the supporting social events calendar, spouse programmes, accommodation options and full delegate booking information. There are only a limited number of delegates that may be accommodated at WPC8, so be sure to secure your place today.
More by Louise Marsland
More...ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Louise Marsland is editor and editorial director of Bizcommunity.com, Africa’s leading provider of daily media, marketing, and advertising news and information. She is also the South African joint-coordinator and founder of the Trade, Association, Business Publication International (TABPI) Editor’s Chapter. She has recently also been appointed to head up the Magazine Publishers’ Association of South Africa (MPASA) Business-to-business Media Sub-committee. A journalist with 21 years’ experience, Marsland started in daily newspapers in South Africa in the 1980s and has specialised in media strategy and B2B and online media in the last decade, editing and launching publications in the main in the marketing and FMCG retail market, both print and online. She recently researched the sustainability of the B2B media sector for her Masters in Commerce degree: Strategy & Organisational Dynamics, through the Leadership Centre of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is currently researching a book in her field and develops training programmes in the B2B media sector; and marketing communications arena in knowledge management from a media perspective. Contact her on:
editor@bizcommunity.com.
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