NGPA Conference Wraps up in Denver
The 35th annual National Government Publishing Association (NGPA) conference came to a close Wednesday after a tour of the State of Colorado's Integrated Document Services operation, overseen by conference host Mike Lincoln. Members got to see the in-plant's extensive digital printing operation, which includes a Xerox Color 1000, as well as its impressive mailing operation, which was named Mail Center of the Year by the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association.
The conference began Sunday evening, when government in-plant managers from Louisiana to Alaska gathered at a reception. In all, nearly 30 government attendees were at the event, entitled "Exceptional Government and the Power of Partnership."
After a welcome from NPGA President Doug Beckham, of Misissippi's Joint Legislative Operations, on Monday and the traditional NGPA color guard procession, keynote speaker Gary Reblin, USPS vice president, Domestic Products, started things off. Stressing the power of direct mail, he noted that mail is still highly valued; 80 percent of people look at their mail daily, he contended.
"I think anybody would like to say their TV commercial was seen by 80 percent of the people," he noted.
He talked about how mailers can use QR codes to increase response rates and get more information to the recipient.
Then consultant Vic Barkin talked about how he partnered with other organization when managing Northern Arizona University's in-plant. For example, he created agreements with the city of Flagstaff and county departments to handle work they were sending out. He initiated a discussion with in-plants in the audience about various partnerships they have with vendors and other in-plants.
Other highlights of the conference included:
- Howie Fenton, senior consultant with NAPL, offered a session Wednesday called "Only the Smartest, Best-Managed and Most Innovative will Survive."
- Chris Reich, CEO of TeachUPresentation, gave a popular presentation (in two parts) called "Using Game Theory to Make Effective Presentations."
- IPG Editor Bob Neubauer, who used IPG survey data to compare government in-plants with those serving other types of organizations.
Attendees finished off the event with a closing dinner gala on Wednesday evening. Check back for more news from the NGPA conference.