Day Two of ACUP Conference

Temperatures in Minneapolis cooled a bit on the second day of ACUP 2013, but the enthusiasm certainly did not. About 80 managers from 25 states and the U.K. are gathered in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” right now for the 48th annual Association of College and University Printers (ACUP) conference.

After an exciting, conversation-filled first day, ACUP's second day started with a business meeting, during which new officers and committee members were introduced and welcomed. After recent elections, Lisa Hoover, of Bucknell University, retained her title as ACUP president, and Steve Amitrano, of Burlington County College, was welcomed as the new vice president. Steve Dimond, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is treasurer, and Charles Brantley, now at Ringling College of Art + Design, becomes secretary.

The first session of the day was a lively one, as Ken Macro, soon to take over as head of the Graphic Communication Department at California Polytechnic State University, gave an enthusiastic, fast-paced talk about Cal Poly’s graphic communications programs before detailing exciting future print technologies like printed electronics, smart packaging and 3D printing.

After some time to browse the exhibits on the busy vendor floor, and lunch at Hells Kitchen, Ray Chambers, CEO of the Chambers Management Group, and his wife Cathy Chambers, of Virginia Tech's in-plant, resumed their in-depth, two-day workshop about strategic print management. Concurrently, a roundtable discussion on digital bindery solutions gave managers plenty to talk about.

Then IPG Editor Bob Neubauer, after treating the crowd to some amusing videos, offered a session on in-plant best practices, in which he related anecdotes of in-plants targeted for closure, and revealed how they were saved. He also gave examples of new services in-plants are offering.

The conference started off strong on Sunday night with an opening reception brimming with enthusiasm. Managers got to know one another and quickly began sharing news about their in-plants.

At Monday's opening session, host Doug Fenske, a long-time ACUP attendee from Minnesota State University-Mankato, greeted the crowd of old friends and newcomers, welcoming them to his state. Then Tom de Ranitz, founder of Forte Consulting, took to the podium with his keynote titled “If Printers Ruled the World.”

Other sessions on Monday covered copier fleet management and Web-to-print software. And a dinner boat cruise on the Mississippi River gave attendees a great opportunity to network and compare notes.

Be sure to visit IPG's Facebook page for more photos of ACUP 2013.