More Time to Promote Your In-plant
Every year, as I peruse the winning pieces on display at the In-Print awards reception, which takes place during the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association conference, I'm amazed at how many of the in-plant managers all around me didn't even bother to enter the contest. This always floors me, given how easy — and cheap — it is to enter.
When I ask some of these managers why they didn't enter, the response is always "we meant to, but we got busy."
Yeah. We're all busy.
The real question should be, are you too busy to promote your in-plant? Too busy to applaud your staff's high-quality work by entering it in a national competition? Too busy to excite your customers by telling them their job was selected for entry?
There are countless ways you can use the In-Print contest to promote your in-plant. Yet you're too busy to bother?
If you're one of those managers, you still have a few weeks to redeem yourself. Put your operators in charge of selecting pieces to enter. They'll be thrilled with the opportunity to show off their work. Make sure they inspect each of the four samples for flaws — or our judges will find them for you.
Though the contest is open to all in-plants, IPMA members can enter three pieces for no charge at all. Why would you not take advantage of that? But if you're not a member, or if you find more than three excellent pieces, the fee to enter each additional piece is so small you shouldn't hesitate to do it. It's just $35 per piece! Other printing contests charge more than $100 per entry!
Also, the big winners know they increase their chances by submitting a lot of entries. They recoup their expenses with the recognition they receive.
Some in-plants hold a reception and present duplicate awards to the customers who ordered those jobs. This not only makes customers happy, it brings positive attention to the in-plant and makes its operators proud, motivating them to continue doing their best work. It also reminds them to keep an eye out for jobs to enter the following year.
So don't let another year go by where you're "too busy" to enter. Get to it right now. The deadline is January 31. You still have plenty of time, but only if you start now.
To see the online entry form and read tips on how to win, visit our In-Print Contest page.
Bob has served as editor of In-plant Impressions since October of 1994. Prior to that he served for three years as managing editor of Printing Impressions, a commercial printing publication. Mr. Neubauer is very active in the U.S. in-plant industry. He attends all the major in-plant conferences and has visited more than 170 in-plant operations around the world. He has given presentations to numerous in-plant groups in the U.S., Canada and Australia, including the Association of College and University Printers and the In-plant Printing and Mailing Association. He also coordinates the annual In-Print contest, co-sponsored by IPMA and In-plant Impressions.
