Though these developments often get less public attention, they are just as significant for the future of the news business.
That's why the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) is launching The Printing Summit, a new event bringing publishers, printing managers and production directors together for three days of presentations, discussions and exchanges on the new ideas and tactics that advanced printing technologies generate.
The conference, to be held from 13 to 15 April, 2010, in Salzburg, Austria, is organised into three, one-day modules encompassing all aspects of print: day one is dedicated to materials, mailrooms and printing technology; day two to new business models, marketing and the future of newspaper printing; while day three covers sustainability models and environmental issues.
For the evolving conference programme and registration details (early bird rate now available), please consult www.wan-ifra.org/printingsummit2010
Manfred Werfel, Deputy CEO and Executive Director Newspaper Production at WAN-IFRA, said the conference would focus both on technological innovations and on new business models emerging for the printed press.
"Press technology is developing rapidly towards automatic newspaper production, including automatic plate transportation and plate change, closed-loop controls for web tension, cut-off and colour register as well as automatic density control," he said.
"At the same time, new business models for newspaper production are emerging and new newspaper products are tested in the market. What will be the future of newspaper printing? How will it position itself in an even more competitive and environmentally sensitive market? What will be the product range newspaper printers will have to produce and what will be the production conditions?
"These questions will be discussed at the Printing Summit with experts from all over the world of newspaper publishing. Practitioners, scientists, publishers, technicians, designers and marketers will meet to exchange ideas and concepts that lead the industry into the future," he said.
Confirmed speakers include: Tack Whan Kim, Director of the Multimedia Lab at the JoongAng Ilbo in Korea; Michael Hack, Marketing Consultant, Marketing für Druckereien, Germany; Jacek Utko, Design Director Bonnier Business Press International, Poland; Niko Ruokosuo, Chief Operating Officer for the Saudi Special Publishing Holding Company in Saudi Arabia; Rick Stunt, Group Paper Director, Associated Newspapers, United Kingdom, Ronald Weidel, a researcher at the University of Applied Sciences in Leipzig, Germany; Asa Moberg, a researcher at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden: Martha Stone, Director of the Shaping the Future of the Newspaper Project at WAN-IFRA, Hans-Joachim Putz, Chair of Paper Technology and Mechanical Process Engineering at Technical University Darmstadt in Germany; Beatrice Klose, Secretary General of the International Confederation for Printing and Allied Industries (INTERGRAF) in Belgium; and R.D. Bhatnagar, Chief Technology Officer - Bhaskar Group, DB Corp Ltd., India
The event, designed for publishers, editors, printing managers and production directors, will be held at the modern conference centre at the Salzburger Nachrichten and will include visits to the newspaper's printing plant and newsroom.
Salzburg, one of central Europe's most beautiful and visited cities, is famous for a musical heritage that includes Mozart, the Salzburg Festival and The Sound of Music.
About WAN-IFRA
WAN-IFRA says: “WAN-IFRA, based in Paris, France, and Darmstadt, Germany, with subsidiaries in Singapore, India, Spain, France and Sweden, is the global organisation of the world’s newspapers and news publishers. It represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries. The organisation was created by the merger of the World Association of Newspapers and IFRA, the research and service organisation for the news publishing industry.”
