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Education and networking with people are two good
reasons to attend conventions. Attendees to the 2002 Combined Convention
of the North Central and Mid-South Reprographic Associations enjoyed a
rich assortment of educational and networking opportunities. Four highly
informative educational sessions, 39 exhibitors, an assortment of social
activities, and the annual association business meeting made up the agenda.
The convention was at the Abbey, on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, September
12 through 14, 2002.
The convention’s theme, e-Reprography and Your
Bottom Line set the stage for the educational sessions. Four presenters
addressed topics important to successfully running a digital reprographic
business. Speakers and topics included John Marquardt – Managing
IT in a Repro Shop and Free (or nearly free) Technology Solutions, Brian
Wasserman – What the Construction Industry Is Expecting From the
Reprographer, Bob Knappage – How To Get More Profit From Your Repro
Shop. Doug Hoek projected his view for the Future of e-Reprography and
the four presenters engaged in a panel discussion. The audience joined
with questions stimulating further discussion. As attendees to the educational
sessions learned, the reprographic business will be vastly different in
three to five years. Companies that participated in the educational sessions
are better prepared to deal with anticipated changes and remain profitable.
Exhibitors filled the hall to capacity and represented
every facet of our industry. Included were the five major print machine
manufacturers, mounting and laminating suppliers, business software providers,
plan room providers, media and finishing suppliers. New this year are
financial service and hardware systems providers. 30% of the exhibitors
are first time attendees thus reflecting the changing nature of our industry.
Visitors to the exhibit hall met with sales representatives and learned
first hand about products and services. Trade-show traffic was strong
throughout the entire afternoon leading up to the post exhibit cocktail
hour. For a complete exhibitor’s list, log on to: www.ncra1.com.
Friday night’s Dinner with the Exhibitors was another opportunity
for attendees to meet and socialize. The Red, White, and Blue dinner theme
set the atmosphere for the Annual NCRA Charity Auction. Auction items
included: jewelry, art, Waterford crystal, holiday items, golf clubs,
personal electronic devices, wine baskets, and several gift certificates
usable at the 2003 Convention. Specialty items included an oil painting
by Joan Ohlen, a Tiffany bracelet, ladies casual footwear artistically
decorated by Dianne Bosworth, four hand-made quilts by Shirley Zawoyski,
and a Spartan laminator donated by GBC. Special Thank You’s go out
to those who donated gifts and made the purchases. The Alzheimer’s
Foundation will receive more than $5,700 thanks to their generosity. The
NCRA is more than a business association it is an association with a heart!
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More than 40 golfers played their way to prizes at
the Abbey Springs Golf Course. The course was outstanding and included
its challenges. The golf course, set into a hillside, afforded many picturesque
views of Lake Geneva. Blue skies and pleasant temperature’s prevailed.
The winning team came in 8 under par and everyone had a great time. Thursday
night’s welcoming dinner was the perfect setting for meeting first
time attendees and awarding golf prizes.
An alternative to Friday’s business sessions
was the Lake Geneva “Mail Boat” Cruise. The Walworth II is
unique. It is the only marine mail delivery boat of its type with a tradition
of delivering mail to lake front properties dating to 1873. Lake Geneva
is known as the “Newport of the West” because of the many
historical homes and mansions that dot the shoreline. The Captain served
as tour guide and gave a historical background for each of the properties
on the mail route and passengers got a close up of the “summer homes”
built by wealthy industrialists. The postman focused on delivering the
mail and returning to the boat. You see the boat doesn’t stop for
mail delivery, so the postman must exit the bow and return by getting
on the boat before the stern passes the dock. The postman had a perfect
score this trip. The cruise was followed by a casual lunch in Lake Geneva.
Both Associations conducted historic business meetings.
The Mid-South Reprographic Association voted to take the necessary steps
to join with the North Central Reprographic Association. The NCRA membership
approved modification of its Constitution to include the states of Texas,
Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Arkansas. The NCRA membership voted
to change the name of the Association to the Central Reprographic Association.
The changes are official only after completion of legal filings, which
will take place early in 2003. Newly elected Officers are Ralph Wasik,
Phil Hudson, Chuck Wingard, and Tracy Albinson Board of Directors are:
Lisa Tipps, Pat Gremillion, Jeff Barthol, Andy Zeigler, and Steve Zawoyski.
Vendor Directors: Tom Mc New and Jeff Sproat.
“Improv at the Yacht Club” followed the
dinner and Installation of Officers. Comedy Sportz, a professional comedy
group, provided evenings entertainment. Audience participation was a key
factor in trying to stump the comedians. The comedian’s creative
approach in dealing with the audience’s random suggestions resulted
in some great laughs and a good time for all.
This year’s educational sessions, exhibits,
social activities, and networking opportunities presented our members
with banquet of learning opportunities. The most important ingredient
was the record number of attendees that participated and made the convention
a resounding success. Attending conventions is an investment in yourself,
your company and your industry. Attend with the idea of learning, networking
and enjoying yourself, and you will reap the rewards.
Steve Zawoyski
NCRA Past President 2002
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