Innovation isn’t just about men in white coats stuck away in labs inventing and creating. It’s about real people, generating real value and it isn’t just technical. It can be experiential.

86% of respondents to FESPA’s latest Economy Survey expect their businesses to grow in 2011, with more than half of those surveyed forecasting growth to exceed 10%.  More than 17% anticipate growth above 25%. 

Half of all respondents believe the wide format market has recovered from the economic downturn.  Reflecting on sales in the fourth quarter of 2010, 25% reported them better than 2009, 19% said they were better than expected, and 39% thought they were as expected.

After completing an incredibly painful 100 mile walk in 2010 over the hills of the south of England in 3 days, I want another challenge this year.

I have always liked running to relax, but I have never run any real distance.

So in 2011 I am going to run the London Marathon. And the difference with my challenge this year is that I want to try to enjoy it!

After my walk in 2010, I could not walk properly for a week, got an infected foot and my feet took weeks to look like my feet again!

That’s what happens when you don't prepare properly!! But it was for a good cause...

Any how, my walking 'adventure' over the beautiful rolling hills of South England, taught me something. Raising money for a worthy cause is something that makes me feel good. And the physical challenge is something I relish, however painful it may be!

This year, my challenge is to conquer the London Marathon in less than 4 hours and shatter my personal best time. In fact whatever time I clock will be my personal best as I have not run a marathon before!

But more importantly, in 2011, the charity I run for is the Children's Trust in Tadworth, Surrey. They do amazing work with children with a variety of profound learning disabilities and brain injuries. The centre is a hub of positive energy and innovation. Many children arrive at the centre with injuries that have devastated their families and the centre is a real life line of positivity that provides the children and their families with hope that things can only get better from hereon in.

The work that they do is adopted by other centres around the world who get to benefit from the best practice developed here.  Having visited the centre myself I can only reinforce that the people that work there, the dedication and the positive results that arise from the work they do is absolutely wonderful and inspiring.

But they need continual support. In order to invest in the latest technology, new facilities, maintaining existing equipment, accommodation wings for parents to stay in and professional expertise to give the children the most normal childhood possible.

For those of us in the print industry - the children benefit from a variety of visual learning techniques - we hope to be able to help with decorating certain parts of the centre with digital print that could be designed by the children themselves. We also hope to design, print and sell t-shirts at FESPA Digital 2011 and FESPA Fabric to raise further funds for the Children's Trust.

So if you would like to sponsor me, I would really appreciate it. When I get a donation, it literally provides me with fuel and inspiration to go running out onto the cold, dark, dank streets of Reigate and is greatly appreciated by the positive people who work at the Children's Trust.

If you would like to see more information on the Trust itself - I have outlined a couple of links below for you to take a look at.

Thanks for any donation you are able to make. Any gift is appreciated.

My justgiving page www.justgiving.com/marcustimson

The Children's Trust website http://bit.ly/eNTJEQ

Richard Hammond, Top Gear Presenter visits The Children's Trust:

 

The FESPA Americas/GOA co-location has resulted in a 40% increase in registrations compared with this time in 2009.

This proves the ‘FESPA effect’ has shaken up the market and the print service provider community is intrigued about the collaborative value of the FESPA, GoA and ISS co-location concept.

And not only is the increase in visitor numbers positive, the quality, through seniority, is shining through.

According to current pre-registration figures, 62% are final decision makers, CEO’s, Directors or Presidents and 40% are business owners! 35% recommend or research new products for their businesses. The interest in show features, such as the Global Business Forum, Print Shop Live, Digital Textile Conference and the Wrap Cup is high with nearly 50% of attendees stating their intention to attend one or more of these show floor events.

All exhibitors take part in shows to sell their products. According to the FESPA Americas registration survey, 26% intend to invest during the show, 36% in the 6 month period after the show and a further 12% in the 12 month period post show. This demonstrates that the market is most certainly ready to invest again and also that they are keen to use the FESPA/GoA show to do that.

For those who doubt whether demand is available for a new event, the figures do not lie. The increase in registrations coupled with the fact that these senior individuals are stating they intend to invest proves there is a need.

So would you be interested in meeting print service providers who want to make a strategic investment in their business?

Most proactive marketers and sales people would say yes when asked that question.

Think what you would miss by not taking part.

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As indicated from the recent SGIA show in Las Vegas, nearly 90% of attendees come from non-East Coast locations, with the majority of visitors coming from California, Arizona and other states geographically situated close to Las Vegas.

Well the answer is - that it is up to you.

But I would though and the simple reason is that your customers are there online. And where they are, you should be too!

And before you tell me that linked in is far more professional than facebook – I don’t believe your business can have a specific linked in account. At least I don’t think it can.

Certainly facebook is seen by many as being a personal resource – for friends only. That is a personal choice for you. I personally consider my facebook friends as my friends – OK so I have differing levels of intimacy and contact, but I have nothing to hide from any of them.

Yes some are work colleagues (people who report to me) and some are clients and some are partner businesses and some suppliers. But that is my choice if they are my facebook friends!

OK, so when old friends upload dodgy photos of my 80’s goth/new romantic mullet, yes, there is a slightly uncomfortable feeling – but I don’t care. I am open, open minded and can laugh at myself. But bloody hell my hair was dreadfully bad. Yes it was.

But that is the wonderful thing about facebook and social media in general. I control the content I publish and decide what I will consume. I can observe, take part or react. I can rant, ponder, share and stay connected with my family whilst on my travels.

That decision is entirely mine. And before anyone brings out the rule book, in revolutions, rules are formed broken and reformed. The fact is that the ‘rules’ of social media are changing, morphing and updating all of the time – the ‘wisdom’ of the crowd tends to shape the structure of what is wrong and what is right, (just like it does in the 3-D community), and those of a more private in nature can choose to participate
slightly or just not participate. (or stay in behind closed doors in the 3-D community).

I was presenting at a conference today, where I presented a fact that out of 500,000 print businesses on manta.com (you can do it to just check I am not making this up) a mere 65 print businesses across the USA actually had facebook and/or twitter accounts.

OK so this does not record personal individual accounts, but I was surprised nonetheless. Why? Because printer’s customers: marketers and agencies are increasingly employing a very web savvy breed of person to manage campaigns. These are the customers of print.

They run their lives online. And this means they have facebook open on their desktop all day (I do too).

They genuinely live on it, along with twitter and linked in. The world changes so quickly that staying connected literally enables you to stay in touch with the pace of change.

And these digital natives don’t have the same social constraints as even someone my age (I am 39 but don’t look it, even without my mullet) and they are so connected with the online world and actually quite disconnected with the wonderful world of print.

So when someone says that Facebook is a personal resource. Yes it is. But have a business page as you can build a following and remember that it is a social media revolution after all isn’t it? And in revolutions, the normal constraints and boundaries are stretched.

The other reality is that our work/life balance is generally more blurred than ever before. We spend more time at work and more time socialising with contacts, connections, colleagues and customers. Why shouldn’t this take place online as well?

I ran a quick check on facebook and found a number of print businesses who had managed to build their facebook page with over 1,000 fans. This is surely a great way to connect with your community through cutting edge social media technology.

Print businesses need to go were their customers are. And increasingly these will be spending more time online, rather than in one of their suppliers print plants.

There is a colossal conversation taking place online. Its time the print industry brushed the dust off and joined the party!

Written by Marcus Timson