Hotel Information: Hilton Hotel-Miami Downtown 1601 Biscayne Blvd Miami, FL 33132 Telephone:  305-374-0000 Web Site: www.miamidowntown.hilton.com

 

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Joe Webb
Dr. Joe Webb is one of the graphic arts industry's best-known consultants, forecasters, and commentators. He is the director of WhatTheyThink's Economics and Research Center.

A 30-year veteran of the graphic arts industries, his "Mondays with Dr. Joe" column has become a must-read feature on WhatTheyThink since 2003. His quarterly economic forecast webinars help C-level executives, owners, and analysts interpret what changes in the economy, technology, and the industry, mean for their strategic decisions. He was the founder of the influential TrendWatch information service, which was sold to Reed Elsevier in 2000.

In the 1990s, Dr. Webb conducted benchmark research for GAMIS on the flexography market, the installed base of printing and packaging equipment for NPES, and founded the TrendWatch Packaging survey. He recently was the primary speaker in an economic webinar for the Tag and Label Manufacturing Institute (May 2009) and also recently contributed to a major research project for a private client that encompassed the packaging market. Joe Webb: Through the WhatTheyThink Economics & Research Center, Dr. Webb tracks employment in the packaging industries and analyzes retail and consumer data for sales and other trends that are useful in predicting packaging trends and issues.

He is a Ph.D. graduate of the NYU Center for Graphic Communications Management and Technology (1987) and serves on the Center's Board of Advisors. He holds an MBA in Management Information Systems from Iona College (1981) and was a magna cum laude graduate in Managerial Sciences and Marketing from Manhattan College (1978), and was a member of the economics honor society. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in marketing, market research, quantitative analysis, business policy, and organizational behavior. He started in the industry with Agfa's Graphic Systems Division and was later a marketing executive with Chemco Photoproducts, entering consulting full time in 1987. Among his publications is the controversial “Renewing the Print Industry.”

 

Leading When It's Fast & Furious: Don Blohowiak
All around you, things are changing---customer demands, employee expectations, intense industry competition... How can you lead in this extreme environment? How do you keep your staff focused and productive when you're a bit distracted yourself?  This fast-paced, interactive session, led by Don Blohowiak, an experienced manager, noted author, and certified executive coach, goes way beyond the clichés and bumper sticker slogans for a frank, helpful look at managing effectively in a whirlwind.

You'll leave with renewed confidence and a set of useful tools to help you build both higher levels of trust and productivity among your coworkers. All without stretching them, or you, any thinner.

Don has managed in, consulted to, and coached executives in companies that have undertaken gut-wrenching changes—including one that reduced staff by half while improving both employee morale and customer satisfaction. He admits that great change can be distracting and discouraging. But, he says, you definitely can help people to re-commit to their work and improve productivity, innovation, and results. The "secret"? People's productivity and commitment to quality output is a choice they make. And a leader's actions greatly influences that choice.

Don Blohowiak held executive management posts for more than 20 years in Fortune-500 companies, high-tech start-ups, and not-for-profits in four time zones. He has written seven management books and hundreds of articles on leadership. Since 1995 he has been a leadership development consultant to some of the world's most successful organizations. He holds a graduate certificate in leadership coaching from Georgetown University and is working on his PhD in behavioral science.