Offset Conference Looks Beyond
TORONTO—The recent Offset and Beyond 2007 Management and Technical Conference, which for the first time combined annual meetings targeted toward the web and sheetfed offset communities, capitalized on its Canadian venue to secure the Right Honorable Brian Mulroney and several prominent Canadian printers as featured keynote speakers.
Inlaid with humor, Mulroney—who also serves as Quebecor World’s board chairman—spoke on a wide range of topics including free trade, health care, the role of government, leadership, the current global political condition and his eight-plus years as the prime minister of Canada.
The 675 conference attendees also saluted Rémi Marcoux, executive chairman of Montreal-based Transcontinental Inc. and a 2006 inductee into the Printing Impressions/RIT Printing Industry Hall of Fame, as the 2007 recipient of the Harry V. Quadracci VISION Award.
The small printing company he purchased in 1976 has become a North American powerhouse under his leadership, with more than 14,000 employees in Canada, the United States and Mexico, and sales of C$2.2 billion (U.S. $1.9 billion).
Later that morning, Luc Desjardins, president and CEO of Transcontinental, addressed the group. Desjardins joined Transcontinental in 2000 as president and COO, and became the corporation’s president and CEO in March 2004. He was selected as one of the 12 top managers in Canada for, among other things, his role in Transcontinental’s expansion in the U.S. direct marketing business.
The second day of the conference opened with general session speaker Tony Gagliano, chairman and CEO of St. Joseph Communications in Concord, Ontario. Founded by his father, St. Joseph has emerged as a tour de force within the industry, offering clients a comprehensive suite of integrated solutions in content, print, documents and media.
Back for a second year, courtesy of Agfa Graphics, Robert Danzig, former CEO of Hearst Newspapers, inspired the crowd by incorporating his own life story with leadership observations. Earlier that morning, Agfa also hosted a private breakfast for Danzig with a small group of prominent printers.
In addition to these nationally recognized speakers, industry experts and practitioners, the conference addressed multi-channel competition, globalization, new business opportunities, M&A trends, integration of digital technologies and streamlining workflows.
Next year’s conference will be held at the Renaissance Hotel, April 27 to 30, in Schaumburg, IL.
