Franklin Event Draws 500

NEW YORK--Los Angeles may have its festive Academy Awards gala, but the Big Apple can lay claim to the annual Franklin Event, hosted by the Printing Industries Alliance (PIA). More than 500 people packed Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on September 10 to pay tribute to this year's printing, publishing and advertising luminaries. Following opening remarks from HudsonYards' Diane Romano and Stephen Zenger of The Zenger Group--and a surprise opera performance that delighted the crowd--PIA/GATF President and CEO Michael Makin presented the new Industry Recognition Award to U.S. Public Printer Robert Tapella (which was accepted by the Deputy Public Printer on behalf of Tapella, who was unable to attend).