Epicomm Reaching Out To Members Nationwide Online community, regional meetings keep companies, association connected As GRAPH EXPO 15 winds down, those attending what is, in essence, the industry’s biggest annual peer meeting will soon be heading home to points around the country and the globe. But for Epicomm members, that doesn’t mean that opportunities for learning and sharing information and experiences have to end; they will be able to stay in touch both in person and virtually through the association’s regional chapters and its “Connected Community,” a 24/7 online forum for discussions on a wide range of printing, mailing, fulfillment, and marketing services topics. “In the year since we launched our Connected Community, it has definitely become a “go-to” site for our members from every industry segment getting together online to discuss a wide range of management and operations issues,” says Epicomm Marketing Director Samantha Lake. “Members are regularly posting questions and engaging in dialogues about solutions to problems and issues they encounter in the course of their daily work,” she continues. “And the often-immediate responses they receive from their knowledgeable and experienced peers, supplier experts, and Epicomm advisers have made the Connected Community a rapid and reliable source of best practices and real-world answers that more members are using each day.” Questions raised on the community span a full spectrum of industry issues. For example, among those asked and answered in recent weeks were questions related to: • Printing carbonless paper on a digital press • Finding and hiring a new sales rep • Handling sensitive customer data securely • USPS automation-compatible self-mailer designs • Finding vendors of very specific mailing lists for clients • Restrictions on summer footwear in production and warehouse areas • Problems running InDesign CS6 on PCs • The number of customer service reps a small print shop should have • Dealing with undelivered EDDM overs • Very heavy coverage on synthetic menu stocks together to chat and socialize with other local print, mail, fulfillment, and marketing practitioners. The association’s dozen regional chapters— Chesapeake, Great Lakes, Great Plains, New England, New York, Northwest, Ohio Valley, Pacific, Philadelphia, Rocky Mountain, Southeast, and Southwest—offer a number of meetings, conferences, and social events throughout the year. In 2015, for example, among other chapter meetings around the country, the New York Chapter held regular programs in Manhattan and New Jersey and an August golf tournament that was both a fun day and a way to raise funds for educational programs at local colleges. And the Southwest Chapter held a three-day conference and golf tournament in Arlington, Texas, in April, featuring a full program of speakers, facility tours, and social events. In response to member demand, Epicomm plans to expand its slate of regional meetings, programs, and conferences in the months ahead. To learn more about the Connected Community and Epicomm regional chapters, as well as other association news and managment resources, visit Epicomm at Booth 861. To sample the educational material and discussions on the Connected Community, go to community.epicomm.org/Home. For more on the association’s regional chapters, contact Epicomm Vice President-Postal & Member Relations Leo Raymond at lraymond@ epicomm.org or visit epicomm.org/ events/chapter-meetings/ for a schedule of upcoming chapter events. • Acceptable limits on keeping customer mail files The Connected Community, sponsored by Xerox (Booth 613), also features blogs from Epicomm members and staff, archives of Epicomm print and electronic periodicals, recordings of association webinars, information about upcoming association events, access to the exclusive Epicomm WorkPlan for Success™ management guides, and a job board where members may post current openings. Specific forums for each of Epicomm’s five member segments—commercial printers, mailers, fulfillment service providers, marketing service providers, and companies with 25 or fewer employees—will make it even easier for members to connect with others who have experience in problems similar to those they are facing. Close to home For Epicomm members who also want in-person peer interaction, the association’s network of regional chapters offers ample opportunities to meet for information-sharing, educational programs, and just getting Official Show Daily | PrintingNews.com GRAPH EXPO | September 16, 2015 | 25
GraphExpo Show Daily September 16, 2015
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