Update

QUOTES

“Today tracking responses is fast and reliable when the mail piece includes a PURL or a QR code.” Nancy DeDiemar, page 40

“Sure, there are a lot of regulations, but don’t blame your poor financial performance on them.” John Stewart, page28

“Printing is no longer about the equipment. It is about how print will benefit the customer.” John Giles, page 34

“You can sell with the Internet, but you can’t sell against it.” Tom Crouser, page 38

NEWS

Minuteman Hosts World Expo 2011

Minuteman franchisees gathered at Caesar’s Palace in late July for their 2011 World Expo. The event was highlighted by a three day vendor show which offered attendees a chance to win a new Konica Minolta bizhub Press C7000 by completing a “passport” stamped by all the vendors exhibiting at the show. The conference itself featured a key note session by Bob Burg, author of the national bestsellers “The Go-Giver” and “Endless Referrals”. Educational sessions included breakout seminars on growing revenue with mail services and VDP and social media. QP columnist Dave Fellman presented a session titled “What it Really Means to be a Marketing Services Provider.” The final general session featured speaker, successful entrepreneur, and business leader Ron Baron who told attendees “You Can Sell at Higher Prices than Your Competitor.” The expo ended with a gala banquet and awards dinner where QP editorial director Bob Hall presented the QP/Minuteman Press Entrepreneurial Excellence Award to franchisee Keith Miller, whose Miller’s Minuteman shop is also in the QP Top 100 list.

(3 MMan photos)

www.myprintresource.com/10165492

Everything but Ordinary for Allegra Network

In an industry first, Allegra Network and AlphaGraphics wrapped their individual conferences around a joint trade show at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas in early August. Themed “Everything but Ordinary”, the Allegra event drew franchisees from both the Allegra Print & Imaging and Signs Now systems. Keynote speakers included former Kodak CMO Jeffrey Hayzlett, Zappos Insights product manager Robert Richman, IAPHC president Kevin Keane, and Signs Now UK master franchisor Bill Dunphy. Workshops covered social media, sales, sign laws, nonprofits, strategic marketing, Web-to-print, print brokering, diversification, and mobile applications. At the Best of the Best gala, Allegra owners Tom and Sandi Meesseman of Aiken, SC, were presented with the Allegra franchise system’s Best of the Best Award. The top honor is presented annually to one franchise location for outstanding sales volume, profitability, and other performance criteria. The Aiken, SC, team was also honored with an additional franchise system award, recognizing sales growth and excellence. “This award honors Tom and Sandi’s dedication to running a successful company that is client focused, strategically resourceful, and technologically advanced,” said Mike Marcantonio, president and CEO of Allegra Network. “They set the bar high and are a true inspiration for their peers and others in the industry as a whole.”

QP editorial director Bob Hall presented the Quick Printing Top Volume Award to Mario Grech and Bryan Tyll of Allegra in Plymouth, MI, and the Wide-Format Imaging Top Volume Award to Richard, Suzanne, Kenney & Kelley Prior of Signs Now in Clarksville, TN. The gala also included a tribute to retiring Allegra Network chairman Bill McIntyre which traced his 20 years as an integral part of building the Allegra system.

(4 Allegra Photos)

www.myprintresource.com/10003732

AlphaGraphics All In for the New Now

It was “All In” for the AlphaGraphics franchisees at their conference and joint trade show. Classes and workshops covered such areas as book publishing, self-promotion, sales management, social media, and Web-to-print. AlphaGraphics CEO Kevin Cushing presented a state of the network general session, and Mike Maddock of Idea Monkey gave the opening keynote. The other keynote speaker was Pete Goss, who appealed to attendees to “Dare to Dream.”