The World Printers Forum is a new initiative that will guide WAN-IFRA’s activities in all areas of newspaper production, materials and sustainability. This will include promoting the unique value of print, encouraging the creation of innovative products, as well as developing new business models for print and operating printing plans as independent profit centers.

The two-day inaugural conference, on 15 and 16 October, will focus on innovations in print from around the world, strategies for operating printing plans as independent profit centers, savings derived from environmental improvements or “going green,” the latest developments in digital printing, and more.

Full details, including speakers and registration information, can be found at http://www.wan-ifra.org/events/world-printers-forum

“There are still a lot of ideas to be discovered in print, which continues to provide most of the revenue for newspaper companies,” said Manfred Werfel, Deputy CEO of WAN-IFRA. “Though newspaper companies are focusing much of their development work on digital platforms, it’s important not to forget print, and the Forum will provide a global platform for the exchange of ideas and best practices.”

The World Printers Forum is one of several strategic conferences taking place in during the World Publishing Expo, which will run from 13 to 15 October next. More than 8,000 visitors are expected at the Expo and conferences, which features more than 300 exhibitors and more than 100 speakers.

Full details of all the events can be found at http://www.worldpublishingexpo.com

First confirmed speakers for the World Printers Forum include:

- Saranga Wijeyarathne, Marketing Director of Ceylon Newspapers in Sri Lanka, which drew international attention when it infused citronella in its ink and published the world’s first mosquito repellent newspaper. The newspaper determined that most of its readers read the paper in the early morning and evening, when mosquitoes and particularly prevalent. Ceylon Newspapers is noted for other innovations in print, including transforming the paper into a flag on National Day. Mr Wijevarathne will deliver a keynote speech on “The Mindset of Innovation.”

- Martyn Eustace, Managing Director of Print Power Europe and Newvizion Consulting, who will address the misperceptions surrounding print and how to correct them. Print Power is a European initiative to promote the continuing effectiveness of Print in a multi-media world.

- Kasturi Balaji, Director of Kasturi & Sons Ltd., the publisher of The Hindu, one of India’s largest English language newspapers. Balaji, who is chairman of the WAN-IFRA South Asia Committee and a noted expert on technology and production, will speak in a session devoted to a new Shaping the Future of News Publishing report on newsprint waste management that he authored.

- Rodd K Winscott, President of Newsweb Corporation’s printing division in the United States, and an advocate of digital printing. “If we are going to continue to offer our clients the most cost effective and innovative method of producing their newspapers and other media related products, we must offer the digital option,” Mr Winscott says.

- Paul Egglestone, Digital Coordinator of the Media Innovation Studio at the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Central Lancashire, who will speak in a session entitled “Future Print: Interactive newsprint and the Internet of Things.” Interactive paper is a type of “smart” paper that is responsive to a human touch, which means sheets of paper can turn into interactive displays.

- Bjarne Tormodsgard, Editor-in-chief of the local newspaper Hallingdølen in Norway. Mr Tormodsgard, who has been responsible for several redesign projects, will speak in a session devoted to visual story telling.

- Muharrem Yasar, Quality and Coordination Manager of the Zaman newspaper in Turkey, who will present a case study of the newspaper’s color quality control. At Zaman, quality is understood as an integrated system comprised of environmental management systems, occupational health and safety, and compliance with ISO standards.

- Bénédicte Gercke, Category Director of Paper & Energy at News International, and Karl Malik, Publisher of PreMedia Newsletter, who will co-chair the event.

- Plus more speakers to be announced! For the evolving conference programme, go to http://www.wan-ifra.org/events/world-printers-forum

WAN-IFRA, based in Paris, France, and Frankfurt, Germany, with subsidiaries in Singapore and India, is the global organisation of the world’s newspapers and news publishers. It represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries. Its core mission is to defend and promote press freedom, quality journalism and editorial integrity and the development of prosperous businesses.

Inquiries to: Virginia Melero, Project Manger, Events, WAN-IFRA, Frankfurt,  Germany. E-mail: virginia.melero@wan-ifra.org. Tel: +49 69.240063-253