Free Web Session with Dr. Joe Webb Discusses Current Economic Analysis and Its Projected Impact on the Printing Industry, Sponsored by MindFireInc

March 31, 2008 -- Lexington, Kentucky USA -- WhatTheyThink.com held a free printing industry economic webinar with forecaster and commentator Dr. Joe Webb. Nearly 400 printing professionals registered for this event which was held Wednesday, March 26th.

The archive of this event is available here:

http://members.whattheythink.com/home/webinars/webinar080326.cfm

This one-hour event provided graphic arts, printing and publishing executives with an analysis of the current economic climate and a discussion of what these turbulent times mean for individual printers and the printing industry as a whole. Listeners are also able to send questions for the webinar’s Q&A session.

“We were very excited to include results from our latest WhatTheyThink survey of our readers and subscribers during this event,” said Randy Davidson, President, WhatTheyThink. “We asked our readers to weigh in about what being ‘green’ means for their businesses and their responses were quite interesting.”

“Although there is much talk about the economy slowing, we have been slow for some time,” said Dr. Webb.  “I don’t believe we will enter a recession, but we are certainly not headed for growth, either.  Interest rates are so low, you are almost losing money by not borrowing. Yet the economy is not as grim as the media would have you think.  Gold would need to nearly double in price to have kept up with inflation!”

Topics addressed included:

• What if they Gave a Recession and Nobody Came?
• What the Economic Situation Means for Print: What Printers Should Do Next
• Latest WhatTheyThink Survey of Printing Businesses
  .... including what survey participants feel about being "green"
• Spring into Spring with Dr. Joe's Latest Reading List

“We are still seeing the same seasonality we have seen historically on a month-to-month basis,” added Dr. Webb, “but the overall printing volumes are down.  Changes in media mix are clearly affecting our business, and the recent move by GM to move a third of its budget to digital media is an example of that.  Yet well-managed and innovative businesses will continue to do well.  At the same time, it is important to be vigilant about inflation, and the archived program contains the multipliers you can use to see how your company has performed on an inflation-adjusted basis.”

“We appreciate MindFireInc’s commitment to sponsoring this webinar so we can bring it to our readers at no charge,” added Davidson.  “This session is available in the WhatTheyThink webinar archive, along with all of our other educational sessions, so that business owners and managers can revisit the content as they deal with the economic uncertainties of today’s marketplace.”

Dr. Joe Webb is the director of WhatTheyThink.com's Economics and Research Center, where managers, researchers and analysts can find free and premium content about industry trends, including forecasts and more. Dr. Webb is a recognized marketing authority, forecaster and one of the best known speakers in our industry. He also contributes a weekly column at WhatTheyThink.com for Premium Access Members entitled “Mondays with Dr. Joe” as well as a regular writer on PrintCEOblog.com.

Last quarter’s webinar can be accessed at: http://members.whattheythink.com/home/webinars/webinar071212.cfm 

About MindFireInc

Since 1999, MindFireInc has been the leader in helping marketers link the impact-power of direct mail with the interactive capabilities of the Internet. MindFireInc's flagship product, LookWho'sClicking™, is a web-based application suite that automates the creation, management, and tracking of Marketing Campaign's utilizing Personalized URLs and VIP Landing Pages. The company delivers LookWho'sClicking™ through its expanding network of Solution Partners, which are typically print service providers, agencies and consultants. With offices in California and Asia-Pacific, MindFireInc is a privately held company led by a seasoned management team with proven industry success. For more information, please visit www.MindFireIncinc.com.

About WhatTheyThink.com

WhatTheyThink.com is the printing and publishing industry's leading online media organization; offering a wide range of publications delivering unbiased, real-time market intelligence, industry news, economic and trend analysis, peer-to-peer communication, and special reports on emerging technology and critical events. Serving a membership base of more than 50,000, WhatTheyThink.com also hosts webinars and live events as well as providing content through a syndication program, which delivers content directly to related websites and through RSS.

About Dr. Joe Webb

Dr. Joe Webb is the director of WhatTheyThink.com's Economics and Research Center, where managers, researchers and analysts can find free and premium content about industry trends, including forecasts and more. Dr. Webb is a 30-year graphic arts veteran, a recognized marketing authority, forecaster and one of the best known speakers in our industry. He is known for his ability to interpret the latest market conditions in the graphic communications industries and translate what they mean for executives and their strategic decisions.  Since January 2003, his "Mondays with Dr. Joe" column has been a must-read feature on WhatTheyThink.com.

He is a Ph.D. graduate of the NYU Center for Graphic Communications Management and Technology (1987) and serves on the Center's Board of Advisors. He holds an MBA in Management Information Systems from Iona College (1981) and was a magna cum laude graduate in Managerial Sciences and Marketing from Manhattan College (1978), and was a member of the economics honor society. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in marketing, market research, quantitative analysis, business policy, and organizational behavior. He started in the industry with Agfa's Graphic Systems Division and was later a marketing executive with Chemco Photoproducts, entering consulting full time in 1987. Among his publications is the controversial "Renewing the Print Industry: A Contrarian's Constructive Perspective." 

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