Print Services & Distribution Association
 | |
| Industry | Printing, Print distribution |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 433 East Monroe Avenue Alexandria, VA 22301 United States |
Area served | North America |
Key people | Peter Colaianni, CAE(Executive Vice President) |
Number of employees | 30-50 |
| Website | www.psda.org |
The Print Services & Distribution Association (PSDA) is an international trade association dedicated to serving businesses in the print distribution industry. Its members include some of the country’s leading print distributors, print resellers, agencies, printers and suppliers.
PSDA’s mission is to stay ahead of relevant industry trends to provide members with the resources they need to thrive in a changing marketplace. It is widely known for its award-winning monthly publication, Print Solutions Magazine [1], its education website, Print University[2], and annual, national tradeshow, the Print Solutions Conference & Expo[3].
History
PSDA was initially established in 1946 as the National Business Forms Association (NBFA) and evolved into the Document Management Industries Association (DMIA) in the 1980s. The association changed its name in October 2007 to Print Services & Distribution Association (PSDA) in response to changes in the industry and to give a more accurate representation of its membership base. The rebranding was formally announced at the 2007 Print Solutions Conference & Expo at the Last Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV[4].
Currently, PSDA has over 1200 member companies that include print distributors, promotional products distributors, advertising agencies, design firms, freelancers, trade printers, commercial printers and industry suppliers[5]. The majority of its membership is located within the United States, though it does boast some international affiliates. PSDA offices are located in Alexandria, VA[6].
Events
The Print Services & Distribution Association hosts a diversity of national and regional events each year. As part of its services, some events are exclusive to members of the association, while others welcome the attendance of non-members.
Print Solutions Conference & Expo
The Print Solutions Conference & Expo is the leading trade show for the print distribution industry and PSDA’s signature event. It takes place once a year over the course of three days and is open to all printing professionals[7].
CEO Summit
The CEO Summit is a leadership conference designed for businesses that exceed $2.5 million annual sales. Principals from member companies convene once a year at this member only event for education, training, peer-to-peer information exchange, and networking[8].
Small Distributor Summit
The Small Distributor Summit is held annually and attended exclusively by print distributors with annual sales less than $2.5 million. Planned and organized by PSDA members, this event is connects like-sized business owners for two days of education and open forum discussion. It is open to PSDA members only[9].
Spring Technology Conference
The Spring Technology Conference is held yearly to educate printing professionals on technological advancements within the print industry and how they can adopt these solutions to increase their sales volume and ultimately grow their businesses. In a March 2009 statement, PSDA welcomed all printing professionals to attend the upcoming Spring Technology Conference, to be held June 1-3, 2009 in New Orleans, LA. Prior events had been reserved for PSDA members only[10].
FOCUS Regional Tradeshows
FOCUS events are table top trade shows located in various cities nation-wide. Each event attracts an exhibit base of 50-70 printers and suppliers and contains relevant industry education. Events are open to all printing professionals and free to attend.
Local Forum
Local Forum events are held in each of PSDA’s eight regions across the United States. Co-hosted by PSDA Regional Directors (member ambassadors), Local Forums are exclusive to print distributors and other resellers and offer a half day’s worth of education, training and networking. All events are free.
Print University
Print University is the most extensive, online training vehicle for the printing industry. Powered by the Print Services & Distribution Association (PSDA), the education website offers training for employees for new employees through seasoned professionals. The online course catelog includes full curriculums based on job description, web seminars, podcasts, video conference sessions and various e-classes. The catalog, boasting more then 75 programs, includes a variety of free sessions[11].
Printjunkie.net
printjunkie.net is a free social networking site developed to connect professionals in the printing industry regardless of their business type, job description or geographic location. Founded and operated by the Print Services & Distribution Association, the website was officially launched on July 18, 2008[12]. Currently, more than 2,300 printing professionals worldwide populate the online community[13]
References
- ^ http://www.outputlinks.com/html/news/Print_Solutions_Magazine_Reveals_the_Country_s_2008_Top_100_Trade_Printers_060308092100-1378210803.aspx
- ^ http://members.whattheythink.com/allsearch/article.cfm?id=36504
- ^ http://members.whattheythink.com/allsearch/article.cfm?id=35359
- ^ http://members.whattheythink.com/allsearch/article.cfm?id=31134
- ^ http://www.psda.org/about/ourmembers.aspx
- ^ http://www.psda.org/about/who.aspx
- ^ http://members.whattheythink.com/news/newslink.cfm?id=31309
- ^ http://www.psda.org/events/CEO/home.aspx
- ^ http://www.psda.org/events/SDS/home.aspx
- ^ http://outputlinks.com/html/news/psda_2009_Spring_Technology_Conference_Opens_Registration_to_All_Printing_Professionals_030509.aspx
- ^ http://members.whattheythink.com/allsearch/article.cfm?id=36504
- ^ http://members.whattheythink.com/allsearch/article.cfm?id=35021
- ^ http://www.printjunkie.net/profiles/members/