2010 National Catalog Forum

April 13-15, Nashville, Tenn.

2010 Conference Schedule

 

Tuesday. April 13

9:45 am – Noon          ACMA Forum Registration Table Open

10:15 – 10:30 am        Introductions and Agenda Review: Hamilton Davison, ACMA President & Executive Director

10:30 – 11:45 am        Pressing Issues in Postal Policy … a Regulator’s view
                                    Mark Acton, Commissioner, US Postal Regulatory Commission

Hear directly from a policy-maker about the issues coming down the pike that impact all mailers. Engage in discussion with a thoughtful leader in national postal official who along with his colleagues controls catalogers’ future.

11:45 – Noon              Break

Noon – 1:30 pm          Luncheon Session: Exclusive catalog industry survey results presented by Multichannel Merchant

                                                Attendees will get exclusive results of recent research conducted by Multichannel Merchant magazine on executive attitudes and expectations for the catalog/multichannel business and an outlook for the future. 

1:30 – 2:30 pm            Cataloger work in National Postal Policy, Hamilton Davison, President & Executive Director, ACMA

An update on ACMA’s work to improve the mailing environment for catalogs, particularly what has been happening over the past year on pricing, incentives and regulations. What are the catalog issues? Who makes decisions that directly affect us? Who are the influencers? In preparation for a reception with postal officials, catalog executives will discuss the issues and solutions.

2:30 – 3:15 pm            Postal issues now and going forward: Is the USPS business model truly broken? Gene Del Polito, President, the Association for Postal Commerce (PostCom)

                                                Given the diverse interests espousing selfish positions and no shortage of pundits or issues, separating the forest from the trees in postal affairs is not always easy. What are the key issues? What are the solutions? What should catalog mailers do to address these? What must every mailer know? A veteran postal observer shares his view of what can be a confounding and complex topic.

3:15 - 3:30 pm             Break

3:30 – 4:30 pm            Opportunities for cost reduction of catalog processing
Pat Donahoe, Deputy Postmaster General, US Postal Service

The USPS’s Chief Operating Officer discusses initiatives to lower the high cost of handling flats mail, including ideas to dramatically change the current status quo. Mr. Donahoe will outline action steps catalogers can take to influence postal costs, some of which the USPS is developing with ACMA.

4:30 – 5:30 pm            Afternoon break

5:30 – 7:30 pm            ACMA-hosted VIP Cocktail Reception for all Catalog Forum attendees and select invited guests from the USPS, PRC and other mailing industry executives

                                                Catalogers host a “who’s who” in national postal policy of invited guests for cocktails and heavy hors d'oeuvres, giving us an opportunity to build relationships with those in Washington that control our future in the mail.

Wed. April 14

9:00 – 10:00 am          Continental breakfast at the National Postal Forum
Your opportunity to browse the many mail industry booths and displays at the largest postal trade show in the country while enjoying a continental breakfast and beverage.

10:00 – 10:15 am        Chairman's Remarks Stan Krangel, ACMA Chair, President of the Catalog & Internet Business for Blyth Inc. and President of Bocajava Coffee 

10:15 – 11:00 am        Does catalog prospecting still work? Catalogers Mike Tate from National Wholesale and Susan Isley of Stony Creek Brands lead an interactive discussion on how they handle catalog prospecting in 2010.

11:00 – Noon              Effective Co-mailing Today: Panelists include Martin McClanan, Orchard Brands; Phyliss Mosca, Ulla Popken; Don Landis, Arandell; Chris Brown, R.R. Donnelley; Moderator: Paul Miller, Vice President & Deputy Director, ACMA

Leaders from both the catalog and printing industries, both large and small, discuss the best practices in co-mailing today and strategies they use to keep postal rates affordable. Consideration of how pending changes to postal operations are likely to affect co-mailing will also be covered.

Noon-1:00 pm             Networking Luncheon

1:00 – 2:00 pm            How YOU can get in key Washington lawmakers’ faces
Anita Pursley, vice president of postal affairs at Worldcolor Logistics & industry co-chair for MTAC, and Hamilton Davison, ACMA

                                                Building a relationship in Washington must be done in advance of need. In this session, you will hear how easy it really is. A "paint-by-numbers" guide to establishing your relationships will be provided and discussed.

2:00 – 2:15 pm            Short Break (move to Postal Forum Session room)

2:15 – 3:15 pm            Postal Forum Session: USPS catalog industry team report to catalogers, Thomas Foti, Manager, Marketing Mail, US Postal Service, and David Mastervich, Manager, Periodicals, Catalogs & Saturation Mail, US Postal Service

Over the past year, the USPS catalog marketing team has been working with ACMA and others to find ways to help grow the catalog industry. Foti and Mastervich will summarize their catalog-focused initiatives to date and provide updates on others they are currently developing.

3:30 – 4:30                  Postal Forum Session: Cataloger executive summary session of USPS programs, Rosa Fulton, Executive Director, FSS, US Postal Service, and David Mastervich, Manager, Periodicals, Catalogs & Saturation Mail, US Postal Service

                                    In this special session, USPS catalog industry senior executives will give an overview and summary of the progress and changes that most affect their business model. Executive summaries from Flats, IMb and Standard Mail marketing track sessions will be presented.

4:30 – 4:40 pm            Short Break (move back to ACMA meeting room)

4:40 – 5:15 pm            ACMA Annual Business Meeting

Join the ACMA Board for an Annual Business Meeting to include election of officers and directors, management and financial reports, plus other business as brought forward by the Membership. While non-members are strongly encouraged to attend, voting is restricted to ACMA members only.

5:15 – 6:00 pm            Free time

6:00 – 10:00 pm          Special ACMA 'Music City Experience': An Evening of Dinner & Music Board buses at the door of the Opryland Hotel for a special Nashville insider event.

Join ACMA for a special evening of fun and fellowship at a real Nashville haunt typically only found by locals. Dinner and entertainment provided. Suggested dress is blue jeans or any informal attire.

Thursday, April 15

8:00 – 9:00 am            Continental breakfast

9:00 – 9:30 am            Care of catalogs now and forever: how to grow ACMA?

                                                Discussion on the importance of uniting every company with catalog interests to achieve our immediate and long-term goals in Washington. Your role in effective recruiting, support available and tools you can use in spreading the word are also covered. Why do you care if others carry the load? Because, it really isn’t someone else’s problem!

9:45 – 11:15 am          Why “Do Not Mail” issues must be addressed – best practices in handing consumer mail preference requests Panelists include John Seebeck, Direct Marketing Business Director, Crate & Barrel and ACMA DNM task force chair; Chuck Teller, Executive Director, Catalog Choice; Jerry Cerasale, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, the Direct Marketing Association; Paul Miller, ACMA

                                                This session will explore the very latest in Do Not Mail developments, what a variety of parties are doing on the issue, how catalogers can handle customer mail preference requests, and why DNM issues must continue to be carefully managed.

11:15-12:15 pm           Achieving affordable and predictable catalog postal rates: David Mastervich, Manager, Periodicals, Catalogs & Saturation Mail, US Postal Service, Lynn Nobel, Manager of Catalogs, US Postal Service

Working discussion to explore USPS and ACMA work to retain and grow catalog mail volumes in a competitive marketplace. Catalogers will provide input into the rate-making process and discuss economics governing catalog circulation and marketing allocations with these key USPS executives.

12:15 – 12:45 pm        Working, Informal buffet lunch

12:45 – 1:30 pm          Communicating our story “Why Print is Green”

                                                Recent work done by The Print Council compares paper-based communications to electronic means. The results are surprising and yield a wealth of marketing messages for catalogers that we may chose to use. In this session we will explore the information, its source and possible use by catalogers to provide some balance to the growing popular notion that “going green” means going without paper. 

1:45 – 2:30 pm            Open ACMA Board of Directors meeting:

                                                National Catalog Forum attendees are encouraged to sit in on an open board meeting of the catalog trade association.

2:30 pm                       Adjournment

Note: Program subject to change

Click Here to register now.
For information, please contact Paul Miller at 914-669-8391 or pmiller@catalogmailers.org

Exclusive Media Sponsor: Multichannel Merchant