BookTech West 2001 is on the horizon, to be held in sunny San Francisco July 31 to August 2. As the advisory board puts the finishing touches on the conference agenda PrintMedia InBox took time out to speak with Conference Manager Becky Churilla to see what's in store.
Q: During these softening economic times, publishers are intently focused on methods for making better products, yet at less expensive costs. It's a significant achievement to make successful projects that don't gauge the publishing house pocketbook. What will BookTech West offer to publishers who find themselves facing this weighty task?
Churilla: The BookTech conferences have always had the primary responsibility to teach publishers how to make better books more efficiently. This year's BookTech West promises three days worth of educational and networking opportunities to ensure every attendee walks away with new ideas about solutions and best practices. They'll return to their offices and they'll try a new technology, a new marketing idea or new jacket design. They'll be better equipped to make solid manufacturing and production decisions. They'll learn new skills required in an age of digital publishing.
Q: What are some of the planned topics?
Churilla: The program will offer as many as four concurrent sessions covering the book publishing gamut. We'll address buying and specifying substrates, content management for cross-media publishing, successful marketing and book campaign designs, digital and CTP workflow, marketplace trends and cutting-edge technologies currently in R&D.
Q: Who will benefit most from these programs?
Churilla: The advisory board paid careful attention to hot topics among all book publishers, providing provocative sessions for virtually every discipline, including design, production, manufacturing, IT and business management.
Q: And you're kicking off the program with a series of certification programs. Can you tell our InBox readers a little bit more about those?