I began attending NEXPO® 25 years ago, and have served on the NEXPO Arrangements Committee for the past four years. Over the past year, I had the rare privilege of serving as chairman of the arrangements committee. During this time I have developed a deep appreciation for the show and the unique role it serves in our industry.
NEXPO is the biggest and best newspaper-technology trade show in the world. It is a forum that helps us do today's job better and also prepare for the future. This year's theme, Putting the Future in Focus, would actually be appropriate in any year-because that's what NEXPO does. It is a lens that helps us look into the future, and I am always fascinated when different people look through the same lens and see very different scenarios.
NEXPO presents us with an unparalleled opportunity to network with our colleagues. I usually find this to be the most valuable aspect of the show. Simply by talking with the right people, you can pick up bits and pieces of knowledge that you can take home and translate into cost savings, efficiency improvements and sound strategies for growth.
This year some newspapers, apparently trying to save some of the money they're losing to higher newsprint prices, declined to send staff to NEXPO. I would suggest that this is probably shortsighted. For those willing to grasp it, NEXPO provides an opportunity to cut costs by improving operational efficiency. In fact, sending key people to NEXPO is one of the best ways I know to save money.
During my introductory speech in Atlanta, I quoted Akio Morita, Sony's visionary and astonishingly successful leader. I think his words bear repeating: "Our plan is to lead the public with new products, rather than ask what kind of products they want. The public does not know what is possible, but we do. So instead of doing a lot of market research, we refine our thinking on a product and its use, and try to create a market for it by educating and communicating with the public."
The key to Morita's approach is to stay informed about new technologies and to understand their potential. Those who attended NEXPO'95 understand this. They are the ones who will lead our industry into the future. Because they have looked through the lens; because they have spent the time, effort and money to learn about our technological future; some of these companies are now positioned to actively create the future. I believe that such companies will do more than just satisfy their customers-they will amaze them.
Michael Stern
Production Manager
Syracuse Newspapers Inc.
TechNews Volume 1, Number 4: July/August 1995
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