LIA pulls a corker of a night – James Cryer

Who said printers were a bunch of beer-sodden, lager-louts? They may have been, but not any more. No more beer-stained shirtfronts or beery breath and no more beer-bellies.

From now on we're a bunch of latte-sipping, chardonnay-quaffing dilettantes, or so David Wells, President of LIA (NSW) would have us believe. David stopped at nothing to promote the event held last week - he even arranged a murder most foul to occur almost outside the restaurant!

But he managed to pull off the most improbable when he convinced the cream of Sydney's print industry to assemble under one roof and taste the delights of liquid gold in the form of Penfolds' Grange wines, last Thursday.

After grappling with such weighty issues such as how to remove the cork, we were plied with a scintillating assortment of red wines, which we downed with relish. No spittoons were provided so we had no option but to swallow each drop.

Now here's the interesting part. Most of the wines were priced around the $30 per bottle mark and were delightful (so I'm told). But there was one that stood head and shoulders above the rest. No, silly, the bottle was exactly the same size – it was the price, which was exactly 20 times that of the other wines.

This goes to the heart of why we were there drinking someone else's booze. Not to refresh the palate, nor to re-hydrate the body nor even to re-invigorate the soul.

It was to understand the power of the brand!

How many of us have fallen into the trap of selling print when we should be selling our company. It's a subtle shift but important in today's world where most print has become commoditized, and many are selling a non-differentiated product. The only point of difference is not with the product it’s with our company’s brand.

Build the mystique, weave the magic, and make your company easy to do business with, create a point of difference. Answer the question: "why would anyone do buy from us?" And you don't say "price".

Become the Grange of the printing industry. You mightn't get away with a twenty-fold price increase, but twenty per cent would be nice!

The other 'small miracle’ that occurred that night, was that David was able to pull together a number of Heads of State of other associations - including representatives from LATMA and SWUG, all with the aim of fostering a spirit of cooperation between the various associations.

Associations are currently struggling with their own search for relevance in an indifferent world. While each one should be encouraged to retain its identity and charter, we largely face common foes, fears and even frustrations. It therefore makes sense to share solutions, strategies and even – shirazes.

In many cases, each industry association is re-inventing the wheel by solving problems that may have already been solved by others. And with membership dwindling in some areas, the need to hold more joint meetings may be forced upon us.

It's just a matter of getting the balance right between retaining the character of individual associations and building strength through sharing ideas and resources.

That was the essence that lay behind the wine tasting. The LIA is mindful of the need for change and to put everything under the microscope! Any suggestions on what you expect from the LIA going forward would be warmly welcomed.

And don't say a free bottle of Grange.