Dan Blackbourn, PrintNZ president and GM Operations at APN is aiming to increase industry participation to ensure the Association retains its premium representation status.
In a New Year message to members, he heralds a new strategy to ensure PrintNZ's activities remain relevant to members.
We want to have secured 75% membership of the print industry by this time next year and to ensure we remain recognised as the premium organisation for the sector, he writes in the latest membership bulletin. We need to ensure we remain financially sustainable – including achieving a target of $50,000 in annual consulting revenue – and ensure we have the scale and resources to support the industries we serve.
Effective membership communication lies at the core of the new strategy with increased interaction in order to build a clear portfolio of contract services while promoting and signing companies to training agreements.
He also aims to raise the sector's profile and develop an effective lobbying presence t ensure the new communication strategy extends to external as well as internal stakeholders.
In unison with that drive, we will also be conducting exploratory meetings with potential partners as we examine our scale and resources moving forward. We will develop an engagement model and offerings and establish a very clear value proposition.
According to the stats in the latest PrintNZ Industry Survey, Statistics New Zealand report that in March 2014 there were 951 printing companies operating. With current membership of 580 the target of 75% represents 713 companies. A recruitment campaign will begin in February to target the companies that are not currently members.
Ruth Cobb, PrintNZ general manager, endorses the new strategy and says the Board is keen to see the organisation grow and provide an increased range of services to its members.
We want to have more touch points with our members and ensure we are the 'go-to' organisation for both internal and external sources for the industries we serve. Our membership base has remained steady despite challenging times and we need to ensure we are on the right track for that to continue. As our member businesses and the associated industries evolve, so must we.