SWUG swings ahead in New Zealand

Momentum continues for New Zealand print industry at this year’s SWUG conference.

Just as the PrintNZ conference ended, it was time for printers to move on to the SWUG conference. NZ SWUG chairman, Dan Blackbourn, (pictured) described the attendance as a “fantastic response” from member companies, which was the catalyst for New Zealand’s best-ever conference.

“This was an endorsement of the decision to resurrect SWUG and ensure the industry had a showpiece gathering every year,” he said.

“It was timely we kick-started this again. We started planning this back in November last year and our goal was to give SWUG members an event where they could come and hear a terrific cast of speakers, with representatives coming here from the US, the UK, Fiji, Tonga and Australia as well as from sites all over NZ.”

Blackbourn added that it was great to have the Australian SWUG president, Bob Lockley, come and visit New Zealand.

“It is not just an opportunity to hear from manufacturers and suppliers, it is an opportunity to mix with fellow printers from elsewhere in the industries, and learn from their experiences and their knowledge. Plus, it is a forum to debate industry issues, problems and opportunities,” he added.

Presentations at the conference were given by major suppliers such as the Flint Group, Norske Skog, Rockwell, Fujifilm, DIC, Oceanic Multitrading and Goss, and by industry companies such as APN Print and Fairfax.

Industry organisations such as PrintNZ and Pride In Print also spoke, while the “human face” of the industry was brought to the fore by special “Who Am I” sessions in which individuals from the industry spoke about their life and career in print.

Next year’s NZ SWUG Conference will be held in Christchurch.