The event is organised by Two Sides and the BPIF, in partnership with Canon and Fedrigoni, and as with so many of this year’s conferences and expos, Covid-19 and the attendant restrictions have forced the organisers to take the event online and out of the storied grandeur of Stationers’ Hall.
While attendees may miss the bustle and coffee-break chat of a live event, there are some advantages to hosting get-togethers like this in the ether. Not least because it allows many people to attend who might not otherwise have done so – the organisers are expecting significant numbers of overseas attendees as well as more UK attendees.
Power of Print is run by Two Sides, the paper advocacy group, which operates across Europe, the Americas, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Two Sides managing director Jonathan Tame points out that it is thanks to this global presence and the international appeal of the speakers and topics that it has attracted so much overseas interest.
“We have also been pleased to see attendees sign up from regions where Two Sides is not active, such as the Middle East and Asia,” he adds.
“Time zone differences can make attending a challenge for those in some parts of the world, but we will also be recording the sessions to allow attendees to catch up on presentations they may have missed or would like to view again,” he says.
Once again, Two Sides has pulled together a varied and interesting seminar programme, with contributions from a wide range of sectors and applications, including from WPP, the world’s largest advertising agency group, Nestlé and delivery giant Whistl. Tame says: “Building on the 10 years of experience we have running the Power of Print seminar, we know that the diverse nature of the speakers is what makes this event unique.”
And Tame is sure that there will be plenty for attendees to learn, including from outside their specialisms. He says: “From previous attendee surveys, we know it is sometimes the ‘not-100%-relevant’ speakers who were considered the most valuable.
“Of course, there will be topics which aren’t explicitly relevant to everyone in the audience, but creativity and innovation is a transferable resource, and we hope many will be inspired enough to take this information back to their own channels and sectors.”
That said, for those attendees who do want to dip in and out, the organisers have published a detailed agenda with the start times of each speaker (see box out).
Coronavirus and its fallout continue to dominate the news cycle, and many of the presentations will reflect that, with a focus on how the sustainability of paper and print on paper can help businesses take a lead. “The environment is, thankfully, returning to the agenda and it will be a key differentiator for businesses following the major structural changes caused by Covid. For this reason, sustainability will still feature heavily in PoP20; with WPP, Nestlé and Two Sides all focusing on the subject,” says Tame.
“2019 was an incredible year for the drive to become more sustainable, both as businesses and as consumers. Plastic pollution, the circular economy and climate change were becoming conversational fixtures in board rooms and living rooms alike.
“Print and paper will continue to play an essential role in the circular economy.”
Talking points
The morning session will be essential viewing for all those involved in the production and use of printed media. BPIF CEO Charles Jarrold will start the session with an overview of the industry, the challenges faced in 2020 and the opportunities on the horizon.
Following Jarrold will be Mark Davies, who heads up the Doordrop Media division of Whistl. Davies will share his views on how the pandemic turned out to be a tipping point for Facebook. He will also show how the audience at home taught a new generation of marketers a thing or two about print marketing.
Next come two leading voices from the publishing sector who will each present their views on print’s place in a post-pandemic world. Sue Todd, CEO of the magazine media marketing agency Magnetic, will be sharing new research from Magnetic and Kantar that looks at how advertisers can use magazine media to build stronger and more meaningful connections with their target audience and, in turn, boost sales.
Representing newspapers, Denise Turner, insight director at Newsworks, will present the findings from the organisation’s latest major research study into the value of trusted news sources as reader numbers have reached record new highs. In a world awash with fake news and misinformation, Turner will explore the unique and trusted role that news brands are increasingly playing in today’s society.
The event organisers say the morning session will provide ample opportunity for questions for the speakers, with Printweek editor Darryl Danielli mediating the Q&A.
The afternoon session will feature renowned speakers from some of the world’s most prestigious institutions and largest organisations.
As parts of the UK are forced into further restrictions, hopes of an early national recovery from the effects of the pandemic have faded. When recovery does come, it is clear that the world of work – across all sectors – will be quite a different place. Andrea Boltho, Emeritus Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, and director of Oxford Economics will provide an important and highly informative analysis of the UK and European economies.
As has become customary at the Power of Print in recent years, a speaker representing a brand’s packaging strategy will join the bill. This year the seminar will welcome Cedric Moulin, packaging platform manager at Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company. Moulin will share Nestlé’s sustainability commitment and the group’s strategy to move towards more sustainable packaging, including the introduction of paper wrapping for the YES! and Smarties bars.
Aisling Ryan heads up The Corporate Practice at WPP, which specialises in providing global advisory services to corporate, government and NGOs. A seasoned strategist passionate about transforming global societal problems, Ryan will explore the future of print in a sustainable world while maintaining its unique and emotive role in our everyday lives.
The last of the day’s speakers and closing the afternoon session will be Tame himself, who will present the hugely popular Love Paper initiative and explain how businesses and brands can use the new consumer-friendly Love Paper logo to help promote the sustainability of print and paper.
Seminar programme
The Power of Print virtual seminar will bring together eight leading experts from across the spectrum of print, publishing and paper-based packaging to share their take on what the future holds.
Print and paper products have played an essential role during the coronavirus crisis, from governments using direct mail to safely reach vulnerable households, to newspapers and magazines providing crucial information and much-needed enjoyment to people in their homes.
Even in a dramatically changing landscape, the power of print remains unassailable and this year’s seminar will highlight the opportunities, and indeed challenges, for print and paper products in this new world.
Session 1 – Add print, add power
10:00
Welcome
Jonathan Tame managing director, Two Sides
10:10
Market overview
Charles Jarrold CEO, BPIF
How The Industry Has Adapted To The Pandemic And What Lies Ahead In 2021
Jarrold will look at what happened during lockdown, how the sector responded, and as it hopes to scale operations back up, what has changed. He will also assess the opportunities and challenges the future may hold.
10:30
DM and door drops
Mark Davies Managing director, Whistl (Doordrop Media)
Covid-19: The Facebook post versus actual real post
Learn how the coronavirus pandemic turned out to be a tipping point for Facebook and how the audience at home taught a new generation of marketers a lesson about print marketing.
10:50
Tea break
11:00
Magazines
Sue Todd CEO, Magnetic
Bouncing back: How magazine media can help advertisers plan for recovery
As the advertising community resets after the cautious months of lockdown, Todd looks at the role that magazines play in helping brands build for the future.
11:20
Newspapers
Denise Turner Insight director, Newsworks
A world without news
In this session Turner will present the findings from Newsworks’ latest major research study into the value of trusted news sources as reader numbers have reached record new highs. Turner will explore the unique and trusted role that news brands are increasingly playing in today’s society.
11:40
Panel discussion and Q&A
Darryl Danielli Editor, Printweek
A discussion with the morning speakers who will also take questions from the audience.
Session 2 – The big picture
14:00
Welcome back
Jonathan Tame
14:05
Economy
Andrea Boltho Emeritus Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, and director of Oxford Economics
The global and European economic outlook – What next?
When recovery comes, the world is likely to be quite a different place. Boltho will look at how areas such as productivity, logistics, international business travel, world trade more generally, public debt and market pressures have been affected by the pandemic.
14:30
Packaging
Cedric Moulin Packaging platform manager, Nestlé UK
The drive toward more sustainable packaging
Moulin will share details of Nestlé’s environmental commitment and its strategy to move towards more sustainable packaging, including the introduction of paper wrapping for the YES! and Smarties bars.
14:55
Tea break
15:05
Sustainability
Aisling Ryan Managing partner, global consulting principal, The Corporate Practice, WPP
The future of print in a sustainable world
The world is at an inflection point with four simultaneous and inter-related existential challenges: Covid-19, the climate crisis, global economic meltdown and rising inequality. In this context, Ryan will explore the future of print including accelerating circularity, raising climate ambition and shifting from iterative to moonshot innovation while maintaining its unique and emotive role in our everyday lives.
15:30
Two Sides
Jonathan Tame
There are some great reasons to love paper
The Two Sides campaign has successfully been busting the myths about paper for nearly 15 years. Tame will present the hugely popular Love Paper initiative and explain how businesses and brands can use the new consumer-friendly Love Paper logo to help promote the sustainability of print and paper.
15:55
Closing thoughts
Jonathan Tame
