With just shy of 50 attendees, the AGM was a fantastic networking opportunity. If you missed out on this event, here’s what the evening entailed.

The TSA Limited Annual General Meeting last Wednesday evening at the Royce Hotel in Melbourne was a full house with a record number of attendees. For the third edition of this annual event, TSA organised an amazing line up of speakers to both inspire discussion and generate new opportunities within the paper and print industry.

The event kicked off welcoming Andrew Egan, General Manager, Retail, JWT to share an agency perspective on the role that print plays for their clients and brands. Egan highlighted that many JWT clients including those in the retail sector are heavily engaged with print as part of their multi-channel campaigns and outlined how important print is as a ‘foundation platform’ channel. He particularly mentioned the amazing success story of the marketing campaign “To Russia with Love” for the MQFF which started with a printed billboard in Melbourne and travelled the world through social media.

He narrowed in on how the new ‘retail eco-system’ is seeing many campaigns centre around print (catalogues), that has had an 11% increase in ‘heavy readership’ over the past twelve (12) months. View his presentation here.

Craig Dunn, National Manager Sustainability, Communication & Marketing, Australian Paper, was up next to change gears into the sustainable features of paper and print. Dunn opened highlighting the simple truth that paper is ‘made from a renewable resource which can be replanted and regrown in perpetuity’, which is not something that can be said for every media channel.

He also shared some interesting Australian Forest information, including the fact that Australia has the 7th largest forested area in the world, with 94% of it protected from commercial harvesting. View his presentation here.

As Egan and Dunn covered VoPP and Two Sides content, Nevi Laketa, Communications Manager, K.W. Doggett followed to share how they use TSA content to add value to their customers and provided her top 5 tips on maximising membership:  View her presentation here.

1. Utilise the content to create signage, floor graphics or posters to place in your boardroom
2. Keep copies of collateral (which you can re-brand) in your reception or lunch room
3. Direct mail the VoPP Mag and/or Two Sides booklet to your top 20 clients
4. Create a promotional or creative piece using TSA content
5. Speak to the TSA team for ideas – they’re a wealth of knowledge

Kellie Northwood, Executive Director, TSA wrapped up the evening with some of TSA’s accomplishments for the year including a 31% membership increase, over 60 sales briefings, 144 articles of media coverage (tv, radio, print and online) and 47 meetings with federal, state and local politicians lobbying for the print and paper industry as well as launching a third campaign, Keep Me Posted. View her presentation here.

The event was a fantastic opportunity for the industry to come together and explore the challenges Northwood highlighted and opportunities ahead for 2017. The TSA Team, Board and its members are companies motivated for a strong future and give a united voice for our channel.