The event was hosted at the Heidelberg Print Media Academy (PMA), in the company’s Sternberg Lounge, allowing 130 women from 32 countries to attend, follow the lectures, chat, enjoy fellowship, and extend their networks.
As one of five speakers at the Forum, Grace, chief executive of PrintNZ, took the opportunity to promote New Zealand and to talk about the industry, its challenges, and the background of women in print.
She says, “New Zealand was acknowledged as ‘where it (women in print) had begun.’ Many were envious of our history and our beautiful country. I guess it also highlights how fortunate we are in New Zealand to have been running the event for so long: this will be our 11th year in Wellington. Most of the women there had never been to a formal function for women in the industry. The issues for the industry are not gender specific; all of the attendees talk of the same things: overseas competition, the profile of the industry, skill shortages, the challenge of keeping up with technology.”
Grace stresses that she wasn’t there to lecture, but to learn. She says, “One thing I learned is that there are women in the industry in all countries! It was good to talk with people from so many countries. There is a tendency in drupa to spend time with other New Zealanders, so this takes you right outside of that. I’m always amazed at the language skills of others. In most cases we can communicate in a broken English style. Their English tends to be better than my skills in their language.”
Organisers of the network meeting say all of the participants will be registered in a defined domain on the internet platform XING. It’s hoped that the next international women in print meeting will take place in Japan in 2009.
Grace thinks many of the people who attended will now look at doing similar things in their countries to what is happening in New Zealand, Japan, and Australia. She says, “I met with people from the UK who wanted to know more. For us, we are committed to continuing to provide this networking opportunity to our members in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and trust we will continue to get the good support we have had in the past from business owners who ensure their women staff receive the invitations.”
Among the Women in Print participants was Ulrike Schreier, spouse of Heidelberg CEO Bernhard Schreier. Heidelberg staged and sponsored the inaugural Women in Print at drupa, and flew high profile Australian journalist, Shelley Gare to speak at the event, as well as funding the programme and all of the hospitality associated with it.
