Women were at the forefront of several of this year’s Wide-format Summit’s key conversations, held July 27-29 in Bonita Springs, Florida, bringing their expertise to some of the biggest questions facing print businesses today.

Denise Gustavson, Women in Print Alliance Professional Advisor, VP of Editorial & Content Strategy at PRINTING United Alliance, and co-chair of the Wide-Format Summit, moderated “Maximizing Business Success Through Next-Gen Wide-Format Technology,” an expert panel examining how advancements in automation, workflow, artificial intelligence (AI), and other emerging technologies can help print providers improve efficiency, reduce costs, expand capabilities, and remain competitive. Gustavson also helped close out the Summit by moderating “What’s Next for Wide-Format: Forces, Forecasts, and Future Opportunities,” bringing the conversation full circle to what businesses should be preparing for next.

Technology alone, however, doesn’t determine whether a business succeeds. Amy Servi-Bonner, VP of Consulting – Applied AI & Printing Technology at PRINTING United Alliance and a Professional Advisor to Women in Print Alliance, explored the human decision-making behind AI adoption during “AI Didn’t Break Your Business. Your Decisions Were Already Broken.” Rather than focusing on the latest AI tools, Servi-Bonner challenged attendees to examine how decisions are made within their organizations — who owns them, when they happen, and what they cost — and consider how those existing processes can ultimately determine whether AI becomes a competitive advantage. She continued that conversation as moderator of the Summit’s AI panel, which explored accountability and the balance between AI recommendations and human judgment.

Providing another perspective on where the market is headed, Lisa Cross, Principal Analyst for Alliance Insights, brought research and data to the stage with “Current Trends in the Wide-Format Segment.” Drawing from recent Alliance Insights research, Cross explored the current state of the industry, the impact of industry convergence, and how value-added services are helping print providers increase margins and differentiate their businesses.

Across each of these conversations, a common thread emerged: preparing for what’s next requires more than simply reacting to change. It requires leaders who are willing to understand the forces reshaping their businesses, ask difficult questions, and make informed decisions about where to go next.

That same mindset carried into another increasingly important conversation for the wide-format industry: sustainability.

Rethinking What Sustainability Means

Women in Print Alliance Professional Advisor and Environmental, Health & Safety Affairs Manager at PRINTING United Alliance, Sara Osorio, took the stage to speak on “Rethinking Sustainability in Wide-Format Printing,” bringing a business-focused perspective to an increasingly important industry conversation.

“There’s a very common misconception in that sustainability is all about the environment and green practices, but in reality, sustainability goes much deeper than that,” Osorio said.

In other words, sustainability shouldn’t exist on the sidelines of a company’s business strategy. It should be considered through the interconnected lens of people, planet, and profit — balancing environmental responsibility with employee and product safety, operational efficiency, profitability, and the long-term health of the business. For women in print, it’s also an area where knowledge can translate into leadership.

Finding the Wins Already Within Your Business

Becoming more sustainable doesn’t necessarily mean making sweeping changes overnight.

Sometimes, Osorio explained, the biggest opportunities are already hiding within everyday business challenges. Waste, reprints, inconsistent color, inefficient equipment, and inadequate training all have sustainability implications — and addressing them can benefit the bottom line.

Osorio encouraged attendees to approach sustainability investments just as they would any other long-term investment. “You don’t expect immediate next day ROI from [a] new press. Why are you expecting it from your sustainable investments?”

If this year’s Wide-format Summit made one thing clear, it’s that women across the industry are bringing the expertise and leadership needed to help shape the future of print.

Image courtesy of Rahmere Griffin, PRINTING United Alliance