The rapidly changing dynamic of the local printing industry is prompting one of the local market’s leading industry associations, the SGIAA, to change its full name to ‘Specialty Graphics Imaging Association of Australia’.
The decision to change the association’s name from its former ‘Screen and Graphic Imaging Association of Australia’ to the new title was made at the organisation’s annual general meeting in Sydney in late March – with the legal name change catching up this month.
For Clem Johnson (pictured), president of the SGIAA, the move was made to encompass the changing nature of the technology in the sector and member organisations involved with the association.
"As technology has evolved,” says Johnson, “the SGIAA membership has broadened to include a range of organisations seeking to take advantage of the extensive technical resources we offer through our international affiliations with FESPA and SGIA.
“While companies such as signmakers, graphic display, apparel and promotional companies serve diverse markets, they all add value through digital, screen and other diverse forms of graphic imaging. SGIAA seeks to ensure that our members have a technical and business advantage in the area of graphic imaging, regardless of the markets they serve,” he says.
It has taken a few months for the legal side of the name change to take effect. SGIAA says it is pleased to now officially announce the change of name.
The association also announced its categories in the SGIAA 2013 Digital and Print Awards, expanding the list to include 26 specialised categories.
An extra seven categories have been added to reflect the changing nature of the industry concerning digital imaging and textiles (categories 7, 10 and 19) and the changing practice of screen printing outside of the industry by students, and fine arts professionals (22, 23).
Also new is the official inclusion of the Facebook People's Choice Award (25) along with the new SGIAA Young Achiever's Award (24).
Extra mention will go to those filling out the Management Sustainable Practices addendum included with this year's entry forms. This is a compulsory section for those entering the Project Management: Digital or Screen Category (9), but an optional section for all other categories.
The intention of this section is to give due credit to businesses who take a positive long-term approach toward producing their award entries that results in an improvement or reflection upon their current business practices.
For the full list of entry categories visit http://www.sgiaaawards.asn.au/about-us.html Entries can be submitted from August 1.