In an era defined by rapid digital transformation, AI-driven workflows, and shifting customer expectations, it’s easy to assume that in-person trade shows are becoming less relevant. After all, when information is available online 24/7, what’s the incentive to spend days away from the office, travel to another city, and walk a convention floor?

For mailers and postal industry professionals, the answer is simple: trade shows deliver value that cannot be replicated through screens. They offer a rare combination of high-density learning, hands-on technology exposure, and access to the exact people — vendors, industry leaders, postal executives, and fellow mailing professionals — who shape the future of mail.

And among all industry events, the National Postal Forum (NPF) stands out as the most impactful and strategically significant gathering for mailers seeking to stay competitive, improve workflow efficiencies, and understand where the USPS is headed next.

An average of 4,000+ industry professionals attend the National Postal Forum. Over 85% of these attendees are potential buying customers with the mailing industry. An additional 1,000 attendees represent exhibiting companies, and 500 are USPS representatives.This is the only event that brings together all senior-level USPS executives, leaders of the mailing and shipping industry as well as the industry’s major suppliers and partners. You can’t afford to miss this opportunity to listen and learn from these champions of mail and shipping!

Why Trade Shows Still Matter in a Digital Age
Although webinars, virtual events, and online research provide valuable information, they lack the depth and real-world experience that in-person events offer. Trade shows remain relevant because they concentrate information, innovation, and human expertise in a single place.

1. Hands-On Discovery of Solutions
For mailers, nothing compares to seeing equipment run live on the show floor. Trade shows create an environment where technology isn’t just demonstrated — you can touch it, question it, compare it, and evaluate it against your operation’s specific needs.

Attendees can:
- Observe full mail production workflows running in real time
- Compare multiple vendors side-by-side within minutes
- Ask detailed, technical questions directly to product engineers
- Explore emerging categories of automation that they may not yet know they need

This hands-on exposure accelerates decision-making and reduces risk when considering new investments.

2. Networking with Industry Experts and Peers
Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. Trade shows bring together professionals from across the mailing ecosystem — operations managers, technologists, USPS representatives, logistics providers, consultants, software developers, and more.

For attendees, this creates opportunities to:
- Discuss challenges with peers
- Learn how other organizations solve similar problems
- Build relationships that turn into long-term partnerships
- Hear directly from USPS leadership about upcoming changes

These conversations are often as valuable as the formal sessions.

3. Exposure to Innovation Beyond the Mail Center
Some of the most transformative ideas don’t come from within a mail operation — they come from adjacent technologies or solutions designed for entirely different industries.

Automation tools originally built for manufacturing, e-commerce logistics, or warehouse mobility often find new applications in mail facilities.

What Mailers Gain at the National Postal Forum
NPF offers direct access to USPS leadership, high-quality education, and hands-on technology exploration. It is the only event where mailers can speak directly with USPS executives, hear upcoming plans, and gain clarity on operational and regulatory changes. This year, the educational tracks will cover the reimagination of direct mail, empowered leadership, mastering mail operations, and more.

A Real‑World Example: Innovation Found in an Unexpected Place

At NPF 2025, I watched a vendor demonstrate an autonomous Tugbot system — technology typically used in a warehouse environment. At first, it seemed unrelated to mail operations. But as I observed how the robot identified, attached to, and transported materials, I realized it could solve a longstanding challenge in our Linen operations at Mass General. Our department falls under Materials Management, and our Linen team moves and exchanges more than 200 carts of clean and soiled linen every day.

The Tugbot presented a new way to automate this workflow. By attaching QR codes to our linen carts, the robot can locate the correct cart at the loading dock, hook itself up automatically, and deliver it to a designated drop‑off point near the appropriate elevator bank. Employees stationed throughout the hospital then complete the exchange on each floor before the Tugbot returns to the dock to retrieve the next cart.

This automated loop also includes returning empty carts to designated parking areas, allowing the Tugbot to continuously shuttle materials back and forth without requiring staff to push or pull 400–500‑pound carts across long corridors at Mass General. The result is a more efficient, consistent, and safer workflow that reduces injury risk while freeing staff to focus on higher‑value tasks.

We will implement the Tugbot system this summer — not in the mail center, but in our linen operations with potential to expand to our Food & Nutrition and Environmental Services departments, where safe and reliable material transport is critical. This insight, sparked by a demonstration I almost overlooked, is a powerful example of how attending NPF can reveal solutions that transform operations into unexpected areas.

How to Maximize the Value of Attending NPF

Attending NPF is an investment — of time, travel, and budget — so approaching the event with intentionality is the key to unlocking its full strategic value. Whether you’re attending for the first time or returning as a seasoned participant, the following strategies help ensure that every session, conversation, and demo contributes meaningfully to your operational goals.

1. Attend as a Team
While solo attendance can be valuable, there is no substitute for the coverage, diversity of perspectives, and collaboration that come from attending as a team. A multi‑person presence allows you to divide and conquer educational tracks, compare notes, evaluate technology from multiple functional viewpoints, and develop unified takeaways. Teams also generate stronger post‑conference action plans because insights come from multiple stakeholders.

2. Schedule Time With Vendors Before You Arrive
The show floor is large and busy, and vendors book up quickly. Scheduling meetings in advance ensures dedicated time with product specialists, private demonstrations tailored to your workflow, and the ability to compare multiple vendors back‑to‑back. Arriving with a pre‑planned calendar is one of the most effective ways to increase conference ROI.

3. Participate in USPS‑Led Sessions and Panels
NPF is the only event where mailers can hear directly from USPS executives, ask questions, and gain clarity about upcoming initiatives and regulatory changes. These sessions provide early insights into operational updates, USPS strategies and priorities, and guidance on navigating policy changes. The access to postal leadership is unmatched.

4. Keep an Open Mind — Innovation Comes from Unexpected Places
Some of the most transformative takeaways from NPF come from technologies or ideas not originally on your radar. Walking the show floor with curiosity rather than a rigid shopping list can reveal automation tools from adjacent industries, workflow solutions designed for entirely different sectors, or robotics and analytics platforms with unexpected applications.

5. Build Relationships, Not Just Contacts
The relationships formed at NPF often deliver the longest‑lasting impact. Introduce yourself proactively to peers and USPS leaders, ask other organizations how they approach similar challenges, participate in after‑hours events, and follow up with new contacts shortly after the conference. These connections often become trusted partners and ongoing resources.

6. Capture and Consolidate Insights Daily
With dozens of sessions, demos, and conversations happening at once, insights can easily get lost. Hold short team debriefs each evening, document key takeaways from each session, identify emerging themes, and note which vendors require follow‑up. By the time you return home, you’ll have a structured, prioritized summary rather than scattered notes.

7. Build an Actionable Post‑NPF Roadmap
NPF’s value is realized after the event, when insights are translated into operational changes. A strong post‑NPF plan includes high‑impact opportunities, quick‑win vs. long‑term initiatives, technology, or process improvements to explore, vendor follow‑ups, and internal presentations to leadership. Turning your week into a roadmap ensures lasting impact.

8. Revisit Learnings and Track Progress Quarterly
Rather than treating NPF as a once‑a‑year event, revisit your takeaways each quarter to evaluate pilot programs, track benefits of implemented changes, adjust plans based on USPS updates, and keep your team aligned with industry trends. This transforms NPF into a year‑round engine for continuous improvement.

NPF is more than a conference; it's a catalyst. It inspires innovation, sparks new partnerships, and equips organizations with the knowledge needed to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving industry. By approaching the event with purpose and carrying its insights back into daily practice, mail professionals ensure that the impact of NPF continues long after the conference concludes.

Jim Burns is Sr. Operations Manager, Materials & Mail Services, Linen, CS/Equipment, MGH Materials Management.

This article originally appeared in the March/April, 2026 issue.