thINK Celebrates Successful Production Inkjet User Group Conference

With 625 total registrants, the fourth annual thINK production inkjet user group conference was the largest one yet.

thINK President Bob Radzis (left) discusses highlights of the conference program with Todd Roth, thINK 2018 conference chair.

Victor Bohnert, executive director of thINK, speaks to the large audience at the Boca Raton Resort.

Francis A. McMahon, executive VP, Production Print Solutions, described Canon's Number One market share for inkjet unit placements worldwide for the past seven years.

The thINK board of directors dressed up in various costumes as part of a humorous skit that tied in the evolution of printing developments with different eras in history.

A breakout session on innovations in direct mail was moderated by Denise Gustavson and featured Robert Trimaldi Jr., of Compu-Mail, and Tim Johnson, of Impact.

A panel discussion of commercial printers with Océ VarioPrint i300s included Jennifer Eberle, Highnote; George Lawrence, Lawrenceink; and Matt Novak, BFC. It was moderated by Printing Impressions' Mark Michelson.

thINK, an independent community of Canon Solutions America production print customers, is celebrating the success of its inkjet educational conference, which was held in Boca Raton, Fla., Sept. 5-7 at the Waldorf Astoria Boca Raton Resort & Club.

thINK is currently the largest network of production inkjet users and this year it brought together over 600 inkjet customers, prospective customers, analysts, partners, press, and industry experts to the largest ever annual thINK conference. According to Keypoint Intelligence, as of 2017, inkjet accounts for 58 percent of the world's total print impressions, which reaffirmed the significance of thINK and its impact on the industry.

"Following three tremendously successful events, we knew this year had to be bigger and better to create yet another memorable event for all of our guests - past attendees and newcomers as well," said Victor Bohnert, thINK Executive Director. "It was testing to have to live up to such high expectations, however, thINK 2018 confirmed that we continue to grow and expand as a community of inkjet enthusiasts and are lucky enough to have the support of our valued partners and industry professionals, who are willing to candidly share their unique stories, knowledge and experiences to help grow the world of production inkjet."

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Across the three-day event more than 25 educational sessions were held, catering to all levels of inkjet experience and awareness, along with hands-on workshops, valuable networking opportunities, inspiring keynote speakers and special evening events. Session tracks included Inkjet Innovations, Workflow Innovations, and Innovate for Page & Revenue Growth.

"The thINK 2018 content proved to be as informative and dynamic as previous thINK conferences - if not more," said Bob Radzis, thINK President. "thINK members will have access to this content on thINKforum.com all year round, along with the numerous other resources already available to them there."

Introduced at thINK 2018

As Bob Radzis had projected, thINK 2018 was packed with plenty of unique activities and original takeaways. For the first time, thINK 2018 provided attendees the opportunity to take advantage of hands-on workshops. The five hour-and-a-half workshop groups provided the kind of in-depth and tangible experience needed for inkjet users of all levels. Workshop topics included:

• End-to-End Workflow Solutions
• Media & Inks
• Color Management
• Sales Strategies for Page Growth
• Marketing Your Business Techniques

Additionally, thINK 2018 featured its first-ever Millennial Session, titled Attracting & Maintaining Millennials in the Print Industry. The session was specifically designed to showcase what differentiates millennials from other generations and how they continue to impact major vertical markets today. The engaging How to Sell sessions, which highlighted the key factors impacting the ability to successfully sell inkjet products in the vastly evolving inkjet business landscape, were also a new addition to the conference and captured the attention of this year's audience.

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Last but not least, the recently announced inaugural Inkjet Innovation Awards, which honor unique innovation, forward-thinking strategy, and proven excellence in inkjet printing, made their debut at the thINK 2018 conference. Winners were announced during the conference and honored for pushing the boundaries of inkjet technology. Winners included:

BUSINESS EFFECTIVENESS (tied)
Core Publishing Solutions - Digital Cell Environment for Faster Newsletter Turnarounds
FSSI - Quarterly Performance Reports

INNOVATION
Access Direct - An Innovative Sneaker

DESIGN
Copy General - Design Worthy Table Cards

BEST IN SHOW
LawrenceInk - Q Books

PEOPLE'S CHOICE
Medius Corp. - Journeys of the Heart Book

"If you consider yourself a leader or a true innovator in inkjet, the Inkjet Innovation Awards is a great opportunity to show how you're using this next-generation technology to transform not only your business, but your customers' as well," commented Radzis.

Source: thINK Forum. 

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with In-plant Graphics. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of In-plant Graphics.