9.11.18
thINK, an independent community of Canon Solutions America production print customers, today celebrated the success of its highly anticipated inkjet educational conference, which was held September 5-7, 2018 in Boca Raton, Florida at the stunning 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.”
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.
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.
