By Melissa Donovan
Above: Dscoop Edge was held at the end of March at the Gaylord Palms Rasort & Convention Center in Orlando, FL.
A digital print and design community made up of over 8,000 members, Dscoop’s main goal is to help its supporters propel their businesses to greater growth. One of the organization’s three major regional events in 2019 was Dscoop Edge, which was held at the end of March at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, FL. With the theme “Turning Ideas into Reality” the conference was a successful mix of work and play, with workshops, keynotes, educational sessions, receptions, and a Solutions Showcase.
According to Dscoop, 1,700 attendees visited, including over 150 new print service providers (PSPs) attending for the first time. Attendees came from 35 countries and represented more than 650 companies.
Noted speakers ranged from HP Inc.’s own president of the Americas to branding experts and entrepreneurs. Visitors enjoyed keynotes from Chris Barez-Brown, founder, Upping Your Elvis; Kristen Hadeed, founder/CEO, Student Maid; Johnny Cupcakes, highly successful entrepreneur and branding expert; Richard Bailey, president, Americas, HP; and Alon Bar-Shany, GM, HP Indigo.
Educational sessions were broken down into tracks—HP Make it Real Technical Track, Software Sessions, Partner Sessions, Sales & Marketing, Technology & Innovation, Leadership & Strategy, and Operations Management. New this year was the HP Technical Track of over 30 hands-on training workshops.
Attendees enjoyed the Solutions Showcase, which hosted over 75 HP partners. In the HP portion of the showcase were several presses, including the HP Indigo 20000 Digital Press. Equipped with specialty inks such HP Indigo ElectroInk White, Light Cyan, and Light Magenta it increases any print provider’s application range. Print on off-the-shelf paper, from uncoated offset to premium glossy, and use on-press HP Indigo ElectroInk Primer to print on non-certified paper.
Fun was found throughout the four-day event. From live reggae music the first day, to a casino-themed evening and closing night celebrations that included traditional boardwalk games like skee ball and ping pong.
In conjunction with the conference, Dscoop announced its new 24/7 online platform, dscoop.com. The platform offers education videos, webinars, and articles; a showcase of digital print projects; the latest in partner technology, media, and applications; a directory for locating PSPs worldwide; and a collaboration forum.
Next year’s Dscoop Edge takes place March 29 to April 1, 2020 at the Orlando World Center Marriott.
May2019, DPS Magazine
