Customers get boxing clever at Konica Minolta event

Konica Minolta transformed its North Ryde HQ into an innovations forum, as over 150 printers rub shoulders and pick up the latest industry insights and "Out of the Box" ideas.

A roster of hand picked speakers from nine of Konica Minolta’s partners addressed core issues close to the hearts, and wallets, of the industry crowd. Hot topics like networking and navigating the cloud were given strong emphasis, but guests were treated to talks on everything from financing and reducing stock overheads, to finishing and boosting margins through MIS and workflow management.

Dr David Cooke, managing director, Konica Minolta Australia, opened the seminar and highlighted the event’s central theme of integration – of ideas, technology and relationships – guiding the industry forward.

“Konica Minolta is dedicated to providing holistic, integrated business solutions that are tailored to customers' needs and adding value to its customers. This seminar is our way of delivering that commitment, which we hope encourages our clients to think outside the box to ensure their ongoing business success,” said Dr Cooke.

The event was the brainchild of Sean Crichton-Browne, account manager, production printing group, who brought everything together with the support of his dedicated team.

“Really, it’s about giving back to the customers. It’s about being willing to educate and to help our customers see the future, outside what you do today. Out of the box is not just outside the printer, it’s helping businesses grow and in order to grow you’ve got to think,” said Crichton-Browne.

Tom Skotidas, renowned B2B social media lead generation expert, stepped even further out of the box to deliver a lively, open-air keynote on the value of personalisation when building online connections.

Representatives from Kodak, Anitech, Morgana, BJ Ball, EFI, Adobe, Objectif Lune, Symantec and Investec spoke for over seven hours all up, and seemed to enjoy the event as much as the guests.

Anthony Parnemann, EFI’s SE Asia manager, was on hand to shine a light on the benefits of web to print, and its potential impact on a business; while Rob Brussolo, digital media division manager for BJ Ball, presented Australasia’s first vendor managed inventory system.

Renee Lance, Adobe solutions consultant, debunked a few myths around the launch of the Creative Cloud; and Symantec’s Owen Clark, presented a frank discussion of cloud pros and cons vital for a modern business.

Anthony Harvey, director of strategic account management for Kodak, broke down the costs and efficiencies of MIS and workflow, as Henryk Kraszewski, business development manager at Objectif Lune, highlighted the growing value of variable data.

Rayne Simpson represented Morgana, reminding guests that not all finishers are created equal, while Peter MacMillan of Investec outlined the financial challenges in a post GFC world, and Paul Stubley, national business development manager at Anitech, talked over the benefits of toner over inkjet in wide-format printers.

The event was the first “Out of the Box” seminar hosted by Konica Minolta, and according to Sean Crichton-Browne the response so far has been overwhelming.