Some 270 staff and channel partners from across Australia have taken part in the Konica Minolta sales kick-off, which saw the company aiming to build on its ten years of successive growth.
In common with many Japanese-headquartered companies the business year for Konica Minolta runs April to March. The Gold Coast kick-off conference was addressed by Yuji Ichimura, senior executive officer, Konica Minolta from Tokyo. He shared with the audience some of the innovative technologies being developed by Konica Minolta to ensure the company has a diversified sustainable future.
Local execs Dr David Cooke and David Procter shared the results of the past year, with Cooke also asking the team members to challenge themselves. The audience also heard from two keynote speakers: Dylan Alcott, who shared his personal experiences leading him to win three gold medals in the Paralympic Games and become a grand slam tennis champion, and Steven Bock, who shared Lessons from the Death Zone, highlighting the extraordinary challenges involved in an Everest climb and how the intense preparation can be applied to our business and personal lives.
Sue Threlfo, general manager production and industrial print said, “The feedback has been really positive. After a year of hard work, it is great to celebrate the success we have had, and take time to plan the year ahead. The number one value from this conference is having the whole team together to network and share ideas. Also hearing from such a senior member of our company from Japan gave us all great comfort that the future is bright. There were many highlights. We loved hearing the life challenges and successes from Dylan, and of course, the awards night was lots of fun. Now we get to do it all over again in 2019.”
The conference involved an exhibition area where Konica Minolta and its vendor partners were able to showcase new products and services to the sales teams.
Each delegate also built a solar light for a family in the developing world. As is usual with Konica Minolta events, there was a corporate social responsibility (CSR) aspect involved. The company was highlighting the reality that energy poverty deeply impacts the lives of millions of people in underdeveloped countries. Conference attendees worked with SolarBuddy, a registered charity, to build solar lights to send overseas to help families who have no lighting available. Each light was accompanied by a personal note written by the person who built the light.