Consolidated Graphics held a very successful Emerge conference in mid-April in San Antonio, where 700 of its customers and salespeople gathered to hear industry experts talk about the future of printing and technology. One attendee was so excited she has dedicated two blog entries to the event. Chairman and CEO Joe Davis even went on CGX's YouTUBE channel (yes, they have one!) to talk about the event.
Events like this are a role model for printers of all sizes. While smaller printers would not be able to achieve this scale, they certainly can achieve the concept by organizing educational seminars for their customers and mixing in a bit of fun. Most suppliers to the industry are more than happy to provide expert speakers, so costs can be kept low.
One thing that seems to happen at EMERGE that is extremely important is the two-way conversation that occurs between CGX and its customers, helping CGX better understand where they need to go to keep ahead of customer needs. That is an important learning point ... the customers are there to listen, but so are you, so make it a two-way dialog. In addition, these events, even if they are small, are great networking events for customers who use the same company, sort of like a users' group. Even though they may be in different industries and different functional parts of their organizations, they will learn new and different things about your company from their peers, and that can result in increased business for you.
I am hoping that WhatTheyThink will be invited to cover EMERGE next year so we can experience it in person. Meanwhile, start planning your next customer education event and make them a regular part of your company culture--something your customers will look forward to. There's certainly plenty to talk about in an industry that is undergoing as much change as this one!
Discussion
By anglash on May 04, 2010
My colleague and I were fortunate enough to be invited to emerge and it was excellent — across the board. We hope to be included next year (hint, hint.)
By Sheila Jackson on May 04, 2010
Kudos to Consolidated Graphics for bringing together 700+ attendees from near and far in such style! As a conference attendee I was among the many marveling at the seamless progression of the conference...from the printed personalized invitations, coordination of accommodation/transportation, fabulous food, to the stream of topical breakout sessions and keynote speakers. CGX adorned the entire hotel with branded messaging...every detail was covered. The exposition area highlighted specific CGX specialties and partners. Many of us commented that this was one of the most well organized conferences that we've ever attended. What an honor and pleasure to be part of something so grandly collaborative; And I came home smarter! Wow. Thanks CGX for showin' 'em how its done.
By Michael Josefowicz on May 06, 2010
Since I first invested in CGX it's up 86% as of yesterday. And Monday and Tuesday were bad days.
Your description of the conference is another data point for me that it's a good long term investment.
The remarkable thing about CGX is that each shop maintains their own dna. While the coroporate folks add the view from 30,000 feet and have the space to experiment with new equipment to get it right.
I think I read that at it's a CGX shop that is first in the States with a Kodak Prosper. As far as I know they have the largest fleet of Indigos in the States.
The point is that my view is that the conference is a result of their dna and demonstrated strategy. That makes it hard very hard to replicate.
My sense is that going forward the most vibrant conferences - DSCOOP comes to mind- will be organized around users who are looking at the same problems and have overcome the fear of "sharing secrets with the competition."
Discussion
Join the discussion Sign In or Become a Member, doing so is simple and free