Chicago, Illinois — Dscoop4, the 2009 Dscoop Annual Conference that ran February 19-21 at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, succeeded by every measure. Despite the bleakest economy in decades, attendance at the event increased eight percent from 2008 with 1,300 attendees, Partners and HP representatives. About 200 attendees came from outside the U.S., including Latin America, Asia-Pacific and European countries. The event’s Solutions Showcase exhibition also set new benchmarks with 69 participating vendors highlighting their products and services.
 
"I’m simply astounded at the number of people and sponsors that are here,” said Chris Petro, Dscoop chairman and President and CEO of Global Soft Digital Solutions. “But the thing that resonates the most is that the entire atmosphere here is positive. There is a true sense of community.”
 
Conference attendees chose from 90 educational sessions and four pre-conference seminars that addressed important business and operational issues that face Indigo owners and their staff teams.  Featured session topics included sales and marketing, sustainable practices, emerging technologies and lean manufacturing. Key sessions were translated into Mandarin Chinese, Korean and Japanese for the international attendees. New networking sessions were added during the lunch breaks, during which attendees discussed best practices for operational efficiencies and managing human resources. The conversations have been transcribed and provided to all attendees as a Dscoop best practices manual.
 
“As a first timer at the annual conference, we were not only thrilled to be there, but thrilled at how great the conference was,” said Donna Kaplan, marketing specialist at Curley Direct. “The speakers were all phenomenal. We have already begun implementing many of the things that we learned and we were happy to be able to share some of our knowledge with others. We're looking forward to next year!”
 
The 2009 Jack Glacken Award for outstanding contributions to the Dscoop community was presented to Alon Bar-Shany, vice president and general manager of HP Indigo Digital Press Business. As a member of the Indigo team since 1998, Bar-Shany has been a key contributor towards the solidification of digital printing being used by the mainstream customer. His vision and continued support of Indigo owners provides a sense of confidence that is paramount to Dscoop and all of the organization’s stakeholders.
 
Keynote speaker Joe Theismann, former championship quarterback of the National Football League, set the tone for the conference by passing an autographed football to Bar-Shany, seated in the audience. Theismann spoke about the importance of adapting to change, which he had to learn when he sustained a life-changing and career-ending leg injury in 1985. He encouraged everyone to make the most of the conference by taking advantage of the collaboration opportunities available at the event and relying on help from others.
 
As has become the norm, HP had a strong presence at the conference, with experts leading the pre-conference seminars and several educational sessions. Top HP executives Vyomesh “VJ” Joshi, executive vice president, HP Imaging and Printing Group; Jan Riecher, vice president and general manager, U.S. Graphics and Solutions Business, HP Imaging and Printing Group; and Bar-Shany spoke during the Saturday morning general session. Joshi spoke about the overall growth of the graphic arts market, where HP is heading and why now is the right time for digital.
 
“Dscoop is experiencing an incredible upward trajectory, and for good reason. Every year, the quality of the education, networking and meaningful business relationships formed at this event seems to improve,” said Francis McMahon, director of marketing, HP U.S. Graphic Arts. “This year’s conference was the best event I have ever attended.”
 
Additional details on Dscoop4 – including media coverage, session presentations and photos – can be found at www.dscoop.org.