Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in Dscoop9 in Orlando, Florida. I got to see more than 2,000 print professionals and over 100 business partners focus on the conference directive of “breaking the mold.” According to Chris Petro, Dscoop’s Chairman and the President and CEO of GlobalSoft Digital Solutions, attendees visited from 33 countries around the world. In addition, 30% of print service providers were first-time attendees.
Education
Education was a critical area of emphasis at Dscoop9, and the Dscoop University portal was officially unveiled at this year’s event. John Tenwinkel, Director of Dscoop University, states, “Dscoop University is designed to provide industry-leading personalized education to help users enhance their corporate strategies and grow their businesses. This blended learning environment offers 24/7 access to training, on-demand content, live-streaming and downloadable resources, and in-person courses. The content is tailored to various job functions, including business owners, sales and marketing, and operations. Dscoop University is designed to ensure that educational opportunities don’t end with the conference.”
The Dscoop9 Conference program featured more than 100 conference sessions focused on everything from lean manufacturing to emerging technologies to financial metrics for success. Dscoop and HP also jointly delivered a “Tell Your Story Sales Program.” This innovative program leverages sales techniques and tools, over 100 digital assets, as well as videos and PowerPoints. It is designed to help HP Graphic Arts business owners effectively communicate and partner with their customers to achieve mutual success.
Collaboration
Dscoop represents a tremendous opportunity for participants to collaborate with an array of software and equipment partners. Dscoop Global Executive Director Mike Fogarty notes, “Dscoop9 had the largest Solutions Showcase in conference history. It features the latest printing technologies and products from a record 100 partners spread over 36,500 square feet. The benefit for Dscoop partners is that their company gains direct access to HP Graphic Arts customers, who make the final decision to purchase the solutions that make their enterprises more profitable and successful. Dscoop members look to partners as industry experts who play a key role in helping to build their businesses.”
Community
Dscoop represents the ultimate in a business-to-business (B2B) community. According to Chris Petro, “The event brings HP prospects, current customers, industry insiders, and partners together to engage in a dialogue that improves the probability of creating effective solutions to the most pressing business problems. The ultimate objective is to support better business outcomes for our members. We strive to develop new ways to innovate, collaborate, and partner to create more productive business operations. This is why I joined Dscoop in the first place, and it’s also why I continue my active involvement.”
The Bottom Line
I think all of the participants to this year’s event would tell you that the Dscoop Annual Conference is a great way to re-energize your passion for print. It is an educational experience that encourages networking and focuses specifically on the needs and challenges of growing businesses.
Discussion
By Paul Gardner on Mar 21, 2014
This WAS an amazing event - even after having attended most of the previous conferences. The three Hudson Printing colleagues who I traveled with had never attended a Dscoop before. All three were blown away, and all three commented on the upbeat mood, and people's openness and willingness to share.