thINK more than doubled Canon Solutions America inkjet customer attendance from prior year at the thINK Ahead Live Virtual Event that took place September 2, 2020.

Boca Raton, Fla. – thINK, an independent community of Canon Solutions America production inkjet customers, today announced their success in bringing learning and networking to the thINK community via their virtual event platform that reached a record number of attendees across the world at the 6th annual thINK Ahead conference.

“I want to congratulate the thINK Board on creating a one-of-a-kind experience for Canon Solution America inkjet customers and partners. We will all remember today for a variety of reasons but most of all for the reminder that we all need to stay connected,” said Francis A. McMahon, Executive Vice President, Production Print Solutions, Canon Solutions America.

The thINK Virtual event enabled attendees to connect and engage in almost 50 educational breakout sessions and participate in live Q&A, as well as have discussions with partners in the Partner Pavilion and 1:1 discussions with Canon Solutions America Executives, thINK Board members, industry experts and other event attendees using chat and video features. Deep-dive sessions spanned topics from transitioning to inkjet, inkjet applications and print industry learning to best practice COVID-19 business recovery and marketing and selling inkjet.

Francis A. McMahon, Executive Vice President, Production Print Solutions, Canon Solutions America took the virtual stage to provide an Executive Overview from Canon Solutions America, including product announcements and a look ahead to the new world of production inkjet technology. Attendees witnessed the unveiling of the new, best-in-class Canon Solutions America Customer Innovation Center, equipped with advanced inkjet technology and new products from Canon including the varioPRINT-ix 3200 and the Book iX solution. Part of the Book Smart Suite solution set, Book iX is a highly efficient, easy-to-implement, end-to-end solution that takes the guesswork out of the transition to an automated book solution and helps ensure a favorable economy of scale for short-run production.

The event included keynote speaker Alex Honnold, a professional rock climber whose free-solo ascents of America’s biggest cliffs have made him one of the most recognized and followed climbers in the world. His most recent major achievement climbing El Capitan rope-less in just under four hours was captured in the Oscar-winning documentary, “Free Solo,” filmed by Canon Explorer of Light, Jimmy Chin. A gifted but hard-working athlete, Honnold is known for his uncanny ability to control his fear while scaling cliffs of dizzying heights without a rope to protect him if he falls. Honnold shared with thINK attendees how he manages fear as he faces unexpected challenges, as we all have in 2020.

“There is no doubt that the thINK Ahead Live Virtual Event was a complete success. This community rallied in the face of many challenges and devised a unique way to come together for the sixth annual thINK Ahead conference. I think that speaks to the value we all have for the community we built together. Yet we are all acutely aware that, with all of its advantages of being able to reach more attendees across the world, no virtual event will ever take the place of being together in-person. Over the past six years deep friendships have developed, and I believe that is due to physically being together, learning, sharing and growing together. When you do that, you just can’t help but to engage at a deeper level. Nothing can replace that, and we are looking forward to seeing everyone at thINK Ahead in 2021,” said Bob Radzis, thINK President and Chief Customer Officer, SG360°.

“Putting together a virtual event that has the depth and breadth thINK Ahead showcased with a world-renowned keynote, almost 50 deep dive educational sessions, a live tour of the Canon Solutions America Customer Innovation Center, live product demos and interactive chat and video networking features is perhaps even more challenging than an on-site event. I really have to thank our loyal partners who so strongly believe in the thINK community, and what it stands for, that they committed not only with their sponsorship dollars to make it possible but with their hearts, knowing how important learning is to this community, perhaps even more so during this challenging time. A very sincere, heart-felt THANK YOU to all of our thINK Ahead 2020 partners,” Eric Hawkinson, thINK Executive Director concluded.

thINK members will have on-demand access to the recorded thINK Ahead 2020 Live Virtual Event keynotes, demos and sessions through 12/31/2020 on the member website thINKforum.com.