The thINK Ahead annual in-person event was held in two waves in 2021: October 11-13 and October 13-15. thINK Ahead offered attendees unique networking and learning opportunities in small groups with deep-dive educational sessions at the Boca Raton Resort Beach Club, as well as a special keynote and product and partner demos live on-site at the Canon Americas Customer Innovation Center. 

BOCA RATON, Fla. – thINK, an independent community of Canon Solutions America production inkjet customers, today celebrated the success of its seventh annual inkjet users conference, which this year was held in two waves: October 11-13 and October 13-15 at the Boca Raton Resort Beach Club. The thINK Board opted for the two-wave approach to keep total number of people gathered together lower, allowing for open air gatherings and ample distancing. thINK Ahead 2021 attendees experienced unique networking and learning opportunities in small groups with deep-dive educational sessions spanning company culture and brand to risk management and mission critical communications, as well as a special keynote and product and partner demos live on-site at the Canon Americas Customer Innovation Center. 

Highlights from thINK Ahead 2021 included: 

• Impactful Sessions:thINK Ahead sessions were designed to be relevant to the issues print industry leaders are facing today and covered topics ranging from company culture and brand to risk management and mission critical communications. 
• Innovative Press Demos:Attendees visited the Canon Americas Customer Innovation Center to take part in press demos and get an in-depth look at the innovations changing the printing industry. 
• Print Innovation Wall Unveiling: thINK Ahead attendees were privy to the unveiling of Canon Americas Customer Innovation Center Print Innovation Wall, a celebration of boundary-pushing print projects from the inkjet community. View the video to see innovative inkjet applications. 
• Partner Pavilion Discussions:Partner support has grown exponentially year over year for the thINK Ahead conference and now it has over 30 sponsors that attend to support Canon Solutions America inkjet customers and the thINK community, enabling valuable 1:1 discussion in the Partner Pavilion. 
• Thought-Provoking Keynote:Economic futurist Andrew Busch took the stage to talk about "Where do we go from here? Moving from Chaos to Confidence" giving attendees an optimistic outlook as they work to prepare their operations for today's economy. 
• Canon Solutions America Support: Francis A. McMahon, Executive Vice President, and Tonya Powers, Director of Marketing, both of Canon Solutions America's Production Print Solutions division, took the stage to share Canon's commitment in supporting their customers and celebrated Canon's continued leadership in total production inkjet market share in the U.S. 
• Lively and Engaging Evening Events:Always an anticipated highlight of the thINK Ahead event, thINK Ahead attendees consider the evening events as one of the most valuable (and fun!) aspects of the conference, enabling them to network and build relationships in a lively, light-hearted atmosphere. 
• thINK Connect mobile app:thINK attendees left the conference with the newly launched thINK Connect app in their pocket, enabling them easy access year-round to connecting with peers, partners and print industry experts, propose topics to the thINK Forum and access all thINK member resources. 
• thINK Ahead Virtual Announcement:The thINK Board announced open registration for the thINK Ahead Virtual Event on November 4, 2021, with numerous sessions designed for all roles and inkjet experience levels. Canon Solutions America inkjet customers can register now.  

thINK Ahead 2021 earned rave reviews from attendees and sponsors alike:

"This has been a fantastic conference, it was my first year coming, and has been everything I heard it was and hoped it would be — print industry executives, competitors, non-competitors, all coming together and talking candidly about the industry, the issues we face today and how they are handling them. It has sparked new ideas and inspiration and I'll head back to the office with fresh perspective and insight that will help us move forward," said Kirby Mathias, Plant Manager, Bookmasters.

"This conference is different, more intimate, than your typical industry conference, with better networking opportunities that enable you to talk to people 1:1 and build genuine, sincere customer relationships on a more personal level. thINK Ahead is definitely different than any conference I've ever been to and the value of being here is clear," said Mauro Valle, Regional Sales Manager & Solutions Manager with Platinum Partner Muller Martini.

"While BCC Software has sponsored thINK Ahead every year, this is my first time to attend, and it has been more than I expected. When you hear 'user conference' you don't think leadership conference, and that is exactly what this is, a conference where industry leaders come together to talk about where we are going and how we can adapt and change to gain momentum. thINK is one of the most important communities for BCC Software and we are happy to be here," said Matthew Lauer, Senior Presales Engineer, with Gold Partner BCC Software.

"I've attended thINK every year, it is an extremely valuable conference for print industry leaders. Sessions are always relevant to what we are currently facing in the industry and attendees are open and honest and willing to share and discuss ideas. thINK Ahead is one event I don't want to miss and I'm so glad that the thINK Board found a way for us to all come back together this year in smaller groups so we can continue these important discussions," said Angela Hipelius, CEO, Liberty Creative Solutions.

About thINK Forum 

thINK is an independent community of Canon Solutions America inkjet customers, solution partners, and print industry experts, and Canon Solutions America is a proud executive sponsor. Led by some of the most successful inkjet service providers in the country, it provides a forum for members to network, gain knowledge, discuss common challenges, and share best practices. For more information, visit thinkforum.com.