The Esko User Group International (EUGI) Board of Directors and Esko (www.esko.com/eskoworld) are pleased to announce that this year’s EskoWorld 2012 for Esko customers in the Americas will be held in the historic and exciting New Orleans, June 17-20, 2012, at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside (http://www.neworleansriversidehotel.com/), conveniently located in the heart of New Orleans on the banks of the Mississippi River and right next to the Riverwalk Marketplace.

No Limits
EskoWorld will offer a total print experience: Packaging, labeling, commercial print, digital finishing, digital flexo, ArtiosCAD and color –something for everyone. There is no limit where the EskoWorld User Conference can take a customer – which is why Esko is adopting “No Limits” as its event slogan for 2012.
Last year’s EskoWorld event drew a record 350 attendees, and Esko expects even more visitors this year. “We know that it is getting harder to travel to Düsseldorf for drupa, so Esko is bringing May’s drupa to EskoWorld in June — all of Esko’s new products, all the most recent and greatest enhancements to existing products, and reports of all the latest printing trends,” remarks Mark Quinlan, Esko Americas President. “As always, the user conference will provide invaluable information about Esko solutions to help print providers squeeze productivity from their print operations and explore new revenue-building opportunities. We particularly look forward to hosting a number of guests from Latin America. A special feature this year is that more than 20 sessions will be presented in Spanish.”

EskoWorld mission: Share ideas and knowledge
EskoWorld brings together customers, industry partners, product specialists and support staff, encouraging the exchange of ideas and product and application knowledge. A large number of Esko support staff is on-hand for conference program presentations and demonstrations, as well as to listen to customer input and to provide feedback.

“EskoWorld is one of the most important events on our calendar, and the organization of EskoWorld and preparation of relevant content is always a collaborative process between Esko and the EUGI leadership. This year is particularly special, because EskoWorld falls right after our presence at drupa. It will offer a unique view into industry outlooks, new product presentations and roadmaps, and workshops for anyone with an interest in packaging, displays, and printing. Users participate in training sessions, roundtable discussions, seminars and hands-on labs, designed for novice, and journeyman, as well as advanced users — providing them with information to add even more value to their Esko solutions,” explains Simon James, Esko Vice President Marketing. “Esko also receives a wonderful opportunity to learn more about our customers’ evolving needs while, concurrently, getting feedback from them on our development plans. Their views about our technology, service and support provide critical input for future product and business planning.”

Exceptional networking event with Esko industry partners
As in past years, Esko plans to have a variety of supply chain partners participating in the centrally located Partner Pavilion. Last year sixteen companies offered assistance in various areas of print technology. EskoWorld attendees make it a point to visit the Pavilion and view solutions from a wide range of vendors. The dedicated exhibition allows attendees to get easy access to demos and helpful information.

A little bit of team building and fun
An event in New Orleans would not be complete without some downtime. As one of the evening events, Esko has rented the House of Blues, which will be filled with the sound of authentic Dixieland jazz for the night.

“Many people told us that EskoWorld 2011 was the best they ever attended,” adds Quinlan. “The program offered them both hands-on sessions and presentations to help them make the most of their Esko products — and understand where Esko will take them in the future. We are confident that anyone who attended EskoWorld returned with a list of productive, actionable ideas - but just ask them.”  

“Our company has had a long-standing relationship with Esko since 1998, when we decided to buy our CDI with all of the supporting workflow tools. Since then, our entire prepress workflow system has been built with Esko products,” recalls Sebastian Longo, President, Fotograbados Longo S.A. in Avellaneda, a Buenos Aires suburb in Argentina. Because of this long-term relationship, we decided to visit EskoWorld to see what is coming but, more important, how to make our current tools even more productive. The hands-on sessions, product roadmaps, and Open Labs were the keys the program. It was very important for us to have conversations with all of Esko’s staff, but the most amazing thing is what all of them asked me, from software to hardware: ‘What do you need? How can we help you?’ We were happy to be there.”

“This was my first EskoWorld conference, and I was pleased with the experience,” comments Joseph Maurer, Prepress manager, Collotype Labels in Napa, California. “I appreciated the interaction with Esko management, as well as product developers. The sessions I attended included presentations that showed future product roadmaps, in-depth technique seminars as well as open labs with production technicians available for help. I especially appreciated the ability to offer input to guide product development. I also spent some time in the Partner Pavilion and made valuable connections with other key individuals in the industry. This all holds a lot of value to us.”

Information and registration
This year, EskoWorld is holding the line on price increases and is encouraging companies to send more employees to the event. Until April 30, a single registration is only $495. For every four registrations paid in full a fifth is free. Esko users can register for the conference by visiting www.esko.com/eskoworld. The site also provides frequent, updated news about the event, offering the latest information, agenda details, speaker backgrounds, and more. More information about the venue is available at www.neworleansriversidehotel.com.