What are your plans for the first week of June?
Mine have me in Budapest, Hungary, to join our global PROKOM community on June 6th and 7th. This second annual PROKOM Conference, hosted by Konica Minolta, will take place on the banks of the Danube River. The PROKOM user community welcomes all global owners and users of Konica Minolta production and industrial print solutions. It is designed specifically to connect like-minded professionals around the world to share new ways to learn about and grow their businesses. The PROKOM Community is free to join as long as you have a Konica Minolta production solution serial number, and it takes about a minute to become a part of the world PROKOM community. As of April 3, PROKOM has launched their cool new website, featuring a much friendlier interface and new capabilities that make it dynamic, far more interactive, and —in a word— fun to be a PROKOM member.
Last year’s conference, in Vienna, was all about print marketing. Attendees raved about the program, specifically asking to make it an annual event that would allow them a regular cadence of meeting, sharing ideas, and doing a little creative thinking about print futures with their colleagues in production print from all over the world. They asked, and PROKOM listened.
This year’s event is all about being Predictably Profitable, a theme well-reflected in the 2018 agenda through four technical and business seminar tracks, expanded attendee opportunities to connect and learn from one another, more sessions addressing industry innovation and trending, a partner zone, a special separate agenda for spouses and significant others, and an awards program for PROKOM members who have done some outstanding work over the past year. PROKOM Conference planners have even beefed up communications opportunities with instant translation into four languages, helping to bring the community closer together, real-time, over the course of the conference.
Guest speakers this year include former HP global head of marketing for graphic solutions Francois Martin and IT Strategies Vice President Marco Boer, both of whom are highly regarded global industry analysts. Keynote speaker Kevin Gaskell has a lengthy track record as a corporate trailblazer for Porsche, BMW and Lamborghini, and appropriately, his presentation will address the path to extraordinary performance. But I’m probably most excited to meet and hear Miles Hilton Barber, whose address is entitled “Don’t let your past determine your future.” Most of us who have ever reflected on our own histories have probably pondered the concept, and if you check out Mr. Barber’s life story, you’ll see why he is exactly the right person to share his thoughts with us on it.
If I’m really lucky, I may try to wander for a day or two on my own, because Budapest in June looks like gorgeous weather and a totally different way to kick off my summer. I’m not a huge beer fan, but I may venture out for a tasting since there seems to be a lot of celebrating the beverage there, and as an avid reader there is a book festival I’d love to explore for a few hours. Or, maybe I’ll combine celebrations and bring a beer and a book to their Bach festival. (Sorry, Wagnerians – your man is celebrated that same week in Budapest too, but I’m a JSB fanatic, personally).
So if you happen to see a tall, blonde, displaced-looking American woman wandering Budapest in June with an untouched beer and a much-handled book, that’s a good thing. It means you made it to the PROKOM Conference too, and I would enjoy meeting you.
DMO
USA
Global
