Showing Up Makes All the Difference

11 Nov Showing Up Makes All the Difference

By Scott Stephens

As we work to recover from the difficulties we all faced over the past three years, including a large time of “keeping the distance” from our colleagues, customers and vendors, the value of networking cannot be understated. Showing up appears to be a priority in 2022.

You would think that in the face of tight budgets due to an uncertain economy that attendance at industry conferences would be down, especially when you factor in the more inexpensive options for connecting we have become used to like Zoom or other virtual meeting platforms. However, I have to tell you, I was pleased to find throughout my recent travels to conferences in our industry that this is just not the case.

My first stop was the Imaging Network Group (INg) conference in Las Vegas in October where attendance was as strong as ever. Numerous CEOs, 42 companies and 19 vendor partners participated in the three-day workshop. The INg event was coupled with PRINTING United, which had not taken place since 2019. There were attendees from 121 countries, a 7% increase from pre-pandemic counts.

Another association I belong to is Xplor International, where an in-person conference and meetings also continued to take place with the understanding that business leaders need to network in person to best work on solutions around current business issues. Skip Henk does a wonderful job of organizing educational sessions that cover a wide variety of topics, including customer communications management, tips on accessibility, AI initiatives, and all things around workflow.

Why is attendance at these meetings and conferences so strong? What I observed, specifically at the INg meeting, is that people are actively seeking fresh ideas that help them keep pace with a changing industry that is experiencing strained labor, shifts in supply chains, and unprecedented price hikes. Whether the topics discussed were new technology, security and compliance, labor and supply issues, or how to move to electronic bill presentment, having the discussions face-to-face and hearing great questions being raised made for a richer learning experience.

These conferences, along with so many others that have resumed, offer an opportunity to learn about new products from vendors, and the chance to get to know and engage with the people who make our industry dynamic. Through my travels, I came away with the understanding that technology still drives our industry and will continue to change with advanced automation to overcome the issues mentioned above that we are experiencing. What I also observed was that the real backbone of our industry is, and always has been, the people in it, who choose to grow and learn to make it better for all involved.

Networking with other CEOs, business leaders, and the new and well-established vendors in our industry helps me take new ideas, solutions, and what is current in technology back to DATAMATX.  My goal is to provide “customer delight” that we execute well, meet SLAs, bring solutions that help reduce costs, and further drive the engagement of those our customers serve. Our mission at DATAMATX is always to work on behalf of our customers to deliver the best product, whether in print and mail or electronic document distribution, so all can grow and succeed for years to come.