Dscoop, the largest digital printing user group in the graphics industry, today reported that its 11th annual conference, held April 14-16 in San Antonio, Texas, was its largest conference ever, drawing attendees from twice as many companies as its record-breaking conference in 2015 and nearly 400 additional attendees compared to last year.
“Dscoop members should be proud to be American manufacturers when that is almost an oxymoron these days,” said Michael Duggal, CEO of Duggal Visual Solutions and Dscoop conference chair, during his presentation to attendees at the opening session of the conference. He shared that the print industry employs close to 450,000 according to the U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics, ahead of the coal and petroleum industry, beverage and tobacco manufacturing and many others. Duggal’s presentation on how the print industry stacks up against other industries and illustrating the ways Dscoop members take care of each other and give back to the community served as a great way to open the conference and inspire all attendees.
“The positive energy at the Dscoop conference is always palpable,” shared John Rogers, Dscoop global executive director. “It is what makes the organization so unique and so successful. This year was no exception. In fact, we knew we made the right decision with our keynote selections when both Kevin O’Leary and Steve Wozniak received standing ovations before they even spoke. We were also very pleased at the level of participation in our give-back events. Together, we were able to make a difference for many kids in need in the San Antonio community with new bicycles, stuffed backpacks, coloring books and other donations.”
This was the first year that Dscoop was large enough to be held in a convention center, and was one of the very first conferences to be held in the brand new Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. It was a spectacular venue and a perfect fit for Dscoop’s Architects of Tomorrow theme. Conference highlights include:
- Attendees were intrigued by Steve Wozniak; inspired to take advantage of every opportunity to connect with author, TV commentator and master networker Laura Schwartz; learned about entrepreneurial success from Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary and taken to the finish line by ESPN football analyst Herm Edwards.
- Attendees also heard from and participated in sessions by Andrew Davis who shared, “The next evolution of digital is print;” were “edutained” by musician Rich Redmond and challenged by innovation catalyst Toni Newman.
- A flash mob in the atrium surprised and delighted attendees. Dscoop sought the help of local dance students from St. Anthony Catholic School in San Antonio to lead the group and were joined by more than 80 Dscoop members, HP and partners. Dscoop provided a donation to the school as thanks for their participation.
- For the first time, Dscoop used live streaming to help educate those who couldn’t make it to the event with more than 879 participating in this pilot program.
- More than 1,500 attendees used the mobile app to schedule their days, connect with each other and share their status updates.
- The largest ever Solutions Showcase included exhibits by more than 103 Dscoop partners all showing their latest portfolios of products and services.
“Our special thanks to our partners,” Rogers added, “many of whom used the Dscoop platform to launch new products, and all of whom brought valuable ideas and solutions to their exhibits to help our members stay ahead of the pack and find new business ideas and opportunities. And as always, there was plenty of time for education and networking, a key focus providing tremendous value to those who participate in Dscoop events.”
