DALIM SOFTWARE (www.dalim.com), makers of highly efficient, scalable software solutions for the creation, production and management of cross-media content, concluded another successful US DUO Conference, held April 13-15 at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel in New Orleans. The group also announced its new officers for the upcoming year (pictured). Steve Daniel, Senior Manager Graphic Services at Valassis becomes President, while Rick Darnell, VP, Dalim Network Administrator at Cramer-Krasselt Advertising, is Vice President. Chad Gray, Senior Developer and Workflow Specialist at Carey Color Inc., was recognized for a productive year as outgoing President.
US DUO is the premier event for DALIM SOFTWARE users, industry influencers, and pioneers alike to learn about new technologies as they are being applied in a global context, and to understand how emerging work practices impact media and communication businesses. In addition, US DUO gives attendees the opportunity to learn about industry trends, the company’s most recent developments, and business opportunities. The successful conference attracted graphic arts professionals, brands, retailers, institutions, and their respective marketing and communications supply chains from throughout the U.S.
“I was very pleased with the attendance this year at US DUO. There were a number of new faces, which is not surprising given that DALIM ES is making its way into new markets beyond print, where DALIM SOFTWARE started. It’s nice to see ad and design agencies and brand owners participating. They provide a fresh perspective in which to view DALIM ES,” says Daniel. “I think DALIM ES users have a lot to offer and I’d like everyone to take advantage of this knowledge and experience throughout the year; not just during our user group meeting. I would like to get people to refer more often to the user forum. Beyond sharing knowledge, it would help to get input and construct an agenda for next year’s meeting that offers what they are looking for.”
As always, the meeting kicked off with a 2016 executive outlook by DALIM SOFTWARE CEO, Carol Werlé, offering facts and trends about the use of DALIM SOFTWARE solutions around the world and the direction of the industry as a whole. The company also offered an overview of DALIM SOFTWARE’s participation at drupa, and a preview of the new features and products that will be launched in Dusseldorf at the end of May.
Customers always take an active role in US DUO sessions. Peter Gunther, Splashlight Senior Director of Strategic Technology, explained the feature set of its integrated platform, SPL2, utilizing DALIM ES. SPL2 provides clients with efficient workflows and crystal clear visibility into the production process. Rick Darnell explained how DALIM ES is used to collaborate with clients at Cramer-Krasselt Advertising, showing them virtual proofs for reviews, approvals, and color correction. Users were also involved in a couple panels: one discussing strategic sourcing and determining when insourcing or outsourcing makes the most sense, and the other discussing project challenges—including cultural, organizational, and technical issues.
DALIM SOFTWARE partners, sponsors at this year’s US DUO, offered presentations and insights into market trends. They included Marc Batschkus, responsible for Strategic Alliances and Business Development at Archiware, who explained how the company’s archival software can be integrated with DALIM ES. Max Dunn, President of Silicon Publishing, talked about the plans his company has to make it easier for DALIM SOFTWARE users to access DALIM ES assets from Adobe Creative Suite applications. Metin Ergener-Jahia, Senior Director of Jahia Solutions Group, explained how their Enterprise Content Management software helps brands to create, manage, and contextualize what employees and customers actually see at all enterprise digital touch points.
“While all of the presentations are helpful and insightful, I guess the session I liked the best was ‘Tips and Tricks.’ Tips & Tricks was great because I can use all of those ideas right now. Not only can I use them in production, but it was a learning experience about how to approach each step. It was also very helpful that they put the entire presentation on video to review back in the office. It’s very difficult to get that kind of training anywhere else. It’s the kind of thing that I look forward to the most at US DUO meetings,” explains Rick Darnell. “From the emails I have received after the meeting, there is also a push to get members more involved in the users forum and to look for ways to get more people to attend US DUO. I think many people really miss the value of sessions like these, where they truly learn from experts and have the opportunity to share thoughts with their peers.”
“This was a very rewarding US DUO meeting. We were able to meet customers from a wide range of organizations, from commercial print and packaging, to advertising and design firms, marketing service agencies, and brand owners. While they all share the same product, it is refreshing for everyone to get a perspective of how DALIM ES is used throughout the content supply chain,” comments Carol Werlé, DALIM SOFTWARE CEO. “We also were happy to provide customers who might not be attending drupa the opportunity to preview our new product releases. Our customers are important to us, and US DUO always offers terrific feedback for future product development.”
