As all my colleagues in the Marketing Communications group of EAMER, I gave a hand for the preparation and organization of the truck tour. I was thus very happy to have the opportunity to see it "life" in Ratingen where the truck made its first stop in Germany at a customer site, DocuPoint Rhein-Ruhr GmbH.

The day started with some generic presentations of the products and solutions offered by Kodak. These served as an introduction for the afternoon sessions, visit of the printer facilities and unforgettable tour in the truck.



All visitors could spend some time at the Kodak NexPress 2100 Plus Digital Color Production Press. They could see it running and get a flavour of its capabilities. Although I've seen it already several times in action, I still take any chance to see the sheets going in and around when the press is opened.

In the truck, many stopped at the digital print bar where they could "feel the difference" with the Kodak NexPress Dimensional printing samples. It clearly showed their interest in this new application that can give finished printed jobs a unique appearance.




Customers and prospects could get the latest information in whatever technology was of interest for them, be it the latest APEX system, the Magnus 4up, the Workflows or Kodak NexPress M700. The Kodak staff was there to help and make sure a personalized attention was given to each of them.

Still many destinations to go in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France, so still plenty of opportunities for you to go and visit it. I can tell you, it's worth the trip.
Tschüss!

We got away from designing for data and data management over the last few posts to bring the news from the TransPromo Summit in Boston and Print09. It's time to get back to the mission! What perfect timing!

Print 09 is now behind us, and outside of the trade show floor, there was an amazing amount of education taking place in seminars. A theme that emerged from the catalogue of options was the need to get refocused on the customer and how we communicate with them. It doesn't matter if you are a traditional litho printer, a printer who has both traditional and digital kit, a pure digital printer, or a multi-channel Marketing Services Provider - it seems everyone is coming to the conclusion that a well educated market provides the best opportunities.

One way to refocus is to look at what programs you have in place to ensure that everyone in your organization is up-to-date on their skills. Are you using all of the tools you have as efficiently as possible? Are your team members well versed in all of the features of the composition, color management, asset management, and other tools in your shop?

Then look outward. How educated are your customers? Do they know what you have to offer, or are you just fulfilling the same orders? Do they understand everything you can do for them? Do they know the power of variable data? Have you discussed data driven programs to enhance response rates?

Another common conversation at Print 09 and other venues this year has been right-sizing. It might include some reduction in print, but well-designed programs look at using a number of customer communication channels and making them work together. Often, for a well-outfitted provider, that might mean selling less print but more services. It you can sell your print for more money because it is smarter and drives a higher response rate, that's a win-win for all in the supply chain!

And, finally, reaching out! When was the last time you went to visit a customer? When was the last time you had a customer event in your facility? When was the last time you participated in a local user association event or a national event? Reaching out into the community raises your profile and establishes you as a thought leader with your customers. It is a sure-fire way to grow your business!

Have you walked this path? Have a story to share? Drop me a note: twitter.com/PatMcgrew - we'd love to share your success story!

Yes, the rumor is true. By now you know that Kodak has gone where no print solution provider has gone before. We came to the largest print show in North America this year with our smartest people and great concepts, plus a bit of technical wizardry. We did not, however, bring the big iron that normally accompanies a show. No Magnus. No Generation News. No Versamark or PROSPER S10. No NexPress SE3600 and no Digimaster EX130. We brought lights, cameras, and lots of action.

The action was not just in the form of the Pipeline of Innovation... the amazing attention-getter that formed the center of our stand, but in the form of sales and marketing team members having real conversations, solving problems, and brainstorming. Major mailers, commercial printers, publishers and packaging producers each found Kodak subject matter experts in the booth to answer questions and find new ways to grow their business. One competitor came over as we were winding down on Wednesday as said, "Tell me, honestly. Did this work?" The answer is, yes it did.

Over the course of these six days people who came to our booth were drawn into a conversation. Instead of seeking out their regular sales team member (or their surrogate), opening the hood on one of the devices, poking around inside and asking about new features, shaking hands and heading to the next vendor, this booth laid the groundwork for problem-solving and thinking outside of the existing relationship. It meant that sales team members had to proactively address the needs of their current customers, and seek out the challenges of prospects who came to see the booth. And, they did!

In addition to the Pipeline of Innovation and the segment pods where we positioned solution conversations, we had Microsoft Surfaces where we could show ideas for solutions. And then there was the KZONE. Have you been out there? www.kodak.com/go/print09 is the home on the web of the hours of video that was the series of live talk shows hosted in the booth. We had industry luminaries and Kodak subject matter experts all engaging in conversations that now form an amazing basis for on-going education.   Frank Romano, and Rynn Johnson, Rance Craine and our own Antonio Perez all came to talk. Jeff Hayzlett featured prominently in many of the shows, as did many Kodak executives. Curious about what TransPromo is? My three KZONE segments explore all of the facets for transaction printers, and also talk through the analogous Direct Mail concept, Smart Data Driven Mail. Interested in packaging? Emma Schlotthauer explained it all. Undecided about digital print? Spend a half hour with Len Christopher and he can set you straight!

The cool thing? The KZONE theatre was standing room only! To get a good sense of all that went on, go out to the Kodak channel on You Tube to see the great video that Jonathan Ghent and the KBTV team put together. And then spend some time in the KZONE. You'll come to understand why the Kodak stand was the place to be, no matter what part of the industry you participate in!