ISA Sign Expo is the largest collection of professionals in the sign, graphics, print and visual communications industry. ISA Sign Expo is where you want to be and where you'll get the programming and the vendors that offer serious solutions, real results and opportunities for powerful connections.

Join Pat McGrew, Senior Director, Production Software and Services at Keypoint Intelligence - InfoTrends during the following session on Wednesday, April 24th: 

The View from Xplor: The Converging Trends of Two Print User Communities

As much as the printing industries are segmented by technologies and user intent, today’s print shop is likely to be producing documents, commercial assignments, and wide format work under one roof or in partnership with like-minded partners. The convergence in the printing world means that all parties need to learn a bit more about the other areas to expand and partner successfully. In this talk, we will look at where the hot spots are in digital printing, where the crossover opportunities are, and some ideas on how to go after them.

Come hear Randy Dazo, Group Director, speak April 24-25 at the ITEX 2019 show. Sessions Keypoint Intelligence will be participating in include: 

Wednesday, April 24, 2019
9:00am - 10:00am

Alexa, Siri, Hey Google, Cortana - What does the Workplace of the Future Look Like?

The workplace of today and tomorrow is changing from the architecture to the technology that make workers more productive.  This session will discuss those changes and how the new workplace will impact the office environment.

Thursday, April 25, 2019
11:00am - 12:00pm

The Internet of Things - Uncover New Office Technologies

The Smart Workplace is a combination of the Internet of Things and the Smart Home that will bring new automation technologies to the workplace.  This session will uncover new office technologies that dealers should be considering as an extension to their current office infrastructure business.

Join Pat McGrew, Senior Director, Production Software and Services at Keypoint Intelligence—InfoTrends during Xplor19 on the following: 

April 24^th
8:30 am – 9:20 am

General Session Panel: The State of the CCM Industry

This panel will be moderated by industry consultant and Xplor International Association Board of Directors member Joanne Gore. Joanne will share the stage with panelists that include Pat McGrew, Senior Director, Keypoint Intelligence-InfoTrends, Kaspar Roos of Aspire and Gina Ferrara of Madison Advisors. 

The session will provide information and insight needed to better understand the current state and future direction of the CCM industry.

April 25^th
4:30 pm – 5:20 pm

General Session Panel: Industry Trends – A Changing CCM Landscape

Technology is changing the customer communication space. From artificial intelligence, chatbots and communication ecosystems, these technologies are raising the customer experience bar. A unified customer journey plays a role although many companies are still challenged with mapping all of their customer touch points, including transactional documents. This Panel will share their insights into the changing CCM landscape and what is means to your company and what to prepare for in the future. 

Come hear Pat McGrew during a keynote presentation May 1st at the 2019 Solimar User Conference & Customer Advisory Council (CAC) Summit. 

The three-day user conference will provide attendees with opportunities to to learn about the latest trends and technologies, best practices, Solimar’s roadmap and more. Participants can preview new and evolved Chemistry™ products and solutions plus hear about client success stories designed to increase attendees’ product knowledge. In the Technical track, attendees will also have an opportunity to participate in a series of hands-on learning labs and solution training sessions. 

Pat McGrew, Senior Director, Production Workflow Service
Keynote: 5 News Flashes You Can Use from the Automation Trenches

In 2018 we looked at the workflow revolution, concluding that Smart Print Manufacturing is an aspirational path, but still not in everyone’s five-year plan. Automation is assumed for many processes, but there are still many islands linked by automation potholes that need attention. Based on the most recent Keypoint Intelligence research from both the workflow and customer communication services, as well as emerging evidence that platform-based automation is gaining steam, here are the five things you must work on this year to ensure that you are positioned for operational efficiency.

Take Away:

• Evaluating platforms to create more efficiency
• Filling in potholes in superstructure
• Developing the long-term plan as more tools become available

Pat will also host a session in the Executive Track: Customer Advisory Council Panel Discussion

FESPA 2019 is Europe’s largest international wide format professional printing exhibition. Where over 700 exhibitors showcase their latest innovations and product launches in the digital and screen printing sectors for graphics, signage, décor, packaging, industrial and textile applications.

Trends/Forecast Session - Workflow Solutions and Print Automation

Dig Up Euros from Your Workflow

Ryan McAbee, Director, Production Workflow

The sands are shifting as wide format shops seek out new customer opportunities with higher margin opportunities. The focus is typically centered on new applications supported by faster and better print equipment. This session will focus on the often-overlooked trends and opportunities in workflow and software automation.

Come discover the critical workflow challenges, such as job on-boarding, based on lessons learned by InfoTrends as we have walked the workflow walk with printers performing print shop assessments. Learn how to perform your own shop audit to identify cost savings and plot a course for digital transformation.

A workflow assessment discovers and documents the people and technology used during each process from job on-boarding to completion and delivery.

Participants will learn:

• Current software trends specific to the sign and graphics industry
• Uncover the critical workflow challenges and how to fix them
• How to perform your own workflow assessment to uncover your own challenges
• The five stages of digital workflow transformation and why they matter

Join Pat McGrew, Senior Director at Keypoint Intelligence - InfoTrends during the 2019 Graphic Users' Association Conference May 13-16th in New Orleans. 

Pat will be presenting at the following: 

May 14th (Prinergy Gala)

And the Next Big Thing Is.....

Printing is a cycle business. It follows the fortunes of the economies it serves while looking for innovations to keep the printed page, poster, banner or box a relevant piece of communication. Whether your substrate of choice is paper, card stock, corrugated, plastic, or any of the wide array of synthetics, the good news is that there are opportunities for you to expand your business, optimize your workflows, and use automation to reach the operational excellence that leads to attractive margins, value added solutions, and closer relationships with your customers. This session bring data from Keypoint Intelligence - InfoTrends surveys and forecasts, insights from our participation in global trade events, and guidance on the next big thing.

May 16th (Conference Program)

How to Make $1 million with your Workflow

Without workflow, your work will not flow. And if it doesn't flow, it costs time and money, impacting your margin. In this presentation we are looking at how you can assess your workflow to identify gaps and bumps. Using the Keypoint Intelligence - InfoTrends scale of Reactive to Smart, we will walk through what to look for to help you create a workflow that is operationally effective, financial beneficial, and optimized for ongoing automation to drive the best margins. Poor workflow hygiene means your cost of goods sold is too high, so come to this session to become more efficient! 

Join Jamie Bsales, Director, Office Workflow Solutions Analysis, and writer with more than 25 years of experience covering technology products, during an educational session at BTA's Gateway to Success 2019 event.

Printer & MFP Security in the IoT Age

As we move deeper into the era of the internet of things (IoT), security is an top concern. Is that smart speaker recording me? Is that internet camera watching me? But organizations need to be worried about a much more omnipresent Trojan horse in the workplace: their printers and MFPs. These devices traffic in a company's most sensitive information, yet are too often left woefully undersecured, which opens customers up to network breaches, man-in-the-middle attacks, ransomware exploits and more. In this session, Keypoint Intelligence security analyst Bsales will discuss the threats that misconfigured MFPs pose to customers' cybersecurity efforts and the three pillars that underpin a best-practices security posture.