Keane’s session, titled ‘The future of print and mass customisation’ will give delegates an inside look at the Cimpress journey so far and his vision for where his company – and the rest of the industry – can go next.
For more than 20 years Keane has been a pioneer of mass customisation and web-to-print. His vision was to empower small businesses to produce customised marketing products in small quantities from their desktop, which led to the 1999 launch of Vistaprint and to one of the greatest corporate growth stories in the history of the printing industry.
Vistaprint parent Cimpress companies now serve tens of millions of customers around the globe via its portfolio of more than 20 brands with annual turnover of $1.8bn (£1.5bn).
“We couldn’t have wished for a better opening speaker for PrintWeekLive! than Robert Keane,” said PrintWeek editor and publisher Darryl Danielli.
“His presentation, like those of all the other fantastic speakers we have lined up, more than meets the ‘inspire, innovate and initiate’ strapline of the event. And when you combine the conference programme with the workshops on the show floor – not to mention the latest kit and applications on the exhibitors' stands – then PrintWeekLive! has to be a ‘must attend’ event.”
Other speakers on the opening morning include BPIF chief executive Charles Jarrold looking at the changing role of print in a multichannel world; Webmart founder and chief executive Simon Blitcliffe discussing ‘blurring the line between digital and print marketing’; and Grant Thornton partner Helen Dale will round off the morning session by discussing proven strategies for avoiding the potential pitfalls of expanding a business to ensure sustainable growth.
Neil Smith, director of print procurement specialist Blue Buffalo, will kick off the afternoon session by sharing valuable insights into how a data-driven approach can reveal print buying patterns that can reduce buyers’ costs and increase printers’ profits.
Linney Group chief executive Miles Linney will then deliver a session on ‘the art of diversification’ sharing the lessons his business, one of the most admired in the UK, has learned from its diversification journey. Toyota Material Handling UK commercial director Tony Wallis will bring day one to a close by giving delegates an insider’s view of manufacturing’s most revered operating system – The Toyota Production System – when he will also highlight the easy-wins applicable to any manufacturing business.
Day two of the conference programme will launch with Jim Lewcock, the founder and chief executive of global media agency The Specialist Works, delivering an inspirational address on print’s place in the marketing mix and how the industry can better engage with marketers and brand owners.
Former AJS Labels managing director Andrew Scrimgeour will then discuss how he turned around the loss-making label business he acquired in under 12 months by adopting a back-to-basics approach that set it on to a path to growth that ended in it being acquired by a global group just six years later.
His session will be followed by experts from Duplo, Heidelberg and Xerox taking part in a panel discussion on the print room of tomorrow.
Wayne Clarke, founding partner of the Global Growth Institute, will wrap up the morning by detailing how print businesses can create a blueprint for growth that better empowers and engages its people and boosts its bottom line.
Three managing directors of award-winning SME print businesses will launch the final afternoon by sharing some of the secrets of their success in a panel discussion on how companies of all sizes can compete with the biggest players in print. The conference will be brought to a close by London Digital Security Centre chief executive John Unsworth who will discuss the simple steps every business should take to protect itself from cyber crime.
PrintWeekLive! takes place on the 8 and 9 March at the Wasps Arena, Coventry.
As well as show floor crammed with the latest tech and applications from companies including Canon, Duplo, Fuji, Heidelberg, IFS, Kodak, Konica Minolta, Riso, Roland DG, Tharstern and Xerox, to name but a few – many of whom will not be appearing at any other UK show – it will feature manufacturer-led workshops and an inspirational conference.
Places at the conference sessions will be strictly limited, the only way to guarantee a place is by registering for the show and reserving a seat at your chosen conference sessions. For more information, visit printweeklive.com.
