Creativity the key at Young Leaders in Print conference

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Thinking differently is the way to success. This was the key message from the Young Leaders in Print Conference which took place in Cambridge UK, last week.

The event, organised by Intergraf and UK member federation, BPIF, brought together the young leaders of the industry to learn, network and discuss the future.

Over two days, 3-4 October, over 80 participants from several different European countries participated in workshops, heard presentations from industry leaders and shared their ideas on what they can do to create and sustain a profitable printing company.

An expert line-up of speakers covered a wide range of topics on the future of print, technology and systems under the heading, The Changing World of Print and Media. Gareth Ward, one the UK’s highest profile print journalists, chaired the meeting.

The conference kicked off in the afternoon on the 3rd October with a presentation by Gary Peeling.  As managing director of Precision Printing — one of the UK’s leading print companies, he has overseen the development of print management systems for customers such as American Express and Sony. Combining photo, self-publishing, digital print, web-to-print and seamless print integration, Peeling was in an excellent position to inform participants on the latest techniques and customer expectations.

His message was simple — anyone can be successful and the techniques needed are not revolutionary. Success relies on the culture in the company and possessing a willingness to try new things. Mark Hinder, from Konica Minolta followed up on this presentation with further examples of workflow automation and innovation.

The session on 4th October was dominated by new ways of thinking. Guy Browning, author, comedian, journalist and business consultant led a workshop on creativity, lateral thinking and approaching problems in a new way. His lighthearted but incisive presentation engaged the audience and provided much food for thought.

In the afternoon there were presentations on targeted marketing as well as the latest developments in ink, paper and printed electronics.