Nearly 500 Canon Solutions America production inkjet customers, partners, and print industry experts came together for thINK Ahead 2024 in Boca Raton, Florida, from July 15-17
2024年8月1日 - 10:52PM
thINK, an independent community of Canon Solutions America
production inkjet customers, announced that nearly 500 Canon inkjet
customers, partners and print industry experts came together for
the 10th anniversary of the annual inkjet conference, thINK Ahead,
to reconnect, share best practices, and enhance their inkjet
expertise. thINK Ahead 2024, held July 15-17, 2024, at The Boca
Raton in Boca Raton, Florida, is known as a premier event where
Canon Solutions America production inkjet customers come together
for three days of inspiration, education, and networking.
Lori Messina, thINK Board President and
President of Access Direct commented, “I didn’t have to read the
surveys to know how thINK Ahead 2024 was received—being there in
person and seeing the community at work, the natural networking and
conversations, the delight when new attendees realize this isn’t a
conference like any other they’ve ever known—that is the greatest
reward.”
The 10th annual thINK Ahead conference featured
inspiring keynotes, in-depth educational sessions, networking
opportunities, best practice sharing, partner pavilion sessions,
Canon Americas Customer Innovation Center tours and demos, health
and wellness activities, entertaining evening events, and special
10th-anniversary celebrations. In addition, Canon Solutions America
hosted and mentored University Inkjet Program students and
Print[ED] high school program representatives, and over $10,000 was
raised for the Graphic Communications Scholarship Foundation (GCSF)
to support future generations of print.
thINK Ahead photos and educational sessions can now be accessed
by all Canon Solutions America production inkjet customers on the
thINK member website.
Whether it was their first year or tenth, or somewhere in
between, thINK Ahead attendees reported thINK Ahead 2024 exceeded
their expectations.
Hear what attendees think of thINK Ahead
2024:
- “thINK has exceeded
expectations once again. The content, partners, venue and
people were all spectacular. I forged some new relationships,
picked up a number of new ideas and thoughts for many parts of the
business, and was delighted to see how open the thINK community is
to share and openly discuss the most relevant and current
topics. First class all the way.” Chris Dubach |
Executive Vice President of Sales & Business Development |
Phoenix Innovate
- “There is a definite
advantage to being a Canon Solutions America production inkjet
customer—from the industry-leading inkjet technology to start with,
to the annual thINK Ahead event, to all of the tools, training and
resources available on the community website, thINKForum. We
appreciate that after we invested in Canon, they in turn invest
back in us to help HF Group be successful with inkjet.” Tim Malott
| Business Development Manager | HF Group
- “It was an exciting
event that offered insightful information into where Canon is
today, the capabilities of the presses, and what is coming down the
pipeline. That partnered with the partners, and the content shared
by the speakers during the breakout sessions, made it a very
productive experience.” Sam Sewell | Senior Account Executive
| NextPage
- “It was such a nice
event all the way around. It reinforces our decision to buy
the Canon varioPRINT iX.” Gina M. Danner | CEO | NextPage
- “The networking
opportunities at thINK Ahead are just fantastic. It is good to
catch up with old friends and make some new ones. Hands down my
favorite part was cabana nights—the social engagement and learning
in such a fun way is great. The educational sessions are also a
highlight, with content that is pertinent to my business.” Joshua
Hirschorn | VP of Finance & Administration | More
Vang
- “I’ve been in the
print industry for only 10 months; as a first-time attendee, I was
pleased to find everyone so kind and welcoming and thINK Ahead as a
whole very interactive and engaging.” Peter Henderson | Interim
Production Services/Digital Print Manager Printing & Imaging |
Department of Enterprise Services, State of Washington
- “I gained valuable
insights from the sessions that will significantly benefit our
business as we implement them. Engaging with new partners and
learning from conversations with peers provided additional
perspective on the challenges and opportunities in the industry.
I’ll definitely be back next year for thINK Ahead 2024!” Trevor
Hansen | Chief Revenue Officer | Thomas Printworks
- “VITS proudly
attended thINK 2024 as a Platinum Partner to celebrate their
10th year. It was such a fantastic event and opportunity
to develop relationships with the Canon and thINK teams and, of
course, the Canon customers and prospects. We only wish that we had
participated 10 years sooner … and are excited to announce that we
have signed up for thINK 2025!!!” Deirdre Ryder | President
& CEO | VITS International
- “thINK Ahead always
brings high energy and passion that is rarely surpassed. The
intentional innovative strategies are clearly a priority for Canon
and the thINK team. The knowledge bank present there and the robust
solutions available truly offers any organization the insights
to grow competitive advantages within their organization. I
walk away with greater curiosities for ways to integrate as much as
I can within our own organization, and with so many new connections
as resources, it’s nice to know that I am not in this alone.” Jay
Kahn | Vice President of Operations | Rex 3 Printing
- “thINK Ahead 2024
has been incredible. It is always a success when you have
learned something to improve your organization, and the networking
opportunities were vast. Thanks for everything and I am
looking forward to 2025!” Kandi O’Connor | Chief Operating Officer
| Vya Systems
- “The first-hand look
at the Canon Americas Customer Innovation Center and hearing from
those who know the solutions best was a great kick-off. It was
the building blocks for the partner pavilion meetings and
educational sessions. The community was welcoming—I found that when
I arrived, I knew no one. However, I quickly networked with other
prospects and current users and the knowledge sharing was
easy. I appreciate the additional resources provided on the
thINKForum website and I look forward to diving deeper in the
coming days to help support my research into how inkjet is a
natural progression for my parent organization.” Del Shankle |
Director of Operations | CHRISTUS Print Services
- “It was another
great event this year, with interesting panel discussions and
excellent networking.” Eric Kahn | Graphic Village | Executive
Chairman
- “thINK Ahead is a fantastic way for people to come together to
collaborate and build the future of the industry. We can’t be
successful without each other; our combined efforts enable us
to reach goals that would be unattainable alone.” Mike Herold |
Executive Vice President Marketing & Sales | EMT
thINK Ahead Post-Event Survey Responses:
- “This was my first
thINK conference. I thought it was fantastic!”
- “A wonderful sense
of community and camaraderie between all attendees.”
- “It was outstanding.
The ability to see the press in action, ask pertinent questions and
follow up. The networking and partner pavilion were highlights for
me. The sessions were a bonus.”
- “Meaningful.
Energizing.”
- “thINK is always
such a refreshing experience. I learn so much, network with great
people, and enjoy the content shared.”
- “Great experience
overall. The breakout sessions were very interesting. The overall
conference was more informative and enjoyable than I anticipated.
Great job to the entire team.”
- “It was positive for
networking and the CIC (Customer Innovation Center) was amazing to
see.”
- “We loved it. The
Boca Raton was beautiful. The General Sessions were
outstanding.”
- “Excellent
organization, fantastic location and keynotes, great breakout
sessions….”
- “This was our first
year at thINK Ahead and we were very impressed with the conference.
It was one of the best conferences I have been to.”
- “Great experience
overall. From the venue, the Canon team, demos, the sessions, food
etc. All was wonderful.”
- “My experience
overall was great from the registration to the content to the
activities.”
- “Always great.”
- “Interesting.
Energetic.”
- “Wonderful, look
forward to next year!”
- “This is my favorite
industry event because of the high level of content, the venue, and
the really positive vibe from the thINK Board, the Canon people,
and the attendees. It really exceeds my (very high) expectations
every year. A truly outstanding event.”
- “Great venue, great
program, great people.”
- “Well thought-out
and engaging.”
- “Fabulous as
ever!”
- “It has been a truly
memorable and valuable experience. As a first-year attendee, to see
the community behind inkjet was inspiring. Thank you.”
- “As a first-time
attendee, I found it informative and enlightening because of the
connections I made with peers and partners, as well as the
seminars.”
- “Excellent! Great
networking!”
- “Overall, worthwhile
conference to attend and great community. Kudos to board members
who volunteer.”
- “Encouraging. The
ability to network through a conference setting with similar
businesses has been missing from our organization processes.”
- “Eventful, new,
inspiring, and enriching.”
- “Excellent
organization, fantastic location and keynotes, great breakout
sessions.”
- “Outstanding.
Without any hesitation, THE best user group out there in the print
community. Kudos to the teams that pulled this together. From
education to networking to motivation, OUTSTANDING!”
“On behalf of the thINK board, we want to thank each and every
one of our partners for their support of this amazing community.
The feedback we have received from thINK Ahead attendees is that
there is tremendous value in bringing solution partners together in
one place for informative conversations and learning,” Lori Messina
said. “Also, a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to our Executive Sponsor,
Canon Solutions America, for their continued support.”
Tonya Powers, Canon Solutions America Sr. Marketing Director
added, “Canon Solutions America has been the Executive Sponsor of
thINK since it formed almost a decade ago, and we are pleased to
support the thINK Board in their endeavor to bring Canon Solutions
America production inkjet customers together to accelerate inkjet
success.”
Mark your calendars! thINK Ahead 2025 will take place
July 14-16, 2025, in Boca Raton, Florida at The Boca Raton.
About thINK thINK is an independent community of Canon
Solutions America inkjet customers, solution partners, and print
industry experts, and Canon Solutions America is a proud executive
sponsor. Led by some of the most successful inkjet service
providers in the country, it provides a forum for members to
network, gain knowledge, discuss common challenges, and share best
practices. For more information, visit thinkforum.com.
###Canon is a registered trademark of Canon Inc.
in the United States and elsewhere. All other referenced product
names and marks are trademarks of their respective owners and are
hereby acknowledged.
Brian Bohl
thINK
5164088214
bbohl@cusa.canon.com