PRINTITRESELLER.UK 37 CONFERENCE more about the new Canon imageFORCE, which looks set to be a real game changer in the market. Exploring how we can bring this to market and leverage it for future growth was a key highlight. It was also fantastic to celebrate Canon’s continued success and being number one in terms of market share. Their ongoing investment in R&D to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry is really important as we embrace future change. Always a pleasure to reconnect with familiar faces and make new connections. Overall, a very rewarding and enjoyable day.” Warren Colby, Managing Director, Agilico Print concurs: “Canon held an engaging conference at such a great venue, where all things security and AI were the main discussion points. It was great to meet up with some old contacts, and to meet some new ones too. The print fraternity is definitely alive and kicking and looking to reinvent themselves as the security experts.” www.canon.co.uk Partners also attended three rotation breakout sessions giving them the opportunity to dig deeper into topics including unlocking business security opportunities, serviceability benefits with Canon, as well as speak to Canon subject matter experts on security, sustainability and digital transformation. The event closed with a Q&A panel session, moderated by Miller and featuring Falzarono, Taylor and Wilks, who were joined by Canon’s digital transformation specialist Stephen Hastings and field service specialist Lee Maylin. Partner awards In the evening, guests enjoyed an audience with footballing legends Ray Parlour and Paul Merson and a celebratory awards dinner, during which Canon recognised a number of long standing partnerships amongst its partner base. These included: PBS – 50 years Vision – 40 years SOS Group – 35 years Alternative Business Machines – 35 years First Class Business Solutions – 15 years Bechtle – 5 years AI and cyber security take centre stage Commenting on the event, Chris Pollard, Director at Dupliq said: “Canon’s annual conference was a real thought provoker, with generative AI and cyber security taking centre stage. While there’s still a lot of uncertainty across many industries as we adapt to the evolving role of AI, it’s clear that embracing it is essential. The focus now is on how AI can enhance efficiency and support business growth, without losing the human touch that remains so important. “We were particularly excited to learn machine learning algorithms to optimise performance, enabling predictive maintenance and reducing downtime. Additionally, AI helps set up security settings. This says Falzarano, provides an opportunity for partners to position themselves as trusted security consultants and build a new service to help customers address vulnerabilities in the print infrastructure and combat the continued threat of cyber-attack. Unlock new opportunities The shift in procurement practices and how more organisations are choosing to purchase online, was another topic Falzarano explored. He urged partners to look at new sales channels such as marketplaces which offer a wider reach and lower cost to serve, as an additional route to unlock new opportunities. In closing, Falzarano cited four reasons to partner with Canon – its comprehensive portfolio, business consultancy and value-added services, cloud-based technology, and infrastructure and customer support services allowing 24/7 business continuity. The day continued with a keynote from Tom Wilks, Technical Director at Unlimited Group who explored the role of AI and its implications for our industry. Quentyn Taylor, Director of Information Security, Canon Europe provided an insightful overview of the security landscape, pointing out that cybercrime today targets everyone and that vulnerabilities are multiplying, making it ever more important to ensure partners’ and their customers’ businesses are more resilient than ever before.
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