PrintIT Reseller - issue 67

01732 759725 EVENTS 22 Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe hosted more than 1,200 partners from more than 50 countries at its European Leadership Campus (ELC) 2019 Rethinking the scope of business Solutions Europe urged partners to dig deeper into the challenges of digital transformation. He outlined Konica Minolta’s focus on transforming from a traditional to a value-add business and channel strategy for the region. “Rethink your Scope is an invitation and a challenge to Konica Minolta and its partners alike. Together, we can question the status quo and realise exciting new opportunities,” he said. Okamoto said that Konica Minolta is well positioned to guide in the new era of the connected workplace. “By rethinking the nature of work, we are providing solutions such as Workplace Hub that epitomise our vision to bring together people, spaces and devices.” Practical business seminars Practical business seminars included presentations on themes such as the evolution of the connected workplace. Hosted by Milan Lakhani of the BIC, this session explored the connection between people, spaces and the devices they use at work, providing insight into how Konica Minolta is thinking about the future which is here and now. Philipp Schroder, Manager Business Development Europe, hosted a session on creating an as-a-service business. With subscription-based billing becoming more commonplace, Schroder explored what it brings to the MFP business and its transformation. Another session explained how AIRe Lens smart glasses can reduce the time and cost associated with service. Production printing was also high on the agenda, with seminars looking at opportunities within the wide format, augmented reality and labelling sectors on the agenda for partners. Exhibition The venue, an old locomotive workshop with large floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights provided an impressive setting for the campus-style exhibition which showcased the company’s wide range of products, solutions and services. Workplace Hub took centre stage, alongside office and production print products, IT services, virtual reality and augmented reality solutions, as well as solutions designed to support more sustainable business processes. The exhibition area comprised a number of different workstations showcasing a range of connected products and services. One great example was the demonstration of its AIRe Lens smart glasses device. Attendees were invited The 2019 ELC which was held at the Lokomotivværkstedet in Copenhagen, Denmark on October 18, was themed ‘Rethink Your Scope’ – an invitation to partners to grasp the challenges and opportunities that digital transformation offers. Through a series of keynote addresses and business seminars, Konica Minolta encouraged partners to rethink the status quo to create new business opportunities in the DX economy, by enabling customers to seamlessly convert data into actionable business information. The first keynote address was given by Shoei Yamana, President and CEO of Konica Minolta, Inc. He provided a global perspective on the company which has a 140-year heritage; its commitment to be a digital company, contributing to a sustainable society; to create new opportunities and deliver on its vision of the connected workplace. “We have a plan to be a digital company that knows how to tackle problems and solve them in an unconventional way,” he said. Yamana spoke about Konica Minolta’s evolution to an organisation that provides solutions that can help shape workplaces today and in the future, one which adds value to customers’ businesses in a digital world. Connected workplace “We aim to become a leader in the connected workplace arena,” he said, adding that Workplace Hub, the intelligent all-in-one IT platform that combines infrastructure, services and software into a single fully managed IT service, represents the company’s vision to connect people, spaces and devices. “Workplace Hub is a collection of scalable, easy-to-use technologies, that enable small companies to digitally transform,” he said. In his address, Keiji Okamoto, President of Konica Minolta Business By rethinking the nature of work, we are providing solutions such as Workplace Hub that epitomise our vision continued... Shoei Yamana Philipp Schroeder