When vendors decide to host user meetings they have two obligations: provide value for the time spent and help customers build a network. The Ricoh INTERACT meeting in Boulder last week met both requirements. The agenda was the best mix of technical education, market education, motivation, and fun for the attendees.
It is a big request when vendors reach out to customers and ask them to leave their businesses for several days on the promise that they will learn things they can take back and use to grow their business. It requires a delicate balance between presentations and discussions. The INTERACT meeting hit the right balance by including several of their customers as featured presenters.
Christian Haneke of Haberbeck was featured and presented on his challenges and successes as the internal evangelist and business transformation change agent for their organization. Haberbeck, a German print provider, spent three years searching for the best inkjet solution for their environment and adopted the Ricoh VC60000 to expand their offerings. Other attendees brought similar stories of successful, transformational change, which is what every vendor wants to hear.
In my keynote for the event I leveraged the INTERACT theme, Stepping Ahead. I focused on knowing the market, the available hardware options, and the software, which are the keys to growth for every print provider. An important point for Ricoh customers is the power of toner and inkjet devices living in harmony, especially as many