Prokom’s second annual conference in Budapest, Hungary, has been hailed a resounding success by Konica Minolta and user group members. Delegates came from Australia, Singapore, China, India, North America and many countries across Europe to network and learn from each other. Feedback on the conference speakers and breakout sessions was incredibly positive and members were inspired and motivated to take the lessons learnt back into their businesses.
Miles Hilton Barber, the blind explorer and serial adventurer whose speech “Don’t let your past determine your future”, closed the conference. This positive message was the key takeaway for all delegates – unburden yourself of the past and focus on the future, and print has a fantastic future with many new applications and business opportunities just waiting to be exploited.
Andy Barber, Chairman of Prokom, said: “It’s our belief is that it’s not just about what people make but about what they make possible. And we are truly proud of what was made possible for our members at the conference in Budapest. And our members were incredibly positive in their feedback.”
Christine Yardley, of Print Panther, Canada, said: “To make my business thrive, I need ready access to the latest trends, top-notch training for me and my team, and the ability to share and collaborate with peers and industry experts. The Prokom Conference in Budapest, provided all that and more. Prokom provides access to education, networking and a platform to share ideas and get inspired. I feel more productive, better informed and more profitable – and that’s good for business.”
For John Wiper, of Multicoat Print Finishers in the UK, Prokom over exceeded expectations. “An amazing conference,” he said. “The speakers were inspirational and the one from Miles was a great way to end on a positive note. The discussion points and break-out sessions provided a good platform for things to start thinking about. I met some great people and hopefully some new customers. Looking forward to next year.”
“Prokom 2018 was a conference to remember,” said Joseph Ghadami, of GB Mail. “From the moment we landed in Budapest, connections were being made with like-minded business people. The entire event was organised extremely well, and offered a varied itinerary of distinguished speakers, informative breakout sessions and relaxing get togethers in the evenings. Inspiration and motivation was bountiful, and I certainly took that positive energy back with me to the UK and instilled it into my business.”
Joelle Chen, of Superskill, Singapore, said: “What I liked about Prokom was that it was well-balanced and action- and execution-oriented: There were concrete things I could take back, apply in my own situation and have best practice to refer to, with companies like Nettl, Print Panther as inspiration. In general, conferences are too packed with this one I liked how there was enough time for networking, learning from others and some personal time to reflect.”
The conference was rounded off with an evening celebration dinner at Kiscelli Museum in the city. There, four Prokom members were recognized for their contribution to print at the inaugural Prokom Innovation in Print Awards. The winners were: Christine Yardley – Print Panther (Canada); Ilya Kunakhovich – Onebook (Russia); Rob Finnie – Nettl (UK); and Joelle Chen – Superskill (Singapore).
The next Prokom conference will be held in Valencia Spain on the 5-6 June 2019. An early bird offer has been launched and bookings are already being taken, which reflects the fantastic positivity around the Prokom community.
“At Prokom we are really excited about the next 12 months and we can’t wait to get everyone together again for an even better event next year,” concluded Barber.
