As a printer, Francesc Hostench is always looking for fresh perspective. And he knows he can always call Vincenzo Cirimele, CEO of Italy-based Teetaly and former CEO of PressUp.

The two met through Dscoop, the global, user-driven community of HP Industrial Print customers and partners. What began as a quick conversation in Dublin in 2015 about finishing techniques had developed into something more valuable, lasting and trusting — shared ideas about how each saw the future of print.

Meanwhile, Cirimele has faced his own questions while evolving and growing his web-to-print business. He recently reached out to a confidante he had met at a 2017 Dscoop event in Lyon — Christophe Dudit, president of France-based Cloître Imprimeurs.

From Dudit, Cirimele gained ideas on expansion strategy, customer expectations and how different European markets approach digital print growth. Their conversations helped him think through new opportunities and how leadership decisions shape long-term scale. And from Cirimele, Dudit learned about new digital print business models, especially around web-to-print, operational agility and how a more entrepreneurial approach to customer experience could strengthen Cloître Imprimeurs’ future.

This kind of ripple effect is common across the HP Industrial Print ecosystem, and it says a lot about how Dscoop works in EMEA. Relationships start with one practical question — how are you handling this, what are you seeing, what would you do differently — and often grow into something much bigger. The community runs on a rare mix of openness, trust and the belief that progress happens faster when people are willing to share it.

For Hostench, the difference was obvious from his first Edge event. Coming from offset printing, he was surprised to find HP Indigo users openly discussing what was working, what was failing and how they were improving. Competitors were sharing best practices instead of protecting them.

“If you are sitting in your chair and don’t go out, it’s very difficult to progress,” he says.

A member-led community in action

That idea-sharing spirit returns to Europe on June 10–12, when Dscoop Edge Slovenia brings the global HP Industrial Print community back to the EMEA region for the first time since before the pandemic. Following the momentum of Edge Rockies this spring in Denver, USA, the Ljubljana conference gives the entire HP ecosystem across EMEA a place to compare notes, challenge assumptions and leave with better ideas.

The conference takes place at the GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Center in Slovenia’s capital city, with registration and accommodation now open for attendees planning their experience.

“Over the past few years, members have consistently asked about bringing back the main Edge event to Europe, the Middle East and Africa,” states Peter van Teeseling, executive director of Dscoop. “Edge conferences are incredible experiences because people arrive willing to share — not only successes, but mistakes, lessons and hard-earned perspective. Edge Slovenia marks a strong new chapter for our community in EMEA.”

Under the theme “The Art of Growth,” Edge Slovenia is designed to help forward-thinking print leaders connect with peers, explore new technologies and gain strategies that drive business growth. The focus stays practical: real business results, honest conversations and peer exchange that helps members make stronger decisions.

Across three days, attendees will move through member-led education sessions, keynote presentations, small-group discussions hosted by “Growth Artists,” and the kind of informal conversations that often become the most valuable part of the week. Structured networking and social events create space for collaboration, while the Solutions Showcase brings partners and PSPs together around the latest innovations in workflow, automation, AI, finishing and production technology.

For many attendees, the value is measurable.

Jon Bailey, CEO of UK-based Precision Proco, has said roughly half of his company’s revenue can be traced back to relationships built through the Dscoop community. For him, the conference is about building trusted relationships with people who challenge your thinking and help you move faster.

“Edge is where people come to exchange ideas, learn from one another and recharge their optimism about the future of print,” he says. “There’s an energy and camaraderie here that you simply don’t find anywhere else.”

These 5 groups are going to Edge Slovenia

Some are looking for clarity on AI. Some want better workflow, stronger teams or new ways to sell value. Others are trying to understand where the next stage of growth will come from. They arrive with different priorities, but the same goal: learning from people who are solving the same problems.

Edge Slovenia brings those conversations into one place, with education and networking designed for every role inside a print business.

Here’s who’s coming:

1. Growth-minded leaders looking for clearer decisions

Owners and executives are carrying the heaviest questions: Where should we invest? How fast should we move on AI? What does the next version of our business need to look like? How do we grow without losing discipline?

James Nilles, general manager of etikett.de, part of CCL Industries, is asking those questions. Automation sits at the heart of his company, a leading online label firm based in Germany that serves six European markets, and he’s looking for strategies to further improve the internal culture of his international team.

In Ljubljana, leaders like Nilles will hear directly from peers who are making those decisions in real time. Sessions around strategy and leadership focus on how companies scale, how they align people and process, and how they lead through uncertainty without standing still.

The keynote stage reinforces that perspective. Erin Meyer, co-author of No Rules Rules, will explore how high-performing cultures are built through freedom, responsibility and trust. And Peter Hinssen, internationally recognized innovation strategist and leadership expert, brings a sharp perspective on how companies stay relevant through constant change — and what leaders must do now to prepare for what comes next.

2. Sales and marketing teams creating stronger demand

Sales and marketing teams are being asked to do more than fill pipelines. They are expected to protect margins, elevate conversations and position print as something more valuable than a commodity. That means stronger storytelling, better customer retention and clearer ways to connect print to business outcomes.

Helen Smith, head of marketing and ESG at Precision Proco, is coming to Edge Slovenia with an eye toward better defining the company’s target audiences, and then delivering meaningful messages to prospects in a way that accelerates the sales pipeline.

In Ljubljana, Smith and other sales and marketing professionals will hear how peers are finding and winning new business, how they’re approaching value-based conversations and more.

Christian Kromme’s keynote on AI and future customer behavior adds another layer: understanding how client expectations are changing and how businesses can stay ahead of them.

3. Production, workflow and IT pros building smarter systems

Workflow leaders are trying to reduce friction, improve consistency and remove manual steps that quietly cost time and money.

Hostench still remembers visiting a printer that used software to optimize truck loading routes automatically. Another company showed him a fully automated packaging line that saved around 15 employees during peak season. Those ideas changed how he thought about operations.

In the Netherlands, Tom Schouten, production manager at Geostick, recently hired a data scientist to fine-tune the company’s use of predictive AI. Their goal is to fine-tune job planning, reduce waste and automate high-volume invoice processing.

Edge Slovenia will be an epicenter of workflow improvement, AI applications, integration and automation strategies. Attendees will hear how peers are improving output with the equipment they already own and where technology is making the biggest difference.

4. Next-generation entrepreneurs building what comes next

A growing number of younger leaders are shaping the future of print. Some are stepping into family businesses. Others are building new companies with different assumptions about leadership, culture and technology. They are less interested in tradition for its own sake and more focused on what creates momentum.

“I love coming to Dscoop events because this community is dedicated to helping each other advance and thrive,” says Kunal Chandaria, founder and managing director of Kenya-based DPI Holdings. In Ljubljana, he’s looking forward to talking with fellow HP users about growth trends in packaging.

At Edge Rockies this year, 40% of attendees were age 44 or younger, with more than 350 participants attending for the first time. That same energy continues into Edge Slovenia, where students, educators and brands will bring even more fresh perspective to the conversation.

They are looking for honest conversations about hiring, retention, leadership and culture. They want to understand how others are building teams that perform and environments where people want to stay.

5. Partners ready to teach, challenge and collaborate

The best partner conversations rarely start with a sales pitch. They start with a problem: A printer needs a better workflow. A packaging company needs smarter finishing. A team wants to understand how AI fits into daily operations. The right partner helps connect the dots.

That’s why the Solutions Showcase at Edge Slovenia is valuable. It brings the full HP Industrial Print ecosystem into one place — workflow, automation, AI, software, finishing, ecommerce and production technology — with people ready for practical conversations.

Dscoop’s year-round partners will occupy a collaborative, high-energy space for live demos, conversations and hands-on discovery of the latest technologies, tools and services in digital print.

Growth happens faster together

“Dscoop works because members arrive willing to share not only successes, but mistakes, lessons and hard-earned perspective,” adds Bailey of Precision Proco. “The result is a community built on trust, where better decisions happen faster because no one has to make them alone.”

In Ljubljana this June, that network comes back together again.