Dscoop Phoenix featured enthusiasm and imagination in 2017. Entertainers, keynote speakers, and Dscoop personnel gathered to promote networking, collaboration, trust, and creativity during the March 1-4 event in Phoenix, AZ, USA. The digital event attracted nearly 2,400 guests, increasing nearly tenfold over the inaugural version’s 240 guests.

Dscoop also provided over 100 education sessions that covered the topics of business and leadership, operations, sales and marketing, and technology and innovation. The presentations emphasized innovation through collaborative groups and channel partnerships, insights through best practices, and lead generation and increased revenue through cross channel partnerships and relationships.

Master mentalist Lior Suchard orchestrated the keynote presentations throughout the event’s three days. Not only did Suchard entertain, he embodied the spirit of Dscoop within his act: focusing on imagination and creativity to spark collaboration.

Suchard introduced the three keynote presentations, delivered by Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane, John Foley of the Blue Angels, and Disney’s Doug Lipp.

Beane provided his own personal experience of how to build a winning team under trying circumstances. In order to deal with certain limitations–such as location and fiscal opportunity–Beane relied on objective data to field positive results. The Oakland A’s needed to obtain talent by creative ways that went beyond the eye-test.

Beane himself was once a heralded prospect in the major leagues, but he conceded that even though he looked the part, he had a less than stellar career after being selected No. 2 overall in the MLB Draft. Meanwhile, as a talent evaluator, he found that players who didn’t necessarily look like baseball players went on to build long, sustainable careers.

In addition, the use of data and hard work allow more people to vie for jobs, even with differing backgrounds. The same holds true in the printing industry.

Foley, meanwhile, discussed how synchronized flight maneuvers brought life and death into play during every event. Precision, trust and teamwork all played a pivotal role in these spectacular airshows.

“It wasn’t just about the job, it was about the people we surrounded ourselves with,” said Foley. “We focused on the impact that we could have on people’s lives.”

Since the shows included planes flying within 36” of each other, Foley said that his team needed to focus on high performance and trust. Each member of the organization had a thirst to get better, and they aligned, committed and connected to a common goal.

Like any brand or converter in the label and packaging space, not every team member is going to be on the front line. In Foley’s case, there were about 120 people dedicated to the success of the six pilots.

“It’s important to know your customer and how to sustain excellence under change,” explained Foley. “We felt a commitment and an obligation to something more than self, which can be a team or a company. In business, you must have a strategy and a plan.”

In comparing his experience to those in the printing industry, Foley added that he had to work his way up to the best technology. Like a printing press, not every operator will have the highest-quality tools. A skilled professional must learn and adapt to his or her circumstances. “That’s how some teams outperform others,” he said.

Foley listed four P’s that all businesses can adhere to: process, product, people, and purpose. All those factors must be present for an organization to succeed. Upon leaving the conference, Foley advised the attendees to plan for something different in their business, and then to execute the plan.

Doug Lipp, citing his experiences with Disney, said that all businesses could benefit from following some simple lessons. For example, upper management should walk the park–or in the case of a label company, the pressroom. By understanding all facets of the organization, a company can improve on all levels. Additionally, teams need dreamers and doers because diversity is the lifeblood of an organization.

Finally, Lipp emphasized going outside of a comfort zone to try something new. Change is not necessarily bad, and new philosophies might breed additional revenue streams.

New direction
CEO Keith Wilmot made it clear that Dscoop is embarking on a journey of revitalizing. The vision, Innovating Print, Together, provides an opportunity for brand growth and a new value focus.

“Our strategic intent is to expand the engagement of our customers and partners with Dscoop beyond the conference atmosphere,” said Wilmot. “We’ll achieve this by launching innovate solutions and products to deliver value to our ecosystem.”

Prior to the keynote presentations, Dscoop announced new leadership roles within the community. In addition to Wilmot serving as CEO, Julian Marsh is the new global chairman and Peter Van Teeseling will serve as the chief operating officer. Ken Mead is the AMS director, Shanee Kraus will function as the APJ director, and Silvia Martinez will be the sales director for EMEA, reporting to Alonzo Romero Lauro.

According to Wilmot, Dscoop is also focused on talent management, next generation leader engagement and continued membership benefits through content and leadership development.