Dscoop returned to the Americas this spring, as the HP users conference took over the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center from March 25-28. The event, which featured the theme of “Unleashing Print,” welcomed print service providers who use HP Graphics Technology–including HP Indigo digital presses and solutions–along with creative designers, marketers and brand leaders.
 
Dscoop Dallas was the first of three global events, with the next edition scheduled for Seoul, South Korea from May 14-16. Dscoop’s Unleashing Print conference will then head to Vienna, Austria from June 13-15. The American edition of the event featured record attendance, including 237 participants from 18 different countries. Many of these visitors hailed from Latin America and the Caribbean.
 
The show featured a wide range of speakers, including Jeremy Gutsche, founder of TrendHunter.com, Dan Heath, a Senior Fellow at Duke University’s CASE center, Dana Arnett, founding partner and vice chairman of VSA Partners, and Alon Bar-Shany, vice president and general manager of the HP Indigo Division. Andrew Davis, a best-selling author and internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, served as the conference emcee.

Heath, who delivered the keynote presentation on the event’s opening day, explored how to create meaningful moments for print customers. “We live in the era of experience. Everywhere you look, there’s someone looking to make your experience better,” he said. “If you study great service experiences, they’re mostly forgettable and occasionally remarkable. Those remarkable, peak moments, don’t plan themselves, but we’re so busy fixing small problems that we ignore the potential peak moments that will make our customers overlook small flaws.”

When identifying peak moments, Heath used HP’s “Share A Coke” campaign to illustrate a memorable idea that left a lasting impact. “I’m a 44-year-old man, and I still get a charge out of seeing my name ‘Dan’ on a soda label. That’s how you turn a transaction into a moment.”

He added, “Print is the medium of memories.”

Davis, the conference’s emcee, also told attendees, “It’s not about what you print, it’s about how what you print makes them feel.”
 
Dscoop also provided attendees with the opportunity to learn more about digital inkjet printing, how to appeal to brands, and the evolving role of press operators.

Gutsche said that as an industry, we need to get better at adapting to change and faster at implementing ideas. The goal is to avoid complacency, redundancy and closed-mindedness. “Almost all innovation happens by making connections between fields that other people don’t realize,” he explained. “It’s about finding hidden opportunity.”

Dscoop’s deep dives
Dscoop’s general sessions touched on a wide range of industry topics. S-One Labels & Packaging took a deep dive into the opportunities available for label converters in the flexible packaging space. Meanwhile, Michelman looked at how new coating and primer technology can optimize digital printing.

As part of a presentation of the hottest trends in print design, Sabine Lenz said, “Most designers have no idea what’s possible in print today. They’re surprised by what digital technology can do.”

She added that 71% of creatives are producing 10 times more work than five years ago. In addition, 7 out of 10 designers report they are understaffed.

In the labels and packaging space, Lenz said the use of foil is one of the great trends. “Hot-foil stamping can provide a tactile experience,” she said. “The shine never falters. You have hundreds of foil choices, and the softer the paper the better.”

Thinking Tree Spirits embodied many of these trends in one of its newest spirits labels. The craft distillery based in Eugene, OR utilized the Hired Guns Creative design team to develop a unique label template. CCL printed the labels, which included hot stamping, as well. The color matching and streamlined production achieved on the HP Indigo digital press highlighted the label, Lenz added.

Lenz said that interactive elements are one of the key trends now, and augmented reality could very well be a hot topic in the future.

Alon Bar-Shany, vice president and general manager of HP Indigo, detailed the history of Indigo, as well as how the technology will continue to evolve for sustained success. Keeping in line with Gutsche’s message of adaptation, Bar-Shany said, “This is the time to think ahead and make the right decisions. What drove Indigo was the impact of the recession. It forced change.”

Ten years ago, the recession forced business to re-evaluate their business model. Understanding that consumer preferences change over time, Bar-Shany believed there will be an emphasis on smart manufacturing, plus efficiency and cost, moving forward. “Today, people willing to pay more for experiences and memories, but also higher quality,” he added.

Inkspiration Awards
Dscoop also featured its renowned Inkspiration Awards, where 16 awards were presented to 13 customers and designers in multiple categories, ranging from general commercial printing to labels and packaging. Nearly 200 entries from more than 75 HP customers and designers were submitted to the competition. Their works produced on HP Indigo, PageWide Web Press, and Scitex print technology.

In the labels and packaging space, the following companies were recognized:

• Spirits: Indemetal Gráficos, Brazil
• Spirits (Honorable Mention): ETIMEX, Mexico
• Health, Beauty and Fashion: GLS / NEXT Precision Marketing, Minnesota, US
• Food and Beverage: Hammer Packaging, New York, US
• Home, Sports and Recreation: Red Pepper Comunicacion, Mexico
• People’s Choice Award: Digital Label Solutions, California, US

Dscoop Community
As part of Dscoop, the organization announced the launch of Dscoop Community, a new platform designed to connect creatives and marketers to the world’s most innovative printers, as well as a new website. The all-new online community experience was previewed during the event.
 
Dscoop Community highlights print projects and applications, with the goal of providing as much information to all those in the value chain. Content includes production details, designers, partners and results.
 
“The new platform is designed to connect marketers, packaging designers, creatives, print users and the print providers who make those powerful ideas a reality,” explained Keith Wilmot, the newly-appointed Dscoop CEO. “We are creating a new world of print lovers and educating them on how to succeed with digital print.”
 
In addition, the platform provides real-time connection to printers around the world, the latest in live and digital education, tips and trends from industry lead