CAJ Canon Inc

thINK, an independent community of Canon Solutions America production print customers, today announced that its first conference, thINK 2015, was an overwhelming success. The event, held September 8-10, 2015 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York, drew more than 350 attendees, making it the largest user group event for inkjet production printing. "We knew when we started that there was pent up demand for an event like this," said Mark DeBoer, Director of Customer Experience at Darwill, Inc. and thINK 2015 Conference Chair. "Even so, we've been blown away by the attendance numbers, the excitement, and the enthusiasm generated by thINK 2015." Throughout the 2 ½ day event, there was a sense of real community as members came together to share their experiences, learn from experts, and hear from those who are running inkjet today. "I'm a firm believer in the power of networking," said Eric Hawkinson, Senior Director of Marketing, Canon Solutions America Production Print Solutions. "This conference is proof positive of the synergy that happens when you bring people together to talk, learn, share, and help one another." At the conference, sessions by subject-matter experts explored a wide range of topics and panel discussions offered attendees the opportunity to ask questions and pick the brains of those who have already found inkjet success. Event highlights included:

• Real world experiences – Panel discussions from those who have already made the inkjet transition shared experiences and advice on applications to start with and inkjet's impact on their respective business models, departmental functions, workforce requirements and customer expectations.  
• Media trend preview – Canon Solutions America's Senior Marketing Specialist John Crumbaugh shared information on current and future inkjet paper. Paper partners were on hand in the Partner Pavilion to show thINK members substrates on the horizon.  
• Inkjet press performance – Product managers offered best practices for scheduling jobs, managing workflow, estimating job costs, operator training, and paper selection.  
• Marketing trends – Strategist Fred Neil shared information on marketing to millennials and winning in the new consumer age of social, local, and mobile.  
• Market forecasts – InfoTrends' Jim Hamilton shared the latest inkjet research, along with his predictions on where the opportunities will be in the next decade.  
• A trip to Canon EXPO 2015 New York – thINK members visited the Professional Printing Zone to see demonstrations of the long-awaited Océ VarioPrint i300 sheet-fed inkjet printer and the newly announced Océ ColorStream 3000 Z series.

Conference presentations will be available at thinkforum.com, the robust learning portal for members of the community of Canon Solutions America customers. thINK Forum members are already making plans for the 2016 event, scheduled for next October in Boca Raton, Florida. Based on the overwhelmingly positive survey responses collected following thINK 2015, attendees are anxiously awaiting next year's event. "So many of our members and partners have already shared their commitment to attending thINK 2016," said Victor Bohnert, thINK Executive Director. "With all of the great feedback and suggestions we've received, we expect next year's event will be even better than this one." About thINK Forum

thINK is an independent community of Canon Solutions America production print customers, solution partners, and print industry experts. Led by some of the most successful inkjet service providers in the country, it provides a forum for members to network, gain knowledge, discuss common challenges, and share best practices. For more information, visit thinkforum.com.  

CONTACT: Victor Bohnert
         victor@thinkforum.com