Wide-format Summit Recap

One of the common themes at the Wide-format Summit, presented by Wide-format Impressions in July, was that at the start, no one really knew what to expect. The summit was a unique format and a new event. Guests were invited to attend, at no cost to them, and the attendee list was limited so as to keep interactions meaningful. The organizer’s goal was to present an event that fostered relationship-building and valued quality over quantity. After three days, everyone I spoke to there was excited about the format. The presentations and conversations were valuable and people are already excited for next year. It was an honor to attend and speak to this audience. In addition to presenting, I learned a lot from the other speakers.

Three Things I Learned at the Wide-format Summit:

First, the industry is in growth mode. There are a lot of opportunities out there for printers. Some of these areas of growth may not be in the same products they are currently producing. Yet, for those printers willing to expand their offerings, there are opportunities to be had. It was exciting to hear about so many fun, and just plain cool, technologies, from flat-bed printing to 3-D printing and everything in between. It’s an exciting time to be in this industry.

Second, along with more opportunities, there is a high level of creativity and problem-solving happening among printers. For example, Lindenmeyr Monroe received the best product award at the show for showcasing a product that prints on a highly textured, waffle weave fabric. This fabric can be applied to a track system for added sound absorption in a room. It’s products such as that that can open the door to entirely new markets for printers.

Third, I was excited to see a lot of enthusiasm from people willing to go the extra mile to grow their businesses. Most people realize that in order to make headway into new markets, they need to make changes, such as updates to websites or hiring marketing teams.

Thank you, NAPCO!

Thank you so much to the team at NAPCO for putting this event together and inviting me to present. I hope the attendees learned as much from my presentation as I did from theirs. To learn more about what was discussed at the summit, I highly recommend reading Key Takeaways from Wide-format Summit 2022.

ICYMI, Did you know I write a monthly piece for the Wide-format Impressions blog? Each month I contribute a post geared toward educating the printing community on the interior design market. I hope you’ll check them out.