Forum, seminars, etc., seem to be an important part of shows these days and Pacprint is no different. Here is a preview of just one of the presentations to be delivered during the show.
“Don’t throw the analogue baby out with the digital bathwater.” That, says Anders Sorman-Nilsson, is a basic summary of what he’ll be presenting to PacPrint13 visitors at the first of the three PacPrint Forum sessions.
A Swedish-Australian innovation and digital strategist, Sorman-Nilsson is the founder and creative director of research and strategy company, Thinque, and he will be bringing his unique global perspective to Forum delegates with a presentation titled, “Global change and the implications for business”.
Long a believer in combining the benefits of digital and analogue technologies, Sorman-Nilsson says the key is to ‘make sense of and harness disruptive trends in innovations, generations and communications’, while not losing sight of the very real benefits delivered by current products, technologies and approaches – an approach he calls ‘Digilogue’.
“Looking around, it seems that some organisations are careening recklessly into the digital future, while others feel left behind, remaining steeped in the ways of old,” Sorman-Nilsson says. “Thought leaders are coming to realise that there is an important middle ground and, most often, that’s where your customers and clients want you to be – the place where digital and analogue converge, or what I call ‘digilogue’.
“I don’t need to point out the benefits of physical print to anyone in the graphic communications industry, but what is important to note is that whatever industry you are talking about, we know there are benefits to analogue technologies – if you like, it can be summed up by saying that digital satisfies a customer’s mind, while analogue soothes the heart.”
In the future, he says, whatever can be made digital will be made digital, but there remain some things which cannot, and should not, be digitised. “Take, for instance, the retail industry, where much has been made of the impact of online shopping. Yet while people enthusiastically research purchases online – that’s the digital mind at work – here in Australia only 9% of transactions are conducted on line, meaning more than 90% of sales are still made in ‘bricks and mortar’ stores. That suggests that the same customers still have an ‘analogue heart’ which responds to the physical environment.
“So while online is an exciting environment that can be harnessed to great effect with the correct business model, it’s far from the whole story for retail, just as digital communications, while offering enormous benefits, are a long way from spelling the end of the physical, tactile and very effective medium of print.”
For print service providers and those involved in the graphic arts, Sorman-Nilsson says it’s a similar story. “Print is still one of the customer experience touch points that thrill people, that speaks to their hearts as well as their heads. Harness that strength together with the undoubted power of digital technologies to make their lives easier, facilitate action and expand and enhance their total experience – that is, take a multi-channel or omni-channel approach – and it’s easy to see how what we might term ‘traditional’ print can be very fundamental and important on an ongoing basis.
Essentially, he says that those who dive into digital 100% will likely struggle as much as those who stay off the digital wave and, therefore, disappoint their customers. The secret, says Sorman-Nilsson, is to strike the right balance between the two.
“This is great news for business owners as they plan for the future; while there is no question the industry is in a period of significant change, or disruption, you don’t’ need to immediately re-equip or change direction. It’s more about allowing convergence, about a gradual transition.”
To find out more about the ‘digilogue’ approach and how international trends will influence the future of the print and graphic communications sector
The PacPrint13 Forum Series will run at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from 11am to 12.30pm on the 22, 23 and 24 May. The day following Sorman-Nillson’s session, a panel of industry experts will consider ‘Perspectives on Print – The Challenges Ahead’ led by moderator Steve Crowe. At the final session on Thursday 24 May, Dr Ric Charlesworth will present a session on ‘Leadership & Managing Successful Transitions’.
The Forum sessions are free of charge to all registered PacPrint delegates. No registration is required but, as sessions are always popular, those planning to attend should ensure they arrive early for the sessions of their choice. Each session will commence at 11am sharp.
PacPrint13 will run from 21-25 May at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibiton Centre and will co-locate with the Visual Impact sign and display show. For more information or to register online, go to www.pacprint.com.au
Pacprint 13
