Last week I attended Photizo’s Transform Global 2014 in Louisville, KY. This was my third transform and I have found tremendous value in each one I’ve attended, including this most recent event.
Attendance this year was lighter that the previous two Transforms and the exhibit floor was about one quarter the size of what it was at the last two events. Dealer attendance was light as well. The dealers in attendance were those that tend to attend other events like this and who seemed focused on educating themselves and others. It would have been nice to have seen more dealers there. As one exhibitor told me when we were discussing the usual suspects in attendance, “The dealers who most need to be here aren’t.”
I was only there for the first day and part of the second morning although I wish I had the luxury to have spent the entire second day there, but too much to do back at home. I attended four different sessions, including Mike Lamothe of ODC Consulting’s “Evolving Beyond the Box”; Mitchell Filby of First Rock Consulting’s “Stop Seeing MPS as a Silver Bullett”; and West McDonald of FocusMPS’s “Comparing MPS Solution Sets.” I found each of these sessions useful and will likely incorporate some of that information in future stories in The Week in Imaging.
Unfortunately, I had other appointments during the Solutions Showcase on Tuesday evening, but was fortunate to hear Scott Kelbel’s of GFC Leasing’s presentation on Wednesday morning and James Duckenfield of NewField IT’s. Those sessions were more of a sales pitch regarding those organization’s offerings, but that’s what I expected.
Besides the education, events like this are great networking opportunities. Yet even at small events like this I find myself dashing from session to session and unable to see everyone I would have liked. I’m a firm believer that networking is king, and educational opportunities rule and this event allow me to do both.
For those who couldn’t make it, particularly those from the dealer community, I realize you’ve got plenty of business to attend to at home, running your dealership, and can’t attend every industry event, of which there are quite a few. I find myself pressed for time too, especially since I have no one I can delegate my many writing assignments that I have to complete each month.
I wish there were more combined events where one can go and network and learn, and of course still be frustrated that one can’t be two places at once with so much going on. I know too that events like this are often viewed as money makers for the sponsoring organizations although with attendance at some events modest, how much revenue are these lightly attended shows generating? With so many industry events and time so precious, maybe some sort of consolidation is what’s needed on the conference front. It might help boost attendance for some events. The challenge is convincing people that it’s nice to share.
Thanks for reading.
