Printing Proves Its Power at ePS Connect

This article originally appeared at our sister publication, Big Picture.

ATTENDEES OF PAST Connect events likely noticed something different this year immediately upon walking through the ballroom doors of the Wynn in Las Vegas, where print and packaging professionals gathered January 23-26 for the latest evolution of the user conference. Hosted by eProductivity Software (ePS), the event featured more bars, tables, and food stations. Booth positions had changed, and visual aids provided quick, easy directions. Compared to past editions, the distribution of attendees seemed more even. ePS branding was everywhere.

These changes were thanks largely to a business headed by a repeat attendee of Connect: Brian Hite (who is also a Big Picture Editorial Advisory Board member). Hite said he and his team at Image Options, a Los Angeles-area specialist in printing and visual communications, reimagined the main exhibit hall as a more inviting place to network and learn. “The positions of sponsor booths and food service and bar locations were designed to create an even distribution of attendees throughout the ballroom and drive traffic to each of the sponsor locations,” he said.

Hite met with ePS and its agency of record at the end of November 2022 due to poor response by the original vendor. Because this event was the first of its kind since the spin off from EFI, ePS wanted to make a good first impression. Image Options provided concepts and floor plans to elevate the event and make it strongly ePS-brand centric. “As part of the concepting process, we endeavored to keep some of the familiarity and the best aspects of past Connect events while addressing issues evident from prior events,” Hite said.

“The brand elevation began with eliminating prior sponsor booth formats, where typical tradeshow pipe and drape is used to define the sponsor booth spaces,” Hite continued. Image Options then supplied an SEG fabric graphic system to create the sponsor booth spaces. The aim was  to create “a uniform look and feel for all booths. Each booth displayed a sponsor graphic and ePS branding by product category to again elevate and promote the brand. To further reinforce the ePS identity, large banners were placed around the perimeter and over sponsored lounges and lab stations throughout the venue. Image Options also created a breadcrumb trail of rigid directional signs leading attendees to the various meeting rooms, food service areas, and a backlit fabric entrance graphic to the main ballroom.”

The stage was also new and branded with giant product cubes, a large backdrop, and a 3D version of the ePS “Empower, Evolve, Excite” tag “to create dimension, interest, and a more intimate setting for the speakers and panelists,” Hite said.

“Connect is in a unique venue fueled by diversified attendance, face-to-face interaction, organic conversation, brainstorming, networking, intimate exposure to latest technology, and input/discussion on future direction,” said Gaby Matsliach, CEO, ePS, during the opening keynote. At least in part, that’s thanks to the efforts of one of the same kinds of businesses the event aims to attract.

Women in Print

For the first time at Connect, women in leadership positions within the print and packaging industry led an interactive panel discussion to talk about their career journeys and share how we as an industry can inspire and support young women to thrive.

“There’s a disconnect between when women step into a career in tech and them staying in tech,” Carrie Klepzig VP, global marketing, said during the luncheon. “What can we do to get more women in the industry and keep them in the industry?”

Klepzig suggested looking internally and making changes within your own business. “When you have more diversity in your business you have different perspectives, which drives profitability,” she said.