WFX's Don't-Miss Speaker Lineup

Designed to provide wide-format leaders insight into the future of print, WFX: Wide-Format Exchange is slated for May 21-23 in Minneapolis. Registration is open for the three-day conference, hosted by SGIA and ST Media Group (publisher of Big Picture, Signs of the Times, and Screen Printing) and featuring more than 30 educational sessions, networking events, and interactive discussions to explore business strategies and technologies in our ever-changing and -growing market. The event’s theme, Converge, stresses the importance of connecting within our industry. At WFX, executives of high-volume print shops will be able to meet with their peers to discuss common challenges, actionable takeaways, and how to be successful in the wide-format market. 

The inaugural event will be held at the newly renovated, historic Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot, located in the center of downtown Minneapolis. Special discounted room rates are available until April 26. 

Don’t-Miss Speakers:

WFX’s opening keynote speaker is Ryan Estis, a former chief strategy officer for the McCann Worldgroup advertising agency NAS. Estis, who has more than 20 years of experience as a top-performing sales management professional, marketing strategist, and brand consultant, will present “Managing Breakthrough Performance in the New Economy.”

“How a Punk Rocker from LA Became a One-Stop-Shop Rockstar in Vegas” features James Swanson, the principal and founder of Screaming Images, Big Picture Editorial Advisory Board member, and former Business Pro spotlight. His shop is a vendor for MGM Resorts and Caesars Harrah’s. 

Inna Semenyuk will present “Leveraging the Power of Technology and Social Media to Maximize Profit.” Semenyuk is founder and CEO of InnavationLabs, an innovative marketing consultancy based in San Francisco, and snapchatdaily.com, the only professional blog about Snapchat for business. A seasoned marketeer, she’s worked with Facebook, Skype, eBay, SanDisk, NBC Universal, Turner Broadcasting, Starbucks, OKI Printing Solutions, Visa International, and many other international brands and startups.

The closing keynote speaker, Anthony Tjan, presents “The Only Leadership Decision That Really Matters.” Tjan, of The Cue Ball Group, is a venture capitalist and entrepreneur. He will discuss the value of investing in employee relationships to cultivate a valuable company culture. 

Additional sessions include: 

• “Why the Retail Store is Evolving, Not Disappearing” with speaker Kraig Kessel of Kraido
• “Meeting Your Clients’ Color Expectations,” moderated by Ray Weiss, SGIA
• “The WFX Buyers’ Panel,” including panelists Kevin Manion, Wells Fargo and Harry Steen, SuperValu
• “Preserving Customer Loyalty,” with speakers Marty McGhie, Ferrari Color and Sino Tour, Icon Image Graphics
• “Reimagining 3D Printing in the Wide-Format Space,” from Craig Miller, Pictographics
• “Why Sustainability and Profitability Go Hand in Hand,” with moderator Marci Kinter, SGIA, SGP; panelists: Jenny Dela Cruz, Snowball Print Marketing; Marco Ugarte, MillerCoors; Scott Schulte, Modernistic
• “Keeping Print Relevant for the Next Generation”
• “What Single-Pass Printing Means for Your Business”
• “The Women in Print Panel,” with panelists: Diana Herrera, AP Imaging; Michelle Gobert, Image 360 Central New Orleans; Elaine Scrima, GSP
• “Managing the Dynamics of Family-Held Businesses,” with speaker Greg Root, GMN
• “The Future is Now: The Two Key Places to Automate Your Production,” with speaker Richard Labiuk, Holland & Crosby
• “For Soft Signage to Fashion, the Opportunities in Textile Print are Boundless,” discussion with panelist Kerry King, Spoonflower; panelist Kirk Green, Ferrari Color; and moderator Ron Gilboa, Keypoint Intelligence
• “Never Settle: How to Take Your Sales Team from Good to Great,” with moderator Ron Gilboa
• “If Wallcoverings Could Talk: New Opportunities in Interior Décor,” with panelist Paul Lilienthal, Pictura Graphics, and moderator Rachel Nunziata

Visit wfxconference.com for additional event details and session descriptions.