01732759725
Print.ITReseller
18
mps
So,when you’re at a dinner party
with friends and they ask ‘How’s
business?’, howdo you respond?Do
you say, ‘I couldn’t be happier! I’ve
seen revenue increases of 50%or
more year after year andmymargins
couldn’t be healthier!MPS has really
come into its own and helpedpropel
my business at a far greater rate of
success than I could have asked for’?
Or, if you’re likeme, do you keep
yourmouth shut, smile politely and
wonderwhat on earth is goingon in
theManaged Print space these days?
Themain reason I’m going toTransform
Global 2014 is because I don’t know
enough aboutManaged Print. It’s true I’ve
been inMPS for over a decade now. It’s
also true that I am the chair of Comptia’s
Managed Print Community. I’ve even been
named as one of theTop 40most influential
people in the Imaging Industry. But for all
my pedigree inwhatWASMPS, I don’t
know enough about what our future holds.
There are rumblings of ‘per seat’ pricing
forMPS; that page counts are on the
decline; thatManaged Services providers
are eyeing our turf; that 3D printing is
becoming the future; thatmobility and
tablet-basedworkflows are just around the
corner; and that the printed page aswe
know it is in peril. Some say that print is
on the rise; that times are better than ever.
I can’t tell youwho’s right, but what I do
know is that in order not just to survive but
also to thrive I need to educatemyself with
themost focused and relevant content
that our industry offers.TransformGlobal
2014 provides just that.The talk tracks are
big.They are bold.They are on themark. I
wouldn’tmiss it for theworld.
Transform is about Education, not
‘dressed up sales pitches’: you go, you
learn, period. I can think of no other
gathering in our industry that does as
honest a job as PhotizoGroup’sTransform
Global in providing themost robust and
varied education tracks. I’ll be doing a
Reseller/Dealer workshop that will offer
5 hours of strategy discussion to help
prepare for the newworld ofMPS. Edward
Crowley, CEO of PhotizoGroup,will be
hosting a session on the same day to help
OEMs build strategies that will enable the
dealer community to prosper.
And that is just day one!There are an
additional two days of training covering all
aspects ofMPS, from building elements of
yourMPS program to learning better ways
to implement them.Therewill be some big
names in our space speaking there, like
Doug Johnson of Supplies Network,Greg
Walters fromWalters & Shutwell andKevin
Morris of OneDoc Consulting, to name just a
few. I’ll be hosting a session or twomyself.
Transform’s not only a great chance
to learn, it is also a great opportunity
toCONNECT.TheMPSAwill be there in
strength andwill be presenting theMPSA
awards. Comptia is going to be there,
too, hosting aManaged Print Community
meeting, aswell as offering some great
educational tracks. Historically I have
hadmore fulfillingmeetingswith fellow
MPS thinkers at Transform than at any
other show. It’s a great place tomeet and
collaboratewith the greatestminds inMPS.
Aheadof the curve
The name of the conference says it all:
Transform.Our industry is experiencing the
greatest technological advances since the
advent of the plain paper copier and the
laser printer. Howwe share information is
changing at lightning speed andTransform
Global 2014 is ahead of the curve.
I don’t get paid to say any of this. I do
it because I believe it. I do it because I feel
like I need to keep growing and learning. I
don’t feel like I know enough about what’s
coming, that I couldn’t be better prepared
for the future ofMPS. I don’t like that
feeling. So off I go toKentucky to learn,
to collaborate and to have a little fun at
the horse races. If we adapt,we’ll not only
survive but prosper. If we fail to transform,
well, ‘nuff said. See you at Transform?
To register for TransformGlobal 2014,
visit thewebsite at
photizogroup.com
To learnmore about Photizo
Group, visit their website at
Why I’mAttending
Transform2014
WestMcDonald explainswhy Louisville, Kentucky is the
place tobe on June 2-4
WestMcDonald
is theOwner/
Founder of
FocusMPS
and theVP
of Business
Development for
PrintAudit.
