Wide Format Symposium

Renowned industry veterans discuss the latest in wide format printing 

Advance registration required – limited seating available! 

Schedule at a Glance – Scroll Down for Descriptions & Speaker Bio

How the Unique Applications or Purposes Impact Your Needs &
Printing Equipment Buying Habits

10:00 – 10:40
Aviation A

Summary: In this ever-changing world of printing, determining what type of print equipment to purchase can be a perplexing task. Making things even more confusing are the many different types of inks available, ranging from the traditional offset, flexo and screen inks, to the newer eco-solvent, resin or latex, and ultra-violet formulations. The fact is, these are all valid methods, and there are many high-quality printers and inks within each category you can choose from. This presentation will help you make an informed buying decision. There’s no single printer that does everything, so let’s define how to select the best device for your intended purpose.

Speaker

Jay Roberts
Product Manager
Roland DGA Corp

Roberts Biography

Jay Roberts, UV printer product manager at Irvine, California-based Roland DGA Corporation, has been with Roland since 2014. Prior to that, Roberts was with Fujifilm where he served as a Professional Service Advisor on the integration of G7 for both conventional and digital workflows as well as repair/installation/training for various UV printers, including the Acuity Series and Inca Onset printers. 

From 2001 to 2005, Roberts was with the now-defunct Nelson-Keystone, where he was a Roland product dealer. Currently as a UV print specialist, Roberts spends much of his time educating customers about Roland’s VersaUV LEF, LEC, LEJ series printers and the IU-1000 printer for packaging, POP and product customization and personalization, while also leading workshops on digital printing and creative art.

PANEL: Promoting Sustainability and Success in the
Digital Printing / Sign Industries

10:45 – 11:25
Aviation A

Summary: What does sustainability truly mean? Examining the interconnectedness of systems and how people and the natural environment relate daily, the focus of this seminar will explore building a workflow and culture that drives benefits in services and solutions as a company and ultimately for our customers.

Moderator

Speakers

Calvin Frey
Innovative Ink

Jason Hamilton
CEO
Innovative Displays

Guy Langevin
AskGuy

Widen Your Profit Margins with Wide Format Printing:
Getting Started and Getting Ahead

11:30 – 12:10
Aviation A

Summary: In this informative session, you’ll discover how to get started and get ahead selling high-demand wide format products. Learn what you need to produce them for your clients. Explore top selling products that you’ll want to add to your selection. And for those who are already selling wide format printing, get familiar with tried and true strategies to maximize your profits and grow your business.

Speaker

Mike Meshkati
President
SinaLite

Meshkati Biography

Through lifelong printing industry experience covering every aspect of the business, I know the challenges involved and am committed to creating cost-effective solutions for our customers. Much of my childhood was spent in the shop my parents founded and I worked there while attending university to support our refocus to wholesale. After graduating, I joined SinaLite as a full-time employee and in 2012, stepped into my current role as President. It’s been a privilege to lead SinaLite’s continued evolution as a full ecommerce business, guiding the expansion of products, features, and automation to better serve our customers.

Challenges for Today & Tomorrow

12:15-12:55
Aviation A

Summary: Today’s economy has posed many challenges for business’s in the printing and signage sector. In this session you’ll learn key techniques to help you navigate your business towards future success.

Pioneering UV inkjet printing

“We were there at the very beginning of UV-based printing,” said Tony Tuka, president of The Essential Image. “We saw endless opportunities with inkjet and liked the idea of offering a large range of SKUs from one machine.”

Speaker

Tony Tuka
President
The Essential Image

Tuka Biography

Essential Image, based in Kitchener, ON, is one of North America’s top digital printing service providers. Originating from a retail store front in  2002, the company  transitioned to wide format printing in the B2B sector. Essential Image has transitioned from the early days of water base printing to the latest UV printing technologies.

PANEL: Workflow Automation in Wide-Format

13:00 – 13:55
Aviation A

Moderator

Stan Carmichael
Director of Special Projects
Significans Automation

Panelists

Rimpy Bhullar
Sales & Marketing Manager
Ronik

Tyler Thompson
Director of Software Business Development
ESKO

Thompson Bio

Tyler Thompson is a highly regarded thought leader in AI technology for the printing and packaging industry. With a M.Sc. degree in Computer Science and B.Sc. degree from Clemson University’s Packaging program, he helps companies worldwide employ AI for print production planning.

Marc Rannow
National Sales Manager
Elitron

Davy Verstaen
PitStop Product Manager
Enfocus

High Margin Market Opportunities in Wide-Format

14:00 – 14:40
Aviation A

Summary: Participants will walk away with 5 high profit margin large format printing market ideas including examples, samples, sales channel, type of margin, manufacturing process and the rationale behind profitability.

Speakers

Alexis Aubre
National Inkjet Sale Specialist
FujiFilm Canada 

Aubre Biography

Well renowned in the field of inkjet equipment sales. Alexis Aubre, has 17 years of experience in the field of large-format printing. With a background with the largest suppliers in the industry, he is passionate about helping his clients with capital equipment projects and production improvement / automation.

Jordane Beaulieu
Strategic Account Manager
FujiFilm Canada

Beaulieu Biography

Jordane Beaulieu works as Strategic Account Manager for Fujifilm Canada. He’s a graphic arts geek with a passion for all things print, from letterpress to printed electronics. He’s been an advocate for the printing industry since he started in the field 5 years ago. His insights into the printing market are influenced by his background in both finance and technology. 

PANEL: What’s New & What’s Coming in the Latest Technologies

14:45-15:25
Aviation A

Summary: Top suppliers, print and sign shop owners discuss the state of economy, trends and forecasts, opportunities, challenges and other issues in wide format, sign, and specialty printing.

Moderator

Jason Hamilton
CEO
Innovative Displays

Panelists

Brent Bourne
Sales Manager
EFI

Chris Boyer
Partner Business Manager
Large Format Production
HP Canada Co.

Jeff Edwards
Sr. Business Development Manager 
Regional Business Management – Americas
Canon Production Printing Canada, Inc.

Edwards Biography

Jeff Edwards of Canon Production Printing is 30 year industry professional and has been closely involved with such iconic products as Canon’s Arizona flatbed printers from inception. His extensive experience with complex print production as it relates to hardware and software design choices for manufacturers of wide-format printing equipment will add favourably to our discussion.

PANEL: Entering Wide Format for Commercial Printers

15:30 – 16:30

Moderator

Jason Hamilton
CEO
Innovative Displays

Panelists

Patric Coldeway
Ronik

Timothy Check
Senior Product Manager
Epson

Check Bio

Tim Check is a senior product manager in the Professional Imaging division at Epson America, Inc., where he is responsible for the dye-sublimation, and direct-to-garment printing products. With over a two decades of product development and product marketing experience in the wide-format printing and digital imaging industries, Check manages the product lifecycle of the SureColor F-Series and previously managed the SureColor T-Series line of technical wide-format office printers.  He has been instrumental in Epson’s growth in the digital textile industry. Prior to joining Epson in 2010, Check was a product and marketing manager at Xerox and where he was responsible for the product development and management of the Xerox Wide Format Supplies and Xerox Custom Supplies line of businesses. Check received a master’s degree in business from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Kettering University.

Robb Levin
EFI

Wilfred Tang
Sr. Technical Solutions Consultant
Imaging Technologies & Communications Group (ITCG)
Canon Canada Inc.

Steve Webster
RICOH Canada Inc.