EskoArtwork user conference welcomes record numbers

EskoArtwork’s recent EskoWorld user conference was attended by a record 350 visitors, who were treated to a preview of the company’s future products and a wide variety of presentations and workshops.

‘Feedback from everyone is that the 2011 edition of EskoWorld is the best they ever attended,’ said Mark Quinlan, president, EskoArtwork North America. ‘The program offered attendees both hands-on sessions and presentations to help them make the most of their EskoArtwork products -- and understand where EskoArtwork will take them in the future. We are confident that anyone who attended EskoWorld returned with a list of productive, actionable items.’

Following a welcome from Simon James, EskoArtwork’s VP of marketing, Carsten Knudsen, EskoArtwork CEO, presented ‘the State of the Union’, also offering a glimpse of new applications available in the near future for web-based collaboration with iPhone and iPads.

Bernard Zwaenepoel, EskoArtwork’s senior VP software business, offered an overview of the markets served by the company’s products, including narrow web, labels, flexible packaging, corrugated, commercial print, sign and display, and others.

‘Our company has had a long-standing relationship with EskoArtwork since 1998, when we decided to buy our CDI with all of the supporting workflow tools. Since then, our entire pre-press workflow system has been built with EskoArtwork products,’ said Sebastian Longo, president of Fotograbados Longo, based in Avellaneda, a suburb of Buenos Aires in Argentina. ‘Because of this long-term relationship, we decided to visit EskoWorld to see what is coming but, more importantly, how to make our current tools even more productive. The hands-on sessions, product roadmaps, and Open Labs were the keys to the program. It was very important for us to have conversations with all of EskoArtwork's staff, but the most amazing thing is what all of them asked me, from software to hardware: “What do you need? How can we help you?” We were happy to be there.’

A total of 19 product-related presentations were held. Those offering insight into the education of packaging in universities, in particular ‘Graphic Arts and Packaging Universities – Educational Update’ and ‘Graphic Arts and Packaging Universities’ were well attended. The 28 EskoArtwork Academy activities, mostly hands-on sessions and product features presentations, were also popular. Nine further sessions offered attendees an overview of industry issues, while the MIS Roundtable was another highlight.

‘This was my first EskoWorld conference, and I was pleased with the experience,’ said Joseph Maurer, pre-press manager, Collotype Labels in Napa, California. ‘I appreciated the interaction with EskoArtwork management, as well as product developers. The sessions I attended included presentations that showed future product roadmaps, in-depth technique seminars as well as open labs with production technicians available for help. I especially appreciated the ability to offer input to guide product development. I also spent some time in the Partner Pavilion and made valuable connections with other key individuals in the industry. This all holds a lot of value to us.’

As in past years, a number of partners participated in EskoWorld's Partner Pavilion. Sixteen companies – Agfa, Bobst, Cape Systems, DuPont, Dassualt Systems, D. Lauterbach & Partner, EFI, enfocus, Epson, HP, Hybrid Integration, ITC Infotech, MacDermid, Strata, SunChemical, and TOPS – benefitted from a well-attended flow of attendees.

EskoWorld 2012 is planned for June 16-19 in New Orleans.

Pictured: EskoArtwork's recent EskoWorld user conference was attended by a record 350 visitors

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