I have had the pleasure of working directly with Skip Henk as a media sponsor for Xplor 2011. He is a perfect example of old school experience embracing the new media culture and I am very grateful he was able to take some time and respond to a few questions for all of us. In addition to his time, Skip has also offered promo code XPLOPMC for our audience to receive $200 off full conference registration and a chance to win a FULL REFUND at the event. Details here … but without further adieu…
DC: Who is Skip Henk and what does he do?
SH: I spend a 51% of my time being the father of 8 kids, grandfather of 3 and a husband to a wonderful woman. The other 49% I spend as an evangelist for the digital document industry as president/ceo of Xplor International. I am a lucky guy.
DC: Can you please explain the purpose and mission of Xplor International for anyone who isn’t aware or your organization?
SH: Xplor started as a user group for the Xerox 9700 (1979) that I believe makes our culture unique. As such the association was built on sharing information, knowledge and personal networking. Xplor members love to share information.
So our purpose and mission remains pretty much the same: To provide education, knowledge sharing, personal development and networking to our members and member companies.In many ways we are still a user group, but instead of one technology or product, we embrace them all.
DC: What is Xplor Document University?
SH: The Xplor Document University is the educational arm of Xplor. Its mission is to provide educational programming when, where and how people want or need to access it. Whether it is a national event, like the one coming up in April, local programs or web based programs, in person or from the comfort of ones office.
DC: The Xplor International Conference & Vendor Forum is coming up April 5-7 in Tampa, FL – who should attend and why?
SH: Who should attend? Anyone who is involved in, or wants to get involved in, the generation and distribution of bills, statements, direct mail or policies via print or the web can gain a great deal from the event..
Answering why is a bit more difficult. The Xplor conference is different and hard to explain. From the relaxed setting, unique blend of content, scheduling, physical layout and networking, attendees become totally immersed in the event. It is designed to be a relatively small intimate event (300-350 attendees) with a limit of 34 vendor partners.
This year we will have the Madison Advisors pre-conference intensive on Monday April 4. We are offering a tour of ValPak, the same day, one of the most automated print and mail operations in North America. We welcome this year the FIS users group as well as a new CEU program by acadami, the Transaction Document Production School
The conference event is a great value at $745 (using promo code XPLOPMC), which includes access to all 60+ Xplor sessions, keynotes, exhibition area, daily lunches as well as evening events. At the end of the conference people leave armed with new information, an expanded personal network and the satisfaction of sharing their experiences.
This is a PrintMediaCentr Exclusive: More details to follow but attendees will have the opportunity of being photographed with a real Oscar®. Think Kodak moment! Other announcements will be made in the next two weeks as we are adding a few more surprises.
DC: Transpromo is a marketing term that is popping up more frequently as of late and seems to be a growth area for printers. What is it exactly and how does someone get into the transpromo business?
SH: Transpromo is simply the blend of transactional data (like a bill or statement) with targeted marketing. Take a crawl, walk, run approach. (I can’t take credit for this it was actually a session I attended last year presented by Pat McGrew of Kodak)
Start simple by adding some demographics. It is about the right offer, to the right person at the right time. Then add as you go along. Just initial baby steps can make a huge difference. Too many people try to do it all out of the gate, which is overwhelming.
Attend some webinars, seminars and conferences. Xplor offers these all the time, for both members and non-members. We also record them so they are accessible. Network with others that have done it. Learn all you can, and then start simple.
DC: You participated in Adobe’s webinar on PDF/VT hosted by PrintMediaCentr. With variable data being such a huge component of transpromo and customized document communications, how do you think this new technology will affect the industry?
SH: I foresee it as a major driver. Like any technology there is an adaption curve. What will drive its success is portability and application fidelity. We are having some sessions on PDF/VT at the conference this year and plan to work with Adobe on communicating its benefits to our industry.
DC: How is Xplor using social media to market its endeavors and communicate with members?
SH: I used to feel like the cobbler who did not fix his own shoes. We have had social media as part of our curriculum for a couple years now. Last year from our event we tracked some 250k tweets, which blew me away.
We now use Twitter, we have a LinkedIn group and a new Facebook page. We are also working with PrintMediaCentr, which is I guess, why I am here. In order to communicate with people you need to provide information the way people prefer to receive. Changes in human behavior are driving it. If you have kids and they have a cell phone, call them. Most of the time you get a voice mail. Text them and you will get an immediate answer. They are the future decision makers in business, and they have embraced social media.
DC: Lastly, if you were making a commencement speech what would your message be regarding the future of printing in a multi-channel landscape?
SH: Those who control the data win! ….. Printers want to become the traffic cops of data. It is all about data in a multi-media environment. The doom and gloom about printing is just that, there is opportunity for those who can visualize the evolution of technology. You don’t have to be a visionary, just a visualist.
There will be print, but there may be less of it, more targeted. There will be new print applications. But the opportunity that is unfolding is the ancillary opportunity of controlling the data. Archive, storage, indexing, retrieval distribution via print, web, SMS and whatever new technology may emerge offer opportunities. I talk to printers all the time about this.
The software today is much simpler and affordable. You can partner with various companies. Just think outside of the box. Seize the opportunity. Look at it as dots … on paper, on a screen or phone …. And you are the one that is controlling the dots. There is money in dots!
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If you liked this interview you may also like:
1/1: Interview with James Shand EDP, Director & Partner at TriPartum Ltd
1/1: Interview with Pat McGrew EDP, Data-driven Communication Segment Evangelist at Kodak
1/1: Interview with Dave Erlandson, General Manager of Caslon & PODi
Use code XPLOPMC and you can attend XPLOR 2011 for FREE!!!
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