OutputLinks Talks with Xplor International’s Skip Henk About Transaction Print, the Xplor Conference and Relevance
Posted on Tue, Mar 29, 2011
Henk Says Relevance Will Become Increasingly Important in Customer Communications
Interview by Aaron Kiel
Skip Henk is president and CEO of Xplor International, the international association for the electronic document industry. OutputLinks recently spoke with Henk about transaction print and the Xplor International Conference & Vendor Forum.
Henk has held senior level positions in sales, marketing and support for such companies as Kodak, Scitex Digital Printing, Delphax Systems and Xerox. As a 30-year industry veteran, Henk has served the document community as both and end-user and vendor. He is a frequent speaker at regional, national and global events, and he contributes to several industry magazines, newsletters and blogs.
Question: The 2011 Xplor International Conference & Vendor Forum is being held in Tampa Bay, Fla., April 5 - 7, 2011. What do transaction printers need to know about this event?
Answer: It is different, and there is no other event like it. It is not for everyone. If someone is looking to see a big trade show floor, attend a few educational classes and eat dinner at the hotel at night, this event might not be to your liking.
However, if you want to learn, interact, share, exchange information, find solutions, expand your network and walk away with actionable ideas, then this is where you need to be. Every detail of the event promotes this from the educational sessions taught by industry experts, daily networking lunches, evening networking events, an integrated vendor forum and Xplor networking center – all at a casual Florida location, a 4 diamond AAA TradeWinds Island Grand Hotel and Conference Center in Tampa Bay, Florida.
This year, we have also added a couple of facility tours and the FIS Users group has joined the event. The Madison Advisors’ pre-conference intensive returns, along with the acadami Transaction Document Production School. And, of course, the 2011 Vendor Forum, which will feature 30 vendor partners – the best in the industry.
Plus we have a little fun as well. This year, you can participate in Xplor’s 30th birthday party, get you picture taken with a real Oscar – not the Grouch kind – meet Jack Sparrow, be part of the Tampa Gasparilla experience and much more.
It is the best value in the industry at $745 for members and $945 for non-members. It includes 60+ sessions, three lunches, three evening networking events, 30 vendor partner exhibits, general sessions, facility tours and there is still time to register.
Q: It looks like a key theme of the conference is “The Next Generation of Customer Communications.” What are your thoughts on the future of customer communications?
A: It’s all relevant. People are getting saturated with information. We have become human sorting machines, taking in information and quickly digesting, filing or discarding it within a matter of seconds. If you are reading this, evidently you felt some type of connection or relevance, to the title, publication or the individual. It was relevant to you in some way. Relevance will become increasingly important in customer communications.
Q: What other key trends are you paying attention to – and which ones will be covered at the conference – when it comes to transaction printing?
A: To me, the key trends are applications that are driven by human behavior and technology. Communications have changed as technology has driven changes in human behavior which has been true forever. At the moment, it is multimedia communications and the many technologies that support it, like document re-engineering, QR codes, workflow, cloud computing, social media, etc. – all of which are part of the 2011 event.
Q: Tell us about the Transaction Document Production School that takes place at the event
A: Acadami is offering their five-day course for the first time this year at the Xplor conference. The course is vendor-neutral and certified by Xplor International, to award eligible recipients continuing education units or CEUs. In addition, anyone who finishes this course is eligible to receive their electronic document associate, or EDA, designation.
The course, lead by industry experts Bill Broddy, M-EDP, and Bill McCalpin, M-EDP, is the best course available in the industry for anyone who wants to really grasp and understand the transactional document industry. It can take someone from zero to eighty in five days. I highly recommend it.
Q: What advice and wisdom do you have for today’s high volume transaction output printer or professional?
A: Get involved. The key to your success will be staying ahead of technology advances, changes in human behavior and the impact that the combination of the two will have on how we communicate and inform. Attend webinars, conferences join an association and, above all, develop a great network of document/communication professionals. This is the key to solving problems, getting information and advancing your career.
Q: What else is new with Xplor International?
A: We have a full agenda of programming as well as a couple projects underway. In addition to the 2011 Conference and Vendor Forum, we held our first Lunch and Learn webinar. The monthly program runs through November and covers a variety of topics. XDU On the Road starts its 10-city tour in May, and the 2011 Xplor at Graph Expo conference is September 12-14. We are also involved in assisting Pitney Bowes Business Insight; we put together their curriculum for their upcoming CCM Conference in Las Vegas. This is kind of a pilot program, as we are looking at the opportunity to assist other companies and organizations to put together similar programs/user groups.
Look for a new Web site, more on e-Learning and maybe a few other surprises in 2011. It’s going to be a full year as we continue to add programming and expand Xplor’s reach and value to our members.
Q: What’s the latest with Xplor’s Electronic Document Professional (EDP) certification?
A: The EDP program, which is now 20 years old, has added two new designations, EDA and M-EDP with the Master-EDP, is the highest level of certification. Think of it as a “10
th degree black belt” in digital document technology. EDA, or electronic document associate, on the other end of the spectrum is a entry level designation that provides a segue to becoming an EDP. Over 50 people have earned their EDA designation in the last year and six have received their M-EDP. And of course, we still have the EDP designation. EDA and M-EDP are great additions to the program and a great opportunity for people to be recognized in the industry.
Q: What’s the next big thing for transaction printers? A: Loaded question with no short answer, but let me just say, transactional information not transactional print. My eight-year-old daughter most likely will never receive a printed bill or statement. She will receive bills and statements, but they most likely will not be printed. As such, transaction printers need to embrace the technologies that support print, Web and whatever else may come out in the future. It is about the data, with the presentation of the data accommodating the needs of the customer. That is the future of the transactional document industry.