Colour up your Business - UTAX Event 2009       

The motto of this year’s conference for UTAX GmbH authorised dealers and distributors was cleverly chosen, although it may have caused a bit of confusion in the minds of some attending the event: “Colour up your Business” – Is UTAX now targeting colour products? The official invitation, however, revealed what was actually meant here, namely that colour should be interpreted as a synonyme for positive change and transformation, irrespective of the products.

In mid-November, a select group of German UTAX authorised dealers and international distributors met at the SHERATON Frankfurt Hotel & Towers, with over 220 in attendance. They were there to get an idea about how this motto can be successfully applied to their everyday business.

On the eve of the conference, the participants met in a relaxed atmosphere as part of a joint get-together. The partners from UTAX GmbH’s different divisions had already had opportunities to meet and get to know one another at numerous events over the past years, so when they came together this year in Frankfurt the conversation flowed and there was a lively exchange of information. That evening, with the event's set design still no more than a mere backdrop, two caricaturists made the rounds and painted some portraits in their sketch-pads.

The studio
When the participants entered the conference room early the next day, one thing struck them immediately: they were now in a painter’s studio. On one side of the room there was a graffiti wall, where two professional sprayers had begun work on a new piece of art. On the stage, one could find the standard tools of the trade, such as brushes, canvasses and palettes. Apart from that, the space was rather barren and colourless, with no pictures hung on the walls.

This was the ideal setting in order to “introduce a bit of colour” over the course of the event and to help illustrate the point to everyone that similar to the way television once switched to colour and left behind the grey images of the past, the printer and MFP market is in the midst of a shift from conventional box moving to integrated consulting services.

To ensure that everyone understood the message, interpreters provided direct translations into English, Italian and French.

Britta Schweinhage, who brought charisma and professionalism to her role as presenter throughout the day, greeted the audience. She began by explaining the studio setting as it looked at the beginning and then directed everyone’s attention to the two graffiti artists.

The first picture: Business Development
The first ‘artist’ to colour up the stage was UTAX's Managing Director Michael Becker, who brought with him the first colour picture which was integrated in the stage setup.
In the speech to follow, he began by providing a detailed overview of current business developments at UTAX GmbH. Here, he touched on developments in the German and export businesses and in what ways they differ. From the information presented, it became clear that the company’s German unit would end the year on a positive note in spite of a challenging 2009 and the global economic crisis, thanks in no small part to the implementation of the UTAX CONSULTING sales concept. In this part of his speech, Mr Becker drew particular attention to the shift from hardware to software taking place in the market. He concluded by saying that dealers and distributors would not be able to survive in the future if they did not also offer integrated software solutions.

To further illustrate the points in visual terms, Michael Becker went on to announce a little “film premiere”: scenes from a popular film had been recut, redubbed and new material referring to UTAX DOCUMENT CONSULTING added especially for this event. The final eight-minute trailer took a novel approach to demonstrating how UTAX, with its software solutions and professional consulting services, is able to colour up the grey, drab office environment while adding a new dimension to the business.

The second picture: Range of Service s
The next colour picture was presented by Robert Feldmeier. In his presentation, TA Triumph-Adler AG's Spokesman of the Board began by highlighting the important role that UTAX/TA Triumph-Adler plays in Kyocera Mita's strategy. He also touched, of course, on the necessary shift from hardware to software, but the main focus of his speech was on presenting the TA Triumph-Adler range of services. These include customer services previously provided free of charge which in the future will be charged for. The goal here was to give the participants a thought-provoking impulse.

After the coffee break that followed, Verena & Klaus, two fictional dealers played by actors who represented members of the audience, took to the stage and provided an entertaining commentary on the events that had transpired so far.

Pictures 3 & 4: Marketing and System Support
Harald Bönig, Sales Director Germany and Marketing Director at UTAX GmbH, and Olaf Stammer, Product Manager System Support, hung the next two pictures on the stage. In the panel discussion with the presenter, they talked about market and business developments in the area of hardware and software, and how to overcome negative trends. Harald Bönig then described in greater detail the key points of active sales and explained how dealers need to position themselves here in the future. Olaf Stammer provided information on the skills and qualifications required for system support. Both presented practical examples to back up their statements. They then went on to give a short overview of new software developments at UTAX GmbH, with more detailed information to follow as the event progressed.

The lunch break that followed presented a welcome opportunity for dealers and UTAX employees to discuss the information in further detail. While this was all happening, the spray artists continued to work diligently in the studio on putting the finishing touches to the graffiti artwork.

Picture 5: Technician of the Future
After Britta Schweinhage greeted everyone back in the studio after the break, she presented the next ‘artist’ on the stage. Bernd Falgowski, Head of the UTAX service department, had also brought a picture along. In his presentation he discussed technical developments across the years (e.g. from analogue to digital and from b/w to colour) and provided an insight into current and future technology (connection/network technology as well as the integration of software solutions). From a technical perspective, he highlighted professional communications in all directions backed by comprehensive knowledge of the field, something that cannot be achieved without professional training and qualifications.