Retail futurist Matthew Brown will give the keynote address
The provisional programme and key speakers for the fifth Digital Print for Brand Success conference have been announced, with more to come.
Under the theme ‘Driving packaging development through digital print’, the popular conference returns to the IET London: Savoy Place on 1 November with a fresh line up of speakers and a programme designed to spark debate and question the status quo.
Keynote
This year’s event will be opened by Matthew Brown, who describes himself as a retail futurist and trend speaker. He will delight the audience with his fast-paced and entertaining shopping journey through the global retail landscape. Mr Brown is the founder of Echochamber – a creative retail intelligence agency with a global reach. For the past 18 years, the London-based agency has travelled the world tracking retail trends, feeding best practice in store design, consumer trends and innovative technology to clients in order to help them future proof their businesses. It is this wealth of knowledge and experience that he will share during his presentation, which will be followed by an opportunity for the attendees to quiz him on how this will affect them and their ventures.
‘In order to survive in this omni-channel world, successful retail brands are building unique experiences that blend the physical and digital, and turning stores from mere places to buy, into social spaces with hospitality and community at their heart,’ said Mr Brown. ‘The future of retail may be scary, but it is also a very exciting time, where innovation can be found all around the world.’
As well as keynote speaking, Echochamber also produces bespoke reports and workshops, brand and brief development, design agency recommendation and retail safari store tours. Long-standing clients include IKEA, Marks & Spencer, Tesco, John Lewis and Westfield, as well as other clients such as Nike, Microsoft, Unilever and L’Oreal.
Big talks
A firm supporter of the conference and proponent of digital print with many successful campaigns under his belt, Greg Bentley returns to be part of the debate and give a presentation. Earlier this year, he took on a new role as global packaging decoration director for global innovation and technology development at Anheuser-Busch InBev.
On the printer front, Amberley Labels’ managing director Trevor Smith joins the programme to discuss his digital journey and look at future opportunities in labels, while Alexir Digital will bring customer Imperial Teas of Lincoln to the stage to discuss the value of digitally printed folding cartons.
Under the heading, ‘The future is now’, Rob Hollands, who is the managing director of design agency Anthem Worldwide, will offer insights into connected packaging, including his experience of working on KitKat’s Live Your Break and the Takeover Fanta campaigns.
A panel of experts will discuss the latest developments and the impact of the current plastics debate on printers, looking at how digital print technology can help improve the environmental credentials of packaging. This will be chaired by Paul Foulkes-Arellano, client programme, Precipice Design, and feature a number of panellists with in-depth knowledge of sustainability and digital print technology, including Matt Baldock, managing director of Vowpack, and packaging and plastics specialist Sarah Greenwood.
With its great mix of brand owners, retailers, designers and leading printers, the Digital Print for Brand Success conference never fails to elicit lively debate amongst the delegates. Each year, topical issues and new trends are discussed by expert speakers and panellists with the aim of driving the understanding of digital print technology forwards.
For more details and to book tickets, please go to www.digitalbrandconf.com or email chloe.w@whitmar.co.uk.
