Held in Geneva, a key feature of the conference will be tours of Kodak’s new European Demo Centre and Workflow Lab. "It’s a really great place where all Kodak devices can be seen, so delegates can experience all the facilities that Kodak is offering," said Karsten Müller, president of the GUA and key account manager at MSP Druck and Medien.
The event, now in its eighth year, will also feature hands-on demos, seminars and networking opportunities. New this year will be the dedication of one of GUA’s four presentation tracks to innovative inkjet and hybrid printing solutions.
"This year the majority of new products and services on show will be in these areas," said Müller.
"One of the key speakers will be Bild Ost and Axel Springer's Tobias Kuhn, who will explain how inkjet heads can be used to print newspapers at full speed. We’ll also be learning about how offset presses can be used for personalisation."
Other topics will include: opportunities in packaging, true market data intelligence, simplifying colour management, streamlining automation and managing complex production in a digital world.
Müller explained that switching from a two-day format back to 2010’s three-day schedule, reflected the international nature of the conference, allowing more time for talks and demos to be given in different languages.
Reporting that around 150 to 250 Kodak users typically attend the conference, he added: "The key thing is that there are no salespeople at GUA. It’s much more about networking and getting together to find out how things work and how to do them better."
Attending GUA costs €395 per delegate if booked before mid-August, after which it’s €520. This price includes evening events and food but not accommodation or travel.
