The Dscoop Open

The Dscoop Open was the largest HP graphic arts conference for digital printers throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) so far this year. Over 1,200 delegates from 47 countries attended HP demonstrations on an array of applications.

Delegates: 1,200
Client: Dscoop and MCI Brussels
Event: The Dscoop Open
Type: Conference and Exhibition
Date: 3-5 June 2015
Days: 3

Brief

The Digital Solutions Cooperative (Dscoop) is a worldwide community of visionaries from print service providers, labels and packaging converters and industry partners, who collaborate by sharing ideas and information that drive industry leading innovation and individual business growth through the use of HP digital print technologies. The fourth annual Dscoop EMEA Conference, ‘The Dscoop Open’, took place at The CCD in June 2015.

Solution

Dscoop decided on Dublin as the location for The Dscoop Open due to its highly accessible location and excellent facilities available throughout the city. The CCD was subsequently chosen as the venue because of its exceptional infrastructure, built-in facilities in exhibition areas and break out rooms, and the overall wow factor it provides for delegates. MCI Brussels was also appointed as the professional conference organiser to oversee the running of the conference.

The three-day event featured over 50 partner stands in the ‘Solutions Showcase’, displaying and demonstrating a wide range of business enhancing products and services and sharing ideas on how to make a “hole in one” with digital printing. The Solutions Showcase took place in The CCD's largest halls, The Forum and Liffey, with more than 4,000 square meters of exhibitions, featuring nine HP Indigo Digital Presses as well as the latest Latex, Designjet and PageWide Technology. HP demonstrated an array of applications during the event, including digital commercial printing, packaging, photo merchandise and labels and signage.

One of the highlights of The Dscoop Open included a daily newspaper, 'The Dscoop Daily', which was designed and printed on-site and distributed to attendees, showcasing the unique capabilities of digital print. Four issues of the newspaper were produced during the conference with the first issue distributed immediately after the opening session. The printed newspaper featured images from the show and interviews with conference attendees.

On the first day of the conference, HP hosted visits to local customer sites, McGowans and Label Art, who demonstrated the latest HP commercial print and packaging technologies in operation. In addition, two seminar events, Jetcomm at Dscoop EMEA and Photo Forum, were held at the CCD.

The CCD worked closely with organisers throughout the event to ensure the smooth running of operations. There were over 20 large machines installed for the exhibition, including industrial and commercial printers weighing up to 15,000 kilograms, which required extensive planning. The team at The CCD carried out a structural analysis of the maximum weight capacities for The Forum and The Liffey halls, and developed a plan to facilitate the movement of parts weighing up to 6,000 kilograms. The team also coordinated with HP technicians to execute the delivery and set up of nine HP Indigo Digital Presses. This process was completed in five days, when it normally takes one month to install one of these printing presses.

For the first time at The CCD, a compressed air system was installed, which was required to power the pneumatic systems used in the industrial sized machines. The team installed two units on one side of the building, as well as a network of piping throughout the existing cabling trough system, to facilitate power points for each machine. Dscoop had the largest electrical infrastructure requirements to date at The CCD, and CCD Maintenance had a team on-site throughout the event, monitoring the electrical load and temperatures in the halls. The team also worked out a process to ensure there was a balance in the power supply, by staggering the power-up sequence of the machines. In addition, due to the high level of power required to run the machines, the Building Services Manager at The CCD liaised with ESB Networks to ensure the maximum import capacity (MIC) was not exceeded and that the city was left with sufficient power on the grid!

Another highlight during the event, was a live scene change-over which CCD Technical performed during the plenary session in the Auditorium. Using dramatic lighting, sound and draping, the expert team transformed the scene from a conference setup to an awards ceremony.

Results

The Dscoop Open attracted more than 1,200 attendees from 47 countries. The event featured 50 partner stands and 40 educational seminars, presented by world-renowned experts and leading digital print providers from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The comprehensive event schedule provided opportunities for delegates to network with hundreds of industry peers and Dscoop partners, and was deemed the largest HP graphic arts conference for digital printers so far this year.

The CCD proved to be a great venue for our event and our delegates really enjoyed the experience. One of the major benefits was the built-in facilities in the exhibition areas, as it was very easy for us to get the machines in and out. Peter van Teeseling, Dscoop EMEA Regional Director