It must be UTAX - The UTAX Event 2003 (November 2003)
Report November 2003
Two years after the successful UTAX Event in Düsseldorf, UTAX GmbH has invited the managing directors of selected partners to Frankfurt to exchange information. This time around, not only authorized German dealers and international distributors were invited, but also potential new dealers as well. More than 200 participants accepted the invitation. In mid-November, they convened in the Kempinski Hotel Gravenbruch, which is situated close to the gates of Frankfurt. This exclusive hotel with country house style provided an exceptional setting for the program. First, greetings were extended to the international guests who hailed from as many as 21 different countries. They had their first opportunity to meet with colleagues and UTAX staff at the evening get together. While the international guests concluded the day of the conference with a dinner among themselves, the German participants met for their own get together. This initial meeting of 170 people also took place in a relaxed setting. Varied program The "UTAX News" The conference hall was transformed into a television studio equipped with a stage, spotlights and cameras. The participants were the audience. Thomas Gerres, familiar to some participants as a TV announcer for various news shows, including n-tv, assumed the role of anchorman for "UTAX News". The program was now ready to begin. Following a general news report on the economy, Michael Becker (Managing Director UTAX GmbH) provided commentary on recent developments at UTAX. He addressed the company´s sales patterns and unit sales, market development in Germany and Europe, as well as overall market conditions. Provided with the appropriate visual aids, the participants, or rather the audience, had no trouble following the developments. Next came an on-location report about an Asian market. Reporting "live" was Robert Feldmeier (Board Member, TA Triumph-Adler AG), who discussed the current situation at the UTAX and TA Triumph-Adler companies and analyzed the incorporation of UTAX into the TA Triumph-Adler strategy. Then he took a closer look at Kyocera Mita´s stake in TA Triumph-Adler AG. The Kyocera Mita Corporation of Japan acquired a 25% shareholding in TA Triumph-Adler. The participants were informed of the advantages of this alliance to both parties, Kyocera Mita and TA Triumph-Adler alike. As a sign of the alliance, T. Okada, President of Kyocera Mita Europe, and Yasuyuki Ushio, Manager of the OEM Sales Department, were present in the audience. Live broadcast from headquarters This segment brought the news from the marketing and sales divisions. Topics as varied as the Internet, the page price concepts UTAX Consulting and T.O.M. - Total Output Management - (TA Triumph-Adler), as well as the training concept were treated in detail. The development of individual product areas was presented, as was the product line-up for the coming year. Particular attention was given to the specifications of three new multifunction systems, which were launched in late November 2003. Both "on-location shoots" were staged right in the "studio", with the reporters in a so-called "blue box" with appropriate background scenery. Hence, as the audience watched the screen, they had the impression that the presenters were actually in Asia or Hamburg. The greeting from headquarters was the only part of the program produced and recorded ahead of time. Introduction of new products The colour products were presented in the workshops that followed. Separate newsrooms were set up to present the new colour printers and colour copiers available beginning in April 2004, and to discuss recruiting and sales training (German conference) or b/w laser printers (international conference). The participants were rotated through the different workshops. One "creative" workshop on offer was the so-called "WOK Shop". With its allusion to the Asian market, it showed participants how pleasure and quality of life can be reconciled with these hectic times at little effort. In other words, it showcased the "simplicity of the possible". A gala evening closed the day with everyone in attendance. The German participants and the international distributors came together. On this festive occasion, the most successful dealers and distributors were honored on stage. The subsequent program featuring live music and stage performers delighted all. The UTAX Event 2003 was yet another reminder to the participants that UTAX is the right partner, both now and in the future. A partner that has the right strategy and first-class products, and the success to prove it: sales growth of 12.3% over the previous year (January through October), a unit sales growth for the UTAX brand (copiers) of 11.4% for the same period, and a market share of 8.2% in the digital copier sector in Germany. A partner that lives up to its own expectations. UTAX GmbH |