By Andy Slawetsky – I recently had the pleasure of attending the Select Dealer’s Group (SDG) owner’s meeting in Turtle Bay, HI. About 30 imaging dealers representing virtually all brands came to the resort to spend a couple of days discussing best practices, industry issues and more.

I was there to sit on a panel discussing current events in the imaging industry. Patricia Ames of Workflow Magazine/BPO Media, Frank Cannata and me discussed the A3 OEMs and industry trends during a portion of the conference.

It’s been a couple of years since my last SDG event and some of the faces have changed as this group of dealers has added new members and lost a few from acquisitions. Indeed, that’s one of the challenges groups like these face as their members are being acquired.

SDG is made up of a number of imaging dealers across the country. It’s set in a way so that the dealers don’t compete with each other, which allows them to talk more openly in meetings like these. There are currently a few open markets where they’re looking to add or replace dealers; email me (andy@Industryanalysts.com) and I will put you in touch with them if you’re interested in more info.

This events program had four sponsors, including Epson, who was there to provide an overview of their inkjet technology and their dealer program. Epson VP Mark Mathews gave about a 45 min presentation leaving dealers with a wealth of knowledge on inkjet technology.

Muratec was another, showcasing their PLS Label Printers as David “GQ” Clearman talked to dealers, showed samples and discussed opportunities with this impressive toner and ink label printing technology.

The meeting officially opened with a cocktail reception on the first night where we got to catch up with old friends and meet some new ones.

The next morning began with some words from current SDG president Mike McGuirk. Then, they went around the room and each dealer brought up one of their vendors (OEMs, leasing partners, software companies, etc) and said something specific they liked or didn’t like about them.

I won’t share the comments, but let’s just say some of you OEMs and partners reading this are doing GREAT and some of you…well, some of you have some work to do.

After a sponsor presentation, we started our first of two panel sessions. Then came lunch followed by the more interactive portion of our panel where we chatted about industry trends and issues. Both panels were aptly hosted by industry legend John Hey.

Muratec and Epson presentations rounded out the afternoon with some other SDG business being discussed throughout the conference between sessions.

This seemed like an amazing couple of days for these dealers. Not just because of the incredible location, but also due to the open nature of the discussions that occur at these meetings.

Watching an OEM present to the group, then getting to listen to the dealers discuss them after the’ve left was very interesting. Sort of like, “anyone working with these guys? What do you think?”

I greatly appreciate being included in the panel. Being allowed to sit in the back listening to these dealers discuss their world was an absolute treat and I learned a ton. SDG is an amazing group that must be incredibly helpful to members in terms of information sharing, references and more.

SOURCE Industry Analysts Inc.